SALT LAKE CITY, UT - JUNE 28: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz speaks to the press after being selected in the 2017 draft at Grand America Hotel on June 28, 2017 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images) Donovan Mitchell
Utah Jazz: J-Notes staff writers’ favorite players for pick No. 21
by John Keeffer
Kevin Huerter
Austin Leonard
I am going with one of the more popular options here. While I did not watch Kevin Huerter play at the University of Maryland, I want the Jazz to draft him simply due to all the great things I have heard about him.
The Ringer’s 2018 Draft Guide compares him to Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors. Standing between 6-foot-7 and 6-foot-8 and listed by The Ringer as an “excellent spot-up shooter with deep range…[who] finishes with either hand inside,” Heurter could provide the Jazz with some much-needed shooting and scoring.
Sports Illustrated recently stated they suspect the Jazz have given Huerter a first-round promise.
Problem is, Huerter may not even be available when Utah selects at No. 21. I am not entirely opposed to trading up to draft him. The main complaints around Huerter seem to center around his defense. He is also listed as a shooting guard and drafting him could create a logjam in Utah’s backcourt.
Despite these two knocks, I believe Utah’s excellent coaching staff could turn Huerter into at least an average NBA defender and that at the least he could serve as an excellent backup to Ricky Rubio and Donovan Mitchell.
@jaredwoodcox's top six options for the Jazz at No. 21. <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2018/06/11/utah-jazz-j-notes-staff-favorite-pick-21/2/"https://t.co/VSL0JiDjKC">https://t.co/VSL0JiDjKC
<p>— The J-Notes (@TheJNotes) <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2018/06/11/utah-jazz-j-notes-staff-favorite-pick-21/2/"https://twitter.com/TheJNotes/status/1004740583829585920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>June 7, 2018</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src=https://thejnotes.com/2018/06/11/utah-jazz-j-notes-staff-favorite-pick-21/2/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></div>
<p>What if everything shook out perfectly, though? What if the Utah Jazz identified the top player on their board, and he actually fell to them? Who would that player be?</p>
<p>I partnered with a few of the writers among The J-Notes staff to see who we are each favoring for this draft! We tried to be realistic with the draft range. So while Luka Doncic may be the best prospect for the Jazz, there’s no realistic way that will be happening. We selected prospects that have a reasonable chance of falling to No. 21, and if that were to be the case, who we’d each like Utah to draft.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2018/06/11/utah-jazz-j-notes-staff-favorite-pick-21/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Kevin Huerter </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div class="embed "><iframe loading="lazy" width="500" height="281" src=https://thejnotes.com/2018/06/11/utah-jazz-j-notes-staff-favorite-pick-21/2/"https://www.youtube.com/embed/kPpg6AES2Y4?feature=oembed%22 frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<h3>Kevin Huerter</h3>
<h4>Austin Leonard</h4>
<p>I am going with one of the more popular options here. While I did not watch Kevin Huerter play at the University of Maryland, I want the Jazz to draft him simply due to all the great things I have heard about him.</p>
<p>The Ringer’s 2018 Draft Guide compares him to <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2018/06/11/utah-jazz-j-notes-staff-favorite-pick-21/2/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/t/thompkl01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Klay Thompson</a> of the Golden State Warriors. Standing between 6-foot-7 and 6-foot-8 and listed by The Ringer as an “excellent spot-up shooter with deep range…[who] finishes with either hand inside,” Heurter could provide the Jazz with some much-needed shooting and scoring.</p>
<p>Sports Illustrated recently stated they suspect the Jazz have given Huerter a first-round promise.</p>
<p>Problem is, Huerter may not even be available when Utah selects at No. 21. I am not entirely opposed to trading up to draft him. The main complaints around Huerter seem to center around his defense. He is also listed as a shooting guard and drafting him could create a logjam in Utah’s backcourt.</p>
<p>Despite these two knocks, I believe Utah’s excellent coaching staff could turn Huerter into at least an average NBA defender and that at the least he could serve as an excellent backup to <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2018/06/11/utah-jazz-j-notes-staff-favorite-pick-21/2/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/rubiori01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Ricky Rubio</a> and <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2018/06/11/utah-jazz-j-notes-staff-favorite-pick-21/2/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/mitchdo01.html" ref="nofollow">Donovan Mitchell</a>.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2018/06/11/utah-jazz-j-notes-staff-favorite-pick-21/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Isaac Bonga </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div class="embed "><iframe loading="lazy" width="500" height="281" src=https://thejnotes.com/2018/06/11/utah-jazz-j-notes-staff-favorite-pick-21/2/"https://www.youtube.com/embed/4NOfMEBhZMo?feature=oembed%22 frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<h3>Isaac Bonga</h3>
<h4>Hayden Van de Maat</h4>
