NBA Draft 2016: 5 players the Utah Jazz need to target
By Brad Weiss
Who do the Utah Jazz want to see on the board for their first pick of the 2016 NBA Draft?
Just as they did last year, the Utah Jazz have the No. 12 overall selection in the 2016 NBA Draft Lottery, though they could be moving from that spot. “We’ll be very active towards looking to trade up, trade back, trade out,” Jazz General Manager Dennis Lindsey said, via the Salt Lake Tribune. “There’s a bunch of interesting conversations that we have yet to have.” However, if they stay at 12, there should be plenty of solid players available to help bolster their roster.
Last year, the Jazz selected Trey Lyles with the 12th pick, and he was a solid contributor for the team, appearing in 80 games. In total, Lyles averaged 6.1 points per game, while bringing down 3.7 rebounds per contest. As a team, the Jazz finished one game out of a playoff spot, ending the season with a 40-42 record. They placed third in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference, missing the playoffs for the fourth straight year.
This year, the Jazz have a new look to their uniforms and arena and have a solid core of players returning. Leading scorer Gordon Hayward leads a roster that includes Derrick Favors, Alec Burks, and Rudy Gobert, all of which should be hungry to make the playoffs in 2017.
Heading into the draft, the Jazz will be looking to add a true scorer to their roster, who can complement Hayward and his 19.7 points per game from last season. There are some solid guards in this draft that can flat out score, and a handful should be available if the Jazz do stay at number 12.
We will have to wait until June 23 to see what they end up doing, but here is a look at five prospects they should be targeting heading into the draft.
Next: No. 5 Domantas Sabonis