NBA Mock Draft 2.0: Projecting How Board Falls for Jazz Post-Lottery

The results of the NBA Draft Lottery have officially come to light, as we saw the San Antonio Spurs take home the number one pick, and effectively, Victor Wembanyama. The first of many dominoes to fall in terms of the NBA Draft process now helps us gain some clarity as to how the beginning picks will shape up.

With this new development, it’s a perfect time to put together our new and improved mock draft. How does this new top five change the Jazz’s draft strategy, and does it even change at all? Maybe not.

Regardless, we’ll look down the board to see how picks around the league can impact the outcome of the three Jazz first rounders of this year. Without further ado, here’s our second official mock of the 2023 draft cycle:

Inside the Jazz 2023 NBA Mock Draft 2.0

1. San Antonio Spurs: Victor Wembanyama, C, France

The Spurs lucked out and were able to secure their franchise guy. Wembanyama looks to be the next great number-one overall pick in San Antonio next to former selections, David Robinson and Tim Duncan.

2. Charlotte Hornets: Scoot Henderson, PG, G-League Ignite

This is where the draft begins to get interesting, as the Hornets decide to go Wemby. While the fit of Miller in Charlotte is tantalizing, Scoot is the best player available in the draft outside of the clear number one. When drafting this high, talent must be valued over team needs.

3. Portland Trail Blazers: Brandon Miller, SF, Alabama

This pick could eventually become a prime opportunity for the Blazers to trade out of this spot to get Dame some much-needed help, we’ll have them sticking and picking for now. Miller could even be the perfect second young star necessary to pair with Lillard.

4. Houston Rockets: Amen Thompson, PG, G-League Ignite

Thompson fits exactly what Houston would need: distributor, primary ball-handler, and potential secondary scorer. Unless James Harden plans on coming into town, this Thompson twin could prove to be the perfect guard to initiate into Houston’s core.

5. Detroit Pistons: Ausar Thompson, SG, G-League Ignite

Immediately after the first half of the twins is picked, Ausar gets secured by Detroit. His length and versatility allow him to be a nice fit alongside Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey in the future.

6. Orlando Magic: Cam Whitmore, SF, Villanova

One of the youngest, highest-upside players in the draft falls to the Magic at 6. A versatile wing that can do it all offensively can only add to the impressive young core being built in Orlando.

7. Indiana Pacers: Jarace Walker, PF, Houston

The strong, impressively built prospect, Jarace Walker can perfectly align in Indy’s starting lineup for the future. Tyrese Haliburton can be surrounded by a talented, athletic frontcourt of Walker, Benedict Mathurin, and Myles Turner for hopeful long-term future success. 

8. Washington Wizards: Anthony Black, SG, Arkansas

A team in one of the more odd spots in the draft ends up taking one of the best, most versatile players on the board. Black is a lengthy guard prospect with great defensive and playmaking upside that makes him a very intriguing prospect.

9. Utah Jazz: Gradey Dick, SG, Kansas

While many establish Dick as solely a three-point shooter, he provides one of the more intriguing arsenals in the entire draft. Recently measuring in at the NBA Combine at 6’6.25 with an almost 6’9 wingspan, Gradey projects as a wing with respectable size and versatility at the next level.

The Jazz enter this year’s free agency with some uncertainty at the guard position. Both Jordan Clarkson and Talen Horton-Tucker are expected to decline their player options, and without a potential answer for the future at the position, the team would have to look to draft a replacement.

Gradey can not only give you instant production in terms of shot-making, but he can soon develop into one of the go-to options on an NBA offense with his shot creation and off-ball presence. Despite his questionable athleticism, Dick still has all the potential to be a great selection here for Utah.

10. Dallas Mavericks: Taylor Hendricks, PF, Central Florida

The Mavericks’ shortcomings last year fell on the defensive end on the floor. A seemingly wise way to fix this would be by selecting one of the better 3&D forwards in the entire draft by taking Hendricks.

11. Orlando Magic (via CHI): Jordan Hawkins, SG, Connecticut

The Magic are among the most loaded teams in terms of future talent. Putting an individual focus and developing these players is an impossible task. By selecting Hawkins, Orlando can take a talent that’s more NBA-ready, leading to instant success rather than projections to soon be a good talent.

12. Oklahoma City Thunder: Jett Howard, SG, Michigan

Howard is one of my favorite prospects in the draft. Son of Juwan Howard, Jett provides great size, versatility, and basketball IQ for OKC to add to their existing young assets.

13. Toronto Raptors: Nick Smith Jr., PG, Arkansas

Fred VanVleet may be on his way out of Toronto, which means the Raptors could be in the market for a point guard. Smith is an elite offensive guard that could help guide the Raptors back into postseason play.

14: New Orleans Pelicans: Leonard Miller, PF, G-League Ignite

The Pelicans have consistently found themselves falling short of expectations partially due to the lack of health from All-Star Zion Williamson. A selection of Leonard Miller gives the team some more security at the forward position in case the injury bug pops up again.

15. Atlanta Hawks: Cason Wallace, PG, Kentucky

The Hawks attempted to find a guard to back up Trae Young when they selected Sharife Cooper back in 2021. Considering those results, the Hawks opt to take an upgrade in the all-around guard in Cason.

