NBA Mock Draft 2017, Week 17: Portland uses three first round picks

This is the Utah Jazz’s first of two first round selections and it’s an opportunity for them to snag some depth in the frontcourt and potentially avoid difficult decisions surrounding upcoming contract negotiations.

Isaiah Hartensten is a 7-foot center with an intriguing offensive skill set. The Oregon-born big man can handle the ball on the perimeter and figures to be a major mismatch with his ability to attack opposing bigs off the dribble. He’s still developing his 3-point shot — he’s shooting just 33.3 percent from deep this season — but once he does, it will force defenders into difficult choices regarding whether or not to close out hard and prepare to be blown by or to allow him to shoot a 3. In an NBA that is consistently downsizing to open up the offense, Hartenstein offers the ability to stay big with some of the same offensive upside.

On defense, there are more questions because Hartenstein doesn’t always exert the necessary effort to be an impactful player on that end of the floor. That said, he has the athleticism to be potentially useful because it should allow him to switch onto smaller players for stretches. His length isn’t great, so he won’t be a strong rim protector, but if he can switch, that should provide enough value.

Learn more about Isaiah Hartenstein at The Step Back.