Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- The Utah Jazz endured their worst season to improve NBA Draft Lottery odds.
- They have a 14% chance of securing the No. 1 pick for Cooper Flagg.
- Co-owner Ashley Smith will represent the Jazz, hoping for lottery luck Monday.
SALT LAKE CITY — Was all the losing worth it?
That question will be answered Monday night in Chicago. It's not hyperbole to say that the NBA Draft Lottery is the biggest date on the calendar for the Utah Jazz.
Fans have had to suffer through the worst season in franchise history as the organization chased lottery odds, hoping to land a generational star. Now, Utah's fate rests with the ping pong balls.
"The lottery is the lottery," general manager Justin Zanik said. "We've done everything we can to control where we are. I can't control what the results are on May 12."
But the Jazz have given themselves the best chance to land the No. 1 pick.
Utah has a 14% chance of landing the top selection, a 13.4% chance at getting No. 2, a 12.7% chance of landing No. 3, a 12% chance at No. 4 and a 47.9% chance of sliding to No. 5.
Ryan Smith has already seen one of his teams get some lottery luck this month with the Utah Hockey Club … err, Utah Mammoth, jumping 10 spots from No. 14 to No. 4 in the NHL Draft Lottery. Will the Jazz have similar luck?
Co-owner Ashley Smith will represent the Jazz on stage at the lottery — and her husband said there's a reason for that.
"My lucky charm, Ashley, is going to go represent the Jazz," Ryan Smith said during a radio interview last week.
The Jazz need some luck because even with the worst record, the most likely scenario is the team will get No. 5. That would be more than a bit disappointing.
All the losing was to chase a future star, and Cooper Flagg is the surefire standout in the class.
The Duke phenom was the youngest-ever to win the Naismith Award (and Wooden and Associated Press player of the year) as the NCAA's best player and just the fourth-ever freshman, joining Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis and Zion Williamson.
He averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists and shot 48% from the field and 38% from 3-point range.
Flagg isn't quite the level Victor Wembanyama was as a prospect, but he's probably in the next tier, with the likes of Davis, Williamson and Durant.
His skill level, athleticism, shot-creation ability and mentality make him as close to a can't-miss prospect as you can get — barring injury, of course. He's a player who will immediately raise a franchise's fortunes.
So will the Jazz players be paying attention on Monday to see if they get the pick that will land Flagg?
"A lot," Walker Kessler said with a laugh. "Yeah, I'm excited for that. We'll see what happens."
Added Keyonte George: "You always want to know who you are going to play with. Obviously, you don't know what pick we're going to get."
Lauri Markkanen said he might even make an appearance at the lottery — something that usually hasn't been possible due to spending time in Finland.
"We'll see how the timing goes — maybe I get to go, maybe I won't," Markkanen said. "I was there when I was getting drafted. It was a pretty fun event to be around. There are a lot of former NBA players, and you get to see and hang around with, so those are always fun times."
More fun if the Jazz end up landing the first pick.
So what happens if they don't?
Rutgers point guard Dylan Harper would be a pretty decent consolation prize at No. 2. He averaged 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and four assists per game while shooting 48 percent from the field in his freshman year.
The rest of the top five will likely come down to team preference, with Rutgers forward Ace Bailey, Baylor wing VJ Edgecombe and Texas guard Tre Johnson all being in the mix.
But the Jazz are hoping they won't have to scout those players too closely after Monday.
