Jazz Pull Into Three Way Tie For 21st Pick In NBA Draft

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Utah Jazz have a better understanding of their draft position. With the NBA seeding schedule completed, the Jazz, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Houston Rockets own a 44-28 record, tied for the ninth-best record in the NBA. As a result, the three teams face a tiebreaker for the 21st, 22nd, and 23rd pick in the draft.

The tie-breaker will be determined via a drawing by the league before the October 16 draft. The Jazz could have secured the 20th pick in the draft with a loss to the San Antonio Spurs Thursday night but won 118-112.

On Thursday, the NBA will host the NBA draft lottery to determine the order of the first 14 picks in the first round of the lottery. The league traditionally settles tiebreakers within days of the end of the regular season.

The latest NBA mock draft from @DraftExpress has the Warriors doubling down on small ball 👀

Full draft (E+): https://t.co/PYvMMmPw6E pic.twitter.com/OZqjnlcII9

— ESPN (@espn) April 9, 2020

The Jazz will have a wide variety of draft options in October. With a starting lineup set, but serious questions marks through their bench, the team can truly target the best player available wherever they end up selecting.

With Mike Conley entering the final year of his contract with the Jazz, the team could look to draft a point guard with hopes he could replace the veteran when his contract expires. However, the Jazz could prefer to use Donovan Mitchell as their point guard of the future, opening room for another shooting guard in the draft.

Likewise, Joe Ingles is beginning his athletic decline, while Royce O’Neale still has a ways to go to develop offensively. The Jazz could use their pick to solidify their wing rotation in the second unit.

Finally, Rudy Gobert is on the verge of a supermax contract extension in the summer of 2021. If the Jazz aren’t comfortable footing the bill, they could look to draft Gobert’s replacement this year.