Who Do Mock Drafts Have The Utah Jazz Selecting?

Oct 13, 2020, 4:27 PM | Updated: Nov 12, 2020, 11:42 am

NBA Draft (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

(Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

KSL Sports

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – It’s draft season in the NBA. With the November 18 draft fast approaching and the Finals in the rearview mirror, teams are quickly trying to adjust to the new rules set in place by the league to make sure they draft the best player available. That also means several media outlets have started forming their mock drafts projecting who they think each team will select. Those lists include the Utah Jazz who own the 23rd pick in the first round of the NBA draft.

With little over a month away until draft night, let’s look at who the major mock drafts project the Jazz to select in mid-November.

ESPN: Josh Green – G – Arizona

Now run by Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz formerly of DraftExpress, ESPN’s mock draft is traditionally one of the best in the business. The mock draft has been updated since mid-August when the draft order was set, but with the league still figuring out how to conduct predraft workouts, there shouldn’t have been significant movement in draft evaluation over the last month and a half.

ESPN has the Jazz adding a 3-and-D prospect in Arizona’s Josh Green, bolstering the team’s perimeter defense while maintaining shooting integrity.

Adding depth on the wing is something the Jazz will look to do in free agency or the draft. The Australian Green would fit their style as an athletic 3-and-D prospect with strong role-playing potential.

You can read a more complete breakdown of Green in our breakdown of Arizona’s draft prospects here.

In the latest @UtahJazz NBA draft breakdown, we look at three Arizona freshmen, including the son of a former University of Utah star. #TakeNote https://t.co/3P9HE1YRWb

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) September 10, 2020

The Athletic: Jaden McDaniels – F – Washington

Sam Vecenie has long been on the mock draft beat, and now continues his work with The Athletic. In his latest mock draft, he has the Jazz selected the former high school prep star Jaden McDaniels out of Washington.

McDaniels showed flashes of brilliance with the Huskies and fits the mold of the modern combo forward in today’s NBA.

With the offseason officially underway, here we go:

The 2020 NBA Mock Draft has been updated. This is a starting point, and I’d expect some real adjustment throughout the next month, not only in terms of players but also in terms of draft order: https://t.co/nwPrMdItk0 pic.twitter.com/1iqZPUUGR4

— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) October 13, 2020

The Jazz can afford to take a risk on someone like this, a skilled offensive player who actually did show some defensive upside throughout the course of the season. The team has had great success developing talent over the last decade, so landing here would be an absolutely perfect result for McDaniels.

McDaniels was the first player we broke down in our draft preparation at KSL Sports. You can read our more in-depth look at the Washington freshman here.

In the first of many #NBADraft prospect breakdowns, I looked at the very intriguing @UW_MBB forward Jaden McDaniels. @UtahJazz fans will like this guy. #TakeNote https://t.co/6OPgwF5S2K

— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) September 3, 2020

NBADraft.net – Kira Lewis – G – Alabama

NBADraft.net has been the go-to for shorthand reading on draft prospects. They tend to lack the same type of insider information provided by ESPN and The Ringer, but are a good place to start if you are new the mock draft world.

The popular site has the Jazz selecting Alabama sophomore point guard Kira Lewis with the 23rd pick in their latest mock draft.

Long, quick, athletic point guard with good scoring ability … Speed kills. Lewis is extremely quick and makes it difficult for opposing guards to keep him in front of them.

Kira Lewis, D-rebound into transition layup in 4 seconds pic.twitter.com/JjaMFXBYxT

— Jonathan Wasserman (@NBADraftWass) May 1, 2020

Yahoo Sports: Theo Maledon – G – France

Theo Maledon is one of the many talented point guard prospects available towards the end of the first round of the NBA draft this year, and the player Yahoo Sports has the Jazz drafting.

According to coverage from our companion Sarah Todd at the Deseret News, the Jazz have already spoken with Maledon.

The young basketball prodigy has already interviewed with roughly nine NBA teams ahead of the Nov. 18 draft, and the Jazz are one of those teams. They were actually one of the first teams to speak with Maledon earlier this summer, before a draft date was even established.

The Utah Jazz have interviewed French draft prospect Theo Maledon. Would he be a good fit? https://t.co/8CkezULW5m pic.twitter.com/HIVsqU01uW

— Sarah Todd (@NBASarah) October 1, 2020

The Ringer: RJ Hampton – G/F – Australia

RJ Hampton hoped to mirror LaMelo Ball’s path to the NBA by playing professionally in Australia then returning to the states as a more seasoned player entering the draft.

However, Hampton struggled and now is looking like a player more likely to be selected in the second half of the first round.

Hampton was a top high school recruit whose stock has declined after he struggled overseas in the NBL. Maybe he can be the type of jumbo playmaker the Jazz hoped Dante Exum would become.