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SALT LAKE CITY — Armed with three picks (Nos. 9, 16 and 28) spread throughout the first round, the Utah Jazz could have an interesting draft night Thursday (6 p.m. MDT, ABC/ESPN).
The league has spent months trying to figure out what exactly Utah's plans are for the draft.
"A lot of teams have been asking us since April, 'Well, are you gonna pick all three picks?'" Jazz vice president of player personnel Bart Taylor said Wednesday. "And it's like, I have no idea. I don't know as of right now if we're gonna pick all three."
Taylor said the team likes to have its board set a full day before the draft begins to try and take the emotion out of the draft. Still, there's no way of knowing what will come along in the hours or even minutes leading up to a selection.
"We don't know what's going to come our way — who's going to call, who's going to offer us something, what opportunities will be there — that's just kind of the nature of the draft," Taylor said. "It doesn't happen till (you're) on the clock that teams want to make a decision. Everyone wants us to have this clear picture of what we're trying to do. And the answer is: It's just very fluid."
With that the case, here's a quick guide to help manage what could be a pretty hectic draft night.
All eyes on No. 9
There appears to be a consensus on the top nine players in this draft; a consensus that even Taylor hinted at during his availability on Wednesday.
When asked how many players were in play for the Jazz with their first pick on Thursday, he said, "I mean, we have like nine right now. One of them will be there." He then paused and added in jest, "Well, one of them, I know will not be there for sure."
Victory Wembanyama (the one that will not be there), Scoot Henderson and Brandon Miller will all be off the board at No. 9, and the same can probably be said about Amen Thompson. Then, it appears to open up.
Could Cam Whitmore, who some draft analysts have in their top three, fall to the Jazz? What about Jarace Walker? The Jazz's big board might not reflect the reported consensus exactly, but regardless, they'll have a player they like waiting for them at No. 9.
But what about trades?
Utah doesn't have to wait and see what happens ahead of it. The Jazz are loaded with assets and could combine a couple of those to move up in the draft. Utah has reportedly been trying to get as high as No. 5 in order to get Arkansas guard Anthony Black.
The Jazz reportedly also have interest in combining their latter two picks to move up into the late lottery.
But Utah isn't the only team that's had plenty of trade speculation surrounding it leading up to Thursday's big event. Four of the top five picks have been reportedly available at one time or another.
"A lot of it is teams just putting stuff out to try to create buzz and try to see what other stuff could come their way," Taylor said. "I think teams try to use the media a lot to generate other trade ideas or get teams to maybe show their hand of what they're thinking a little more. ... It does feel like there is a lot of chatter and a lot of potential movement, but I think teams could end up just staying pat, as well, and just picking the guys that are there."
The Jazz could be one of those teams — a scenario the team is perfectly comfortable with.
"We're actually very confident with the talent through 28," he said. "We feel like at all three picks we'll get a good player."
Top options at No. 9
Anthony Black, PG, Arkansas
The Jazz are reportedly interested in moving ahead of Washington at No. 8 in order to take Black. He's got great positional size and might be the smartest player in the draft. The shot wasn't there in college, but there's a belief that it will come along in the NBA.
Taylor Hendricks, SF, UCF
He's 6-foot-8 without shoes, has a 7-foot-1 wingspan, and shot nearly 40% from the 3-point line his freshman season. Add on to that some elite defensive instincts and it's easy to see why he's risen into the top 10 — and (potentially) beyond
Cam Whitmore, F, Villanova
Once considered a lock to go in the top five, Whitmore may be there for the Jazz at No. 9. He projects to be a 20-plus point scorer, but his passing (or lack thereof) has led to some questions about his game at the next level.
Jarace Walker, F, Houston
A relentless defender and a connector on offense. He was sort of like a college version of Draymond Green. Will that translate to the NBA?
Kobe Bufkin, G, Michigan
Bufkin isn't expected to go in the top 10, but we'll throw him in here in case the Jazz miss out on Black and still want to get a point guard (though expect them to go with the best player available; the Jazz are still in the talent acquisition stage of their rebuild). Bufkin has been flying up draft boards during the pre-draft cycle.
What about No. 16?
The draft really opens up after the top 10 picks, with players projected all over the board. That means there will be plenty of talent available for Utah's No. 16 selection, but talent that comes with plenty of questions about their game.
Here are some names that have been linked to the Jazz in the mid-first round:
Keyonte George, G, Baylor
A polarizing guard with a lot of creativity on the bounce, but had some iffy efficiency.
Bilal Coulibaly, F, France
The Jazz reportedly have enough interest in Wembanyama's long and athletic French teammate to take him at No. 9. Utah would have to be a little patient, but he could be worth the gamble down the road.
Cason Wallace, PG, Kentucky
He is among the best on-ball defenders in the draft; and like so many other Kentucky guards before him, he could look much better on offense with NBA spacing.
Jalen Hood-Schifino, PG, Indiana
Good pick-and-roll guard that has good positional size. Between Black, Bufkin, Wallace, George, and Hood-Schifino, the Jazz could leave the draft with at least one potential point guard of the future.
And No. 28?
The Jazz have brought in plenty of players for a workout that will be available at the end of the first round. So they are at least prepared in case they actually do make all three selections,
Among the players they've brought in for workouts that are projected to go around the No. 28 pick include: Ben Sheppard, SF, Belmont; Colby Jones, SG, Xavier, Ricky Council IV, W, Arkansas; and Maxwell Lewis, W, Pepperdine
