NBA Draft 2017: Jazz take Tony Bradley at No. 28
By Chris Stone
The Utah Jazz added to their frontcourt depth by selecting Tony Bradley in the NBA Draft
The Utah Jazz selected North Carolina’s Tony Bradley with the No. 28 pick in the NBA Draft on Thursday night after sending pick Nos. 30 and 42 to the Los Angeles Lakers in a trade.
Sending a pick in the top end of the second round to move up two spots in a major commitment, but it’s clear that Utah values what Bradley can bring to the table.
Bradley gives the Jazz a frontcourt piece to replace Trey Lyles, the power forward they traded earlier in the night to the Denver Nuggets as part of a move to trade up and snag Donovan Mitchell. Getting cheaper on the frontline is critical for Utah because of the upcoming contract questions they’ll face in free agency, particularly in trying to bring back point guard George Hill.
Bradley doesn’t have the shooting range of a player like Lyles, but he is a tremendous offensive rebounder who can play out of the short corner as a lob threat. The 19-year old averaged an impressive 19.5 points and 14.1 rebounds per 40 minutes as a freshman playing behind Kennedy Meeks and Isaiah Hicks.
Despite that impressive production, Bradley was one of the final one-and-done prospect to make his early entry decision on deadline day. He was consistently projected as a borderline first round prospect, but Utah obviously coveted him and his ability to clean up their depth issues in the frontcourt.
Next: FanSided 2017 NBA Draft Tracker
Bradley has the physical tools to play either the power forward or center spot in the NBA. He measured in at 6-foot-10 with a 7-foot-5 wingspan at the Combine, but will need to clean up his weight in order to be better conditioned to play consistent minutes on the NBA floor.
This pick ultimately works out well in terms of team fit given the need for depth and the Jazz get a young prospect with plenty of room to grow.
Check out Purple and Blues for more Utah Jazz NBA Draft analysis.