Utah Jazz Mailbag: Where Will Cavs, Timberwolves Draft Picks Land?
Nov 12, 2024, 2:43 PM
Donovan Mitchell #45 talks to head coach Kenny Atkinson of the Cleveland Cavaliers (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
(Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – Welcome to the Utah Jazz mailbag where this week we look at where the team’s draft picks from the Minnesota Timberwolves and Cleveland Cavaliers might land.
Each week we will send out a prompt on X asking for the questions you have about the Jazz.
Then, we’ll respond to as many as we can in that week’s mailbag.
Mailbag: Where might the Jazz three first-round draft picks land this season?
How much draft research have you done and is there a reality where the Jazz draft both BYU guys?
— Dray Mottishaw (@draymottishaw) November 11, 2024
Question: How much draft research have you done and is there a reality where the Jazz draft both BYU guys?
Answer: I have done very little draft research at this point beyond watching one BYU game, and checking a handful of other box scores early in the college season.
I don’t spend too much time watching the college game until we have a firmer grasp of where the Jazz will end up in the first round.
With that said, I have always been a believer that NBA players, especially lottery picks, should jump off the screen when you watch them, and that’s exactly what BYU’s Egor Demin has done.
The Russian freshman has excellent positional size for a point guard at a listed 6-foot-8, has a frame that will easily carry more weight, and the early signs of a skillset that should make him a successful NBA player.
Egor Demin is one of the most polarizing prospects in the 2025 draft! One thing is certain: he has impressed in his first two games at BYU, making him a hot name in draft circles. He’s posted impressive stats, including:
19 points per game (62.5% FG, 50% 3FG, 28.7% FT)
4.5… pic.twitter.com/QQQzJay0ML— the center hub (@thecenterhub_bb) November 10, 2024
Again, I have only watched one game, but his assists and steals numbers indicate a very high basketball IQ, while his shooting numbers have been off the charts.
He is on track to be a top-ten pick, a range where the Jazz will likely be drafting, so a potential marriage makes sense.
As for Kanon Catchings, BYU’s other potential draft prospect, I will need to see more.
He shot well in his debut, but physically he is not as mature as Demin, nor as well-rounded.
However, allow me to use your question to segway into another important topic for the Jazz over the next eight months, that being the status of their three first-round picks in the 2025 NBA Draft.
The Jazz own their own pick as long as it falls between 1-10, a relatively safe bet after their 2-7 start to the season.
New NBA Mock Draft: https://t.co/u6zCHZUQzo
New on Big Board:
🏀 Will Riley (Illinois) https://t.co/VXfy64dsmY
🏀 Ben Saraf (Israel) https://t.co/KUk21nGR1y
🏀 Jamir Watkins (FSU) https://t.co/VSFheoxEUR
🏀 Michael Ajayi (Zags) https://t.co/uokhTZdaVW(Rd 2 in next update) pic.twitter.com/6IoJRJN2K9
— Tankathon.com (@tankathon) November 11, 2024
They also own picks from the Cleveland Cavaliers and Minnesota Timberwolves by way of the Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert trades.
So where are those picks currently projected to land?
Unfortunately for the Jazz, Cleveland is off to the best start in franchise history at a stellar 21-0.
The Cavaliers have the best offensive rating in the NBA, and head coach Kenny Atkinson has them playing at a much more cohesive level than former coach JB Bicketstaff was able to reach.
Related: Jazz On Pace For High Draft Lottery Odds
Though they may not finish with the best record in the league, that pick, the first of three from the Cavaliers between 2025-2029 does not appear to have enormous value.
But while Cleveland is off to a better-than-expected start, the Timberwolves have been slow out of the game.
At 6-4, the Timberwolves own the eighth-worst record in the West, and are on pace to open the postseason in the Play-In Tournament.
While it’s far too early to start speculating that the Jazz’s pick from the Timberwolves will wind up in the teens, the West is as deep as advertised, and losses early in the season may come back to haunt them.