<p>Isaac Bonga is as intriguing as any prospect you could find outside of a draft lottery. He stands 6-foot-9 with a seven-foot wingspan and played point guard growing up overseas. The German is largely unknown to NBA teams and scouts, which is why there is such great variance in his mock draft positioning.</p>
<p>Bonga is an elite passer and a tremendous ball-handler for his size with solid defensive instincts. He’ also shown flashes of becoming an elite rim finisher. The one major flaw in Bonga’s game is his 3-point shooting. His shot isn’t broken by any stretch, but he has a hitch in his stroke that prevents him from getting his shot up with a defender in his vicinity.</p>
<p>He also doesn’t get off the floor very quickly despite being a strong athlete. He moves in a very similar way to Kentucky’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with how he maneuvers his way through creases in the defense and, like Shai, he has outstanding body control to finish through contact.</p>
<p>Bonga is still quite raw and won’t turn 19 until November, so it would be quite a project for the Jazz development staff. However, Bonga’s upside is very enticing and his ceiling is hard to fathom because there just aren’t many 6-foot-9 fluid athletes that play as a pure point guard.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2018/06/11/utah-jazz-j-notes-staff-favorite-pick-21/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Elie Okobo </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div class="embed "><iframe loading="lazy" width="500" height="281" src=https://thejnotes.com/2018/06/11/utah-jazz-j-notes-staff-favorite-pick-21/2/"https://www.youtube.com/embed/MG53ZbJH-nA?feature=oembed%22 frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<h3>Elie Okobo</h3>
<h4>Jared Barker</h4>
<p>When first asked this question I wanted to say Grayson Allen, because the troll potential is just so good there. I also think with Quin Snyder being a Dukie, he would have a really good knowledge about whether the kid could come in and be an impact player or not. The way I see it, maybe he could end up as a <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2018/06/11/utah-jazz-j-notes-staff-favorite-pick-21/2/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/greendr01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Draymond Green</a> or <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2018/06/11/utah-jazz-j-notes-staff-favorite-pick-21/2/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/i/inglejo01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Joe Ingles</a> type that can really get into the head of the opponent and play very well defensively.</p>
<p>However, the more I think about who I want the Jazz to draft if he’s there at the 21st pick — who is actually realistically in their range — Elie Okobo stands out. Okobo is a 6-foot-3 combo guard from Bordeaux, France. He’s rated 19th on The Ringer’s big board of NBA prospects. He’s 20 years old and plays for a club out of Pau, France in their national basketball league. He’s got some experience firing catch-and-shoot threes and could be a decent third guard for the Jazz.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2018/06/11/utah-jazz-j-notes-staff-favorite-pick-21/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Khyri Thomas </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div class="embed "><iframe loading="lazy" width="500" height="281" src=https://thejnotes.com/2018/06/11/utah-jazz-j-notes-staff-favorite-pick-21/2/"https://www.youtube.com/embed/cyiS1eodjzo?feature=oembed%22 frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<h3>Khyri Thomas</h3>
<h4>Jared Woodcox</h4>
<p>If I’m the Utah Jazz, I’m going with Creighton’s Khyri Thomas with the No. 21 overall pick. He’s an efficient shooter that shot the three-ball at an impressive 41.1 percent clip this past season. He knows how to get to his spots and is a knock-down shooter from there. He’s also a formidable defender capable of covering both guard positions.</p>
<div class="embed ">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">For those needing their Khyri Thomas fix, the Utah Jazz had him in and there's a 3+ minute interview with him at <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2018/06/11/utah-jazz-j-notes-staff-favorite-pick-21/2/"https://t.co/sU3H4x4vlz">https://t.co/sU3H4x4vlz <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2018/06/11/utah-jazz-j-notes-staff-favorite-pick-21/2/"https://twitter.com/hashtag/Creighton?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>#Creighton</a> <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2018/06/11/utah-jazz-j-notes-staff-favorite-pick-21/2/"https://twitter.com/hashtag/ProJays?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>#ProJays</a></p><div class="widget fs_ads"> <div class="fs_ad_widget-ad" style="margin:0 auto; width: 300px;"> <div class="fs-ll-ad" data-ad-type="minutemedia_slideshow_inline_300x250__desktop__tablet" data-vendor="minutemedia">
<div id="minutemedia_slideshow_inline_300x250__desktop__tablet" data-position="slideshow_inline" data-slot="inline_70069" style="width:300px;margin: 0 auto;">
<script>
googletag.cmd.push(function () {
googletag.defineSlot("/175840252/fansided.com/TheJ-Notes/mpu",[300, 250], "minutemedia_slideshow_inline_300x250__desktop__tablet")
.addService(googletag.pubads());
googletag.enableServices();
googletag.display("minutemedia_slideshow_inline_300x250__desktop__tablet");
});
</script>
</div>
</div> </div> </div>
<p>— Rob Anderson (@_robanderson) <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2018/06/11/utah-jazz-j-notes-staff-favorite-pick-21/2/"https://twitter.com/_robanderson/status/1003824771463892992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>June 5, 2018</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src=https://thejnotes.com/2018/06/11/utah-jazz-j-notes-staff-favorite-pick-21/2/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></div>
