Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Jazz will have the No. 5 pick in this year's NBA draft following Tuesday's lottery selection.
The Jazz, who sat in the No. 4 spot leading up to the lottery selection, will have the opportunity to select a potential franchise player in a draft expected to bring several stars to the league. Current projections have the No. 5 pick as Indiana forward Noah Vonleh — an aggressive defender that has the ability to stretch the floor with a decent offensive game.
The Jazz moved down in the draft after the Cleveland Cavaliers moved up from the No. 9 position to earn the No. 1 pick in the draft for the second year in a row and third in four years.
Entering Tuesday's lottery selection, the Jazz had a 37.29 percent chance of selecting the No. 5 overall pick, which was the highest percentage for the team.
In franchise history, the Jazz have never had the No. 1 overall pick. The highest pick, Darrell Griffith, was selected No. 2 overall by the Jazz in 1980. The Jazz have had the No. 3 pick three times in franchise history, selecting Dominique Wilkins (1982), Deron Williams (2005) and Enes Kanter (2011).
Since the lottery began in 1985, the Jazz have only been a lottery team seven times.
Related:
Scouting 10 players the Jazz may draft
A day before the NBA lottery selection, the Utah Jazz sit in the No. 4 spot in the draft — a draft many expect to bring several stars into the league.The Jazz have already conducted three pre-draft workouts in the offseason, but most of the players that have worked out for the Jazz are expected to be selected late in the second round or to go undrafted. The Jazz expect to attract lottery-type players in the coming days with the draft order now set.
"The first couple of workouts this year have mainly been guys who are seniors, been guys in the possible second round selection," Walt Perrin, vice president of basketball operations, said at Tuesday's workout. "Most of the big agencies are holding back their guys until (Tuesday night) and then they'll decide on where their players will go for workouts."