Five of Minnesota’s first 10 games have come against teams that will likely miss the playoffs, and while they’re a healthy 4-1 in those games, they’re just 2-3 against the better teams on their schedule.
Allow me to repeat, it’s way too early in the season to draw anything conclusive about where the Jazz might be drafting, but with a little luck, their pick from Minnesota might have reasonable value.
You called the Flip playing time a while ago.
How much of a liability is he on D? What are some interesting jumbo lineups/rotations with Kyle? Other ways to use him besides elbow distributor? I’d love to see Will flex his creativity.— teefers (@craig_whaleson) November 11, 2024
Question: How much of a liability is Kyle Filipowski on defense? What are some interesting jumbo lineups/rotations with Kyle? Other ways to use him besides elbow distributor?
Answer: Kyle Filipowski’s defense was misdiagnosed by many coming out of the draft, largely because he was asked to play center at Duke.
Here’s what I wrote about him in my pre-draft analysis before I knew he would land in Utah.
“Filipowski offers little in the way of rim protection and becomes a worse defender the closer he gets to the hoop.
While he moves his feet well defensively and records a high number of steals, he lacks strength and will get pushed around by stronger players at every position at the next level.”
Related: Kyle Filipowski Pre-Draft Analysis
So far I don’t know if I’ve seen enough to the contrary to make me change my prognostications.
He’s not a Walker Kessler-level defender in the paint, but he’s a willing competitor on that end of the floor.
sixx is swipin’
flip is scorin’#TakeNote pic.twitter.com/lfsldKVDBE— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) November 9, 2024
He moves his feet well enough to force perimeter players off of straight-line drives, which allows help defenders to reach for steals, or add support protecting the rim.
I also thought foul trouble might be more of an issue coming out of college, but he hasn’t played enough in any one game for it to have been a problem yet.
His two steals in eight games aren’t great after averaging 1.2 per game throughout his college career, but nothing to lose sleep over.
As for how the team can use him, here is what Will Hardy said after the Jazz’s win over San Antonio.
“When he’s out there with John [Collins] and Lauri [Markkanen], we can put him in a variety of spots. He can space the floor some, he can play around the elbow area as a facilitator — it’s definitely a luxury to have.”
johnny!
johnny!
johnny! pic.twitter.com/CBte14WGya— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) November 9, 2024
Sometimes we overvalue a player’s individual versatility (see Kenneth Lofton Jr.) and undervalue the importance of a player’s versatility within a team’s existing personnel.
Lofton Jr. is a unique player who does a variety of things well on offense, but doesn’t necessarily fit well alongside his teammates due to his dependence on having the ball in his hands.
Filipowski meanwhile may not be able to post the same impressive stat lines that Lofton Jr. did in his limited NBA experience, but his connectivity works better alongside the team’s star players.
The Duke product makes very quick decisions regardless of where he touches the ball, and it makes life easier for his teammates.
🚨 FLIP’S FIRST NBA BUCKET 🚨#TakeNote | @kylefilipowski pic.twitter.com/nFTbfooz2y
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) October 30, 2024
He’s a serious threat to create a transition opportunity off of a missed shot by rebounding and pushing the ball up the floor, and he finds advantages against opposing defenses in the halfcourt.
Instead of catching the ball, surveying the floor, and then making a decision, he seems to process the game before his first touch. That allows him to make quick moves to the basket or smart passes, and those passes lead to an overall more unselfish offensive approach from the whole team.
As for how else the Jazz can use Filipowski, some of that will depend on how well he shoots the three, where he shoots it from (the corners versus above the break), if he can become a movement shooter, and how his body matures.
For now, the Jazz will continue to give him different opportunities to prove his value, but he’s been a clear bright spot early in the season.
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Ben Anderson is the Utah Jazz insider for KSL Sports and the co-host of Jake and Ben from 10-12p with Jake Scott on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone. Find Ben on Twitter at @BensHoops or on Instagram @BensHoops.
