Best Second Round NBA Draft Options For Utah Jazz
Jun 26, 2024, 11:39 PM | Updated: 11:39 pm
Johnny Furphy #10 of the Kansas Jayhawks is pursued by Rylan Jones #21 of the Samford Bulldogs during the first half in the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Delta Center on March 21, 2024 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
(Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – After selecting Cody Williams and Isaiah Collier in the first round of the NBA Draft, the Utah Jazz now turn their attention to the second round on Thursday.
The Jazz took Williams out of Colorado with the 10th pick on Wednesday night, and followed it with Collier using the 29th pick via the Oklahoma City Thunder.
With the second pick of the second round, here are the best options still on the board for the Jazz.
Jazz Second Round Options
Kyle Filipowski – F/C – Duke
Stats: 16.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists: .505/.348/.671
Strengths: Kyle Filipowski is one of the more well-rounded offensive centers in this year’s draft combining terrific footwork, hands, court vision, and the basketball IQ to do all of the other things in an NBA system.
The Duke sophomore stuffed the stat sheet with 1.5 blocks and 1.1 steals per game and knocked down a healthy 35 percent of his 3.1 three-point attempts per game.
Filipowski will quickly provide floor spacing as a passer, short roller, and three-point shooter in the NBA.
Wicked pass from Duke’s Kyle Filipowski. Super skilled, plays tough. Beginning to become a bit underrated in the 2024 NBA Draft class.pic.twitter.com/GMXXq5B0zV
— NBA Draft Dude 🤙 (@CoreyTulaba) May 23, 2024
Weaknesses: Despite a decent 1.5 blocks per game average, 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.
His height advantage that allowed him to score and rebound in college won’t have the same impact in the NBA, and until he gets stronger, he may have a tough time finding the floor.
Fit With Jazz: The Jazz have one of the worst passing frontcourts in the NBA and Filipowski would immediately offer some of the same plusses Kelly Olynyk brought to the team before the February trade deadline.
Filipowski lacks enormous upside due to his average size and strength, but could have value for the Jazz in the second round if he fine-tunes his physique and jump shot.
Tyler Kolek – G – Marquette
Stats: 15.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 7.7 assists: .496/.388/.851
Strengths: A true floor general, Kolek was one of the most efficient passers and scorers in college basketball last season shooting well from the floor, and owning an assist-to-turnover ratio north of 2:1.
Kolek is comfortable in most game situations either running the floor or operating in the half-court, and has a knack for showing up in the biggest moments of the biggest games.
The left-handed guard is aggressive when attacking the paint both as a scorer and passer, finding teammates for open threes, or using creative finishes near the hoop to get his shot off.
Kolek’s high basketball IQ benefits him on the defensive end where he’s rarely out of position, and doesn’t take plays off.
Tyler Kolek (@KolekTyler) TOOK OVER in #9 Marquette’s road win over Villanova.
The senior had a career high in points in the victory.
32 PTS
10-20 FGs
5-8 3FGs
7-8 FTs
6 REBs
9 ASTs
3 STLsIs there a better pure PG in America? pic.twitter.com/mhZRP7OsRS
— CBB Roundup (@CBBRoundup) January 31, 2024
Weaknesses: At 23-year-old, measuring in at just under 6-foot-3 with a 6-foot-3 wingspan and poor athletic numbers, Kolek’s size will always work against him in the NBA.
Though he gets by on motor and IQ defensively, he’ll be a target for opposing offenses whenever he’s on the floor.
Despite his efficient three-point shooting, Kolek didn’t attempt threes at an enormously high rate, and will have to be a more aggressive shooter at the next level to punish opposing defenses.
While Kolek has clear toughness on the court, he didn’t generate many free throw attempts in college.
Fit With Jazz: The Jazz would benefit in the draft from Kolek’s ability to play right away, basketball IQ, and three-point shooting.
While his size would likely prevent him from being a full-time starter at any point in his career, his steady shooting and playmaking should allow him to stick in the NBA well beyond his rookie contract.
Oso Ighodaro – F/C – Marquette
Stats: 13.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists: .496/.388/.851
Strengths: At nearly 6-foot-11, Oso Ighodaro has an excellent feel for the game for a player with his height making advanced reads both offensively and defensively.
Ighodaro is a very skilled passer finding teammates for easy baskets in the half-court, and using his athleticism to protect the rim and defend in space.
The forward averaged 1.1 steals per game at Marquette, and used his nearly 40-inch vertical to block 1.3 shots, despite rarely being the biggest player on the floor.
Ighodaro is a dangerous lob threat thanks to his impressive bounce, and has an effective floater out to 15 feet that he uses to combat the size difference between him and other bigs on the floor.
Oso Ighodaro, a projected first round pick, was a game-changer for Marquette in their win over UCLA, serving as a primary playmaking hub on one end and a significant rim-protecting deterrent on the other. pic.twitter.com/NGCbhuHBGg
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) November 21, 2023
Weaknesses: Despite his tall frame and excellent athletic numbers, Ighodaro plays much smaller than the measuring tape would suggest.
He’s not a particularly effective rebounder, and will get bulled by bigger offensive players in the NBA.
Despite playing smaller than his actual size, his offense is very reliant on playing near the rim and he’s a total non-shooter beyond the midrange.
There simply aren’t many examples of players with Ighodaro’s skillset thriving in the NBA, and his limited shooting game will likely earn him the reputation as a tweener.
Fit With Jazz: With John Collins already on the roster, the Jazz might be wary of adding another tweener, but Ighodaro’s passing and versatile defense would be solid additions to the frontcourt.
Johnny Furphy – G/F – Kansas
Stats: 9.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.0 assists: .466/.352/.765
Strengths: Though his traditional shooting numbers don’t jump off the page, Furphy was one of the most efficient perimeter scorers in college basketball last season wrapping up his freshman year with a .573 true-shooting percentage.
Furphy was a relatively unheralded recruit who found his stride midseason at Kansas, including a 12-game stretch in which he averaged 13.6 points and 7.3 rebounds on 54 percent shooting from the floor and 39 percent from three.
The wing is also a shockingly good rebounder at nearly five per game despite his perimeter-oriented game.
Johnny Furphy suddenly entering the chat averaging 17 and 8 with 9 3PTM over Kansas’ last three. Effective just by catch-and-shooting at 6’9″ (nice job relocating to new space after passing), sprinting the floor, moving without the ball, crashing the glass hard, playing tough D. pic.twitter.com/QJxtOTvhV8
— Jonathan Wasserman (@NBADraftWass) January 23, 2024
Weaknesses: Despite standing just under 6-foot-9, Furphy has a shorter wingspan than his height, and had poor athletic testing numbers at the combine.
His defense will be a question mark once he reaches the NBA due to his measurements, and he showed little in the way of playmaking at Kansas, though he was rarely tasked with that responsibility.
Fit With Jazz: The Jazz shot the ball extremely poorly to close the season and adding a player with Furphy’s potential as a floor spacer could be good value in the second round.
With a relatively small opportunity to prove himself at Kansas, there could be untapped upside with a bigger role in the NBA.
Are you on Threads yet? Let’s connect, give us a follow @kslsports.
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.