16. Utah Jazz (via MIN): Jalen Hood-Schifino

A great base for building a young, successful franchise is by creating a foundation at the point guard position. A tall, aggressive, pass-first guard such as Hood-Schifino could be exactly that for the Jazz.

Hood-Schifino measured 6’4.25 at the combine with an absurd 6’10.25 wingspan. That combination of size and length is exactly what opposing teams fear, as it’s the perfect recipe to create an effective two-way star. While his efficiency and streaky shooting can be a concern, it’s nothing that isn’t fixable with the right development.

If you’re looking for a comparison here, think Shai Gilgeous-Alexander coming out of the draft. Back in 2018, we saw Shai enter with very similar advertisements and questions surrounding his efficiency and consistent shot-making. However, as we’ve since seen, taking that chance sometimes proves to be worth it.

17. Los Angeles Lakers: Keyontae George, SG, Baylor

A LeBron-led team can always use shot-makers around him, and that’s exactly what the Lakers would be getting by selecting George.

18. Miami Heat: Brice Sensabaugh, SF, Ohio State

Miami is another team that could value shot-makers considering the lack of shot creation we’ve seen on their improbably ECF run. However, Sensabaugh can alleviate some of these woes by hopefully providing some of the amazing scoring skill set he had at OSU.

19. Golden State Warriors: Dereck Lively II, C, Duke

After trading James Wiseman, and also consistently lacking size in the Lakers series, the Warriors respond by selecting a 7’2 big. Lively can help block shots and be an immediately effective defender for a Golden State team that hopes to still contend.

20. Houston Rockets (via LAC): G.G. Jackson, PF, South Carolina

After a selection of Amen Thompson earlier, Houston looks to add to their draft by selecting the explosive, versatile athlete of Jackson. Despite a shaky season at South Carolina, he presents some of the best upside in the class if all goes well.

21. Brooklyn Nets (via PHX): Kobe Bufkin, PG, Michigan

An aging guard core in Brooklyn leads to the selection of Bufkin in the first of their back-to-back picks. Despite being a part of a Michigan team that didn’t appear in the Big Dance, Kobe can still be an effective scorer and passer in the NBA.

22. Brooklyn Nets: Noah Clowney, PF, Alabama

The Nets decide to go with a frontcourt selection in their second pick by taking Clowney. He has a long, lanky body also providing excellent athleticism and shooting. Still needs to grow into his frame, but has time to develop with the Nets.

23. Portland Trail Blazers (via NYK): Kris Murray, PF, Iowa

The Blazers look for immediate impact with this pick by selecting Murray one pick before his brother’s team. With his age and experience like his brother, Portland hopes he can help contribute to the wins column for Dame’s sake.

24. Sacramento Kings: Dariq Whitehead, SG, Duke

A team that exceeded expectations last season, the Kings have the opportunity in this draft to shoot for potential. Whitehead, while coming off of a foot injury that derailed his season at Duke, his elite size and explosiveness could have him end up being a steal looking back.

25. Memphis Grizzlies: Marcus Sasser, PG, Houston

We’re unsure of how long the Grizzlies will be without Ja Morant considering his most recent antics. With this in mind, Memphis can prepare for this absence preemptively by taking an experienced, productive guard in Sasser coming off an excellent season at Houston.

26. Indiana Pacers (via CLE): Rayan Rupert, SG, France

With two selections in the last five picks of the draft, we could see the Pacers take a shot on an international prospect with either of these picks. Considering somewhat of a fall we’ve seen from Rupert so far, he’s able to get snatched up by Indy.

27. Charlotte Hornets (via DEN): Maxwell Lewis, SF, Pepperdine

By deciding to go Scoot at 2, the Hornets can now focus on the forward position with this second first-rounder. Lewis provides good 3&D qualities that make him a great off-ball compliment to the Charlotte backcourt.

28. Utah Jazz (via PHI): Bilal Coulibaly, SF, France

Coulibaly is definitely one of the more mysterious prospects in the draft. Considering his youth and international ties, it’s expected we haven’t heard much of Coulibaly’s name over in the U.S. However, we have heard his name floated around in rumors with the Jazz in recent weeks, so I’ll choose to follow those here in this mock.

Coulibaly is the typical high-level athlete with fantastic measurables and athleticism, but struggles when it comes to efficiency and putting the ball in the basket. This is a typical problem we see with numerous international prospects and a problem that results in the word “bust” being attached to their selection for eternity.

However, there are a few times we see this strategy of selecting the athlete to develop into a player work tremendously on a few occasions, which leads teams to keep taking the swings on these guys. For the Jazz, considering the amount of capital the team has in the first round, taking a chance on an overseas prospect could be a worthwhile risk to take.

29. Indiana Pacers (via BOS): Andre Jackson Jr., Connecticut

A piece of this season’s national champion UConn team, Jackson Jr. can hope to bring some experience and championship pedigree for Indiana with hopes of returning to the postseason.

30. Los Angeles Clippers (via MIL): Jaime Jacquez Jr., UCLA

An experienced, hometown forward could be the direction we see the Clippers go here at the tail end of the first. With increasing pressure to perform in the postseason, Los Angeles has no choice but to select win-now players to help with the cause.

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