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SALT LAKE CITY — There was a time leading up to Thursday's draft that the Utah Jazz debated whether to take Central Florida forward Taylor Hendricks or Baylor guard Keyonte George with the No. 9 pick.
They chose right, if only because they ended up with both players.
"The way the draft board fell really took a fortunate turn for us," Jazz general manager Justin Zanik said.
The Utah Jazz ended the night with three intriguing prospects.
At No. 9, the Jazz took Hendricks, who went from mostly an unknown prospect entering the season to a top 10 pick. With the 16th pick, the Jazz rolled the dice on George, hoping to polish his obvious offensive talent. The Jazz finished the night by taking Ohio State wing Brice Sensabaugh, a high-scoring guard that has a knack for taking (and making) tough shots.
"We got two of the guys that we had in our top 10 players; frankly, we were debating which one to take at nine and we ended up getting both of them," Zanik said. "And at 28, getting a player that we had in our top 18 was really, really good."
So what are the Jazz getting in their newest players?
Zanik said a few things pop out about Hendricks, a 6-foot-9 forward that shot 39% from 3-point range while displaying some impressive defensive instincts.
"Length, his ability already to make open shots. He's got very good instincts as a help side shot blocker. He's smart," Zanik said.
Due to those strengths, Hendricks believes he's a perfect fit next to Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler.
"Walker Kessler is a great shot blocker, Lauri Markkanen is a great shooter," he said. "They're both big, they have length. I have length. I can block shots. We're gonna be a really good defensive team. I'm excited to get to work with them."
Hendricks needs to get stronger — and the Jazz believe he has the frame to be able to do that — but there is confidence that he can be a rotation player from Day 1, especially with the versatility he can provide. He does seem like a perfect fit next to Kessler and Markkanen, but he should be able to play in all types of lineups, too.
"He fits with how we want to play. He's a big that can space, He'll hopefully be able to switch as he gets stronger. good instincts, a willing passer. ... He profiles as a guy that's easy to play with lots of different combinations, especially as his skill set improves," Zanik said.
Two days before the draft, the Jazz made a list of how they thought the draft would go. Then, they compared that to their board. Suffice it to say, they would have done things differently. And most notably, selected George much higher.
"I think he has probably the most diversified, developed offensive skill set, maybe in the draft. … Keyonte has been doing it for a long time at a very, very high level in high school competition," Zanik said. "And he has all the shots, shots that some people can't ever learn."
George is a confident scorer with a big bag of tricks to be able to get shots off. He took NBA-type shots at Bayor; he just doesn't make them at a very high clip. He shot 37.8% from the field in his lone freshman season. The Jazz don't seem worried about the poor efficiency; instead focusing on the talent level.
"He's got a handle, he can isolate, he can pass, he can run pick and roll," Zanik said.
And they think there's a lot more room for growth for the 19 year old.
"He's got the athletic tools to be a good defender. He's smart. He's a good passer. I can see him playing on the ball and off the ball; just a really talented guard," Zanik said.
Zanik knows it sounds cliche, but he promises it's the truth: He didn't think Sensabaugh would be available to take at No. 28.
There were concerns about Sensabaugh's knees that may have pushed his stock down. But he's got an obvious NBA skill: making tough contested shots.
"You go back and look at his film like he makes and takes NBA pro shots," Zanik said.
There's a ways to go defensively (Sensabaugh said he's been watching a lot of film since the season ended to try and get better on that end) and the Jazz are eager to get him into the weight room so he can get into NBA shape.
"He's very gifted athletically. We've got to do some molding, in terms of him getting stronger and leaning out a little bit. But he can do so many things with the ball," Zanik said.
Despite weeks of rumors of a trade-filled evening, the actual draft yielded very little drama, especially in the Jazz front office. Zanik joked that the Jazz were "very popular" and received numerous calls, but, ultimately, the team decided to stand pat. And they liked who they ended up with.
"We added three really talented prospects but also high character guys that we think can get better and have a skill set that we think we can maximize," Zanik said.