<p>In Utah’s development system, he should be able to get even better in this regard. I love Thomas as a 3-and-D prospect and think that he brings a winning mentality, work ethic and style of play that would be an excellent addition to the Jazz ranks.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2018/06/11/utah-jazz-j-notes-staff-favorite-pick-21/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Anfernee Simons </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—></p><hr id="pagebreak"><div class="embed "><iframe loading="lazy" width="500" height="281" src=https://thejnotes.com/2018/06/11/utah-jazz-j-notes-staff-favorite-pick-21/2/"https://www.youtube.com/embed/j1YhGepknxs?feature=oembed%22 frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<h3>Anfernee Simons</h3>
<h4>Jesse Thayne</h4>
<p>I’m a big fan of Anfernee Simons. He’s athletic, has great playmaking ability, can shoot the ball well and has decent size. He’s more of a project because of his age, but I think he has a high ceiling and can develop into a solid scorer in the league.</p>
<p>He has great instincts, and the game seems to slow down for him when he plays. He also shot 44 percent from three, which is something the Jazz definitely need.</p>
<div class="embed ">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Anfernee Simons: Perrin said he has skill that needs to be developed. Simons can score and make it look easy. But needs to work a little harder defensively, and in one-on-none drill work. Developmental prospect, but will definitely be in the league</p>
<p>— Tony Jones (@tribjazz) <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2018/06/11/utah-jazz-j-notes-staff-favorite-pick-21/2/"https://twitter.com/tribjazz/status/1004797572345544705?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>June 7, 2018</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src=https://thejnotes.com/2018/06/11/utah-jazz-j-notes-staff-favorite-pick-21/2/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></div>
<p>I think he’d fit very well with the Jazz because he’s a combo guard that could provide relief for Rubio and Mitchell off the bench. Due to his size, he could also play in a variety of lineups.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2018/06/11/utah-jazz-j-notes-staff-favorite-pick-21/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Zhaire Smith </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div class="embed "><iframe loading="lazy" width="500" height="281" src=https://thejnotes.com/2018/06/11/utah-jazz-j-notes-staff-favorite-pick-21/2/"https://www.youtube.com/embed/eKb_5eBUQWM?feature=oembed%22 frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<h3>Zhaire Smith</h3>
<h4>Zack Padmore</h4>
<p>My top target for the Jazz at No. 21 would be Texas Tech freshman Zhaire Smith. Smith is an uber athletic guard that has climbed up draft boards throughout the entire year. While there is an increasing chance Smith could be off the board by the time the Jazz are on the clock, he would be a major steal for the Jazz if they can get him.</p>
<div class="embed ">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">I think I might be all-in on the Jazz going after Zhaire Smith in the draft. He’d be a great fit.</p>
<p>— Mark J. Wahlen (@MarkWahlenNBA) <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2018/06/11/utah-jazz-j-notes-staff-favorite-pick-21/2/"https://twitter.com/MarkWahlenNBA/status/974437197880246272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>March 16, 2018</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src=https://thejnotes.com/2018/06/11/utah-jazz-j-notes-staff-favorite-pick-21/2/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></div>
<p>He’d give the Jazz a young, promising two-way talent off the bench that they can develop. He has the tools to be a very good player, and with Utah’s developmental staff, I think Smith could turn into a star. He’s shown that he has a nice shooting touch to compliment his insane hops. Smith would be a big get for Utah at No. 21.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2018/06/11/utah-jazz-j-notes-staff-favorite-pick-21/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Donte DiVincenzo </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div class="embed "><iframe loading="lazy" width="500" height="281" src=https://thejnotes.com/2018/06/11/utah-jazz-j-notes-staff-favorite-pick-21/2/"https://www.youtube.com/embed/UMXpo5gd0iw?feature=oembed%22 frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<h3>Donte Divincenzo</h3>
<h4>John Keeffer</h4>
<p>The Donte DiVincenzo to Utah buzz has been going on for quite a while now, and word on the street is that he had a very impressive workout with the Jazz in early May.</p>
<p>As far as team need goes, DiVincenzo fits the bill. Utah is in need of more floor spacing, and could also use another creator off the dribble. He shot 41 percent from three last season, and showed an ability to not just spot up, but to shoot off the dribble. He also tested extremely well during the combine, including a 42 inch max vertical, which shows he is athletic enough to get to the basket off the dribble and can finish at the rim.</p>
<p>I was going back and forth between Grayson Allen and DiVincenzo. As far as their games are concerned, I find them to be extremely similar. The difference was their ages. As a four-year senior with Duke, Allen is one of the oldest players in the draft. At 21, DiVincenzo is not exactly young, but it allows more time for growth and development. He is my top prospect for the Jazz to draft at No. 21.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">
