In his latest mock draft, SI’s Jeremy Woo opined that the Utah Jazz may have given a first-round promise to Maryland wing Kevin Huerter. You would be well-advised to take this one with a grain of salt; the Jazz aren’t really in the business of making guarantees. Nevertheless, Huerter could make for a great fit in Utah.
At 19, he still has a lot of room to develop and evolve as a player, but he already has a high-level NBA skill as a shooter. Last season, Huerter knocked down 42 percent of his 5.5 3-point attempts per contest. And he showed an ability to get his shot off with a smooth release in a variety of situations — in the catch-and-shoot, coming off of screens, on spot-ups, as well as off the dribble.
I, for one, can envision him providing shooting off the bench from day one.
Huerter also performed well in athletic testing at the NBA Draft Combine with a 2.97-second shuttle run, 3.09-second three-quarter court sprint and a respectable 38-inch vertical.
With a wingspan of 6-foot-7.5, he’s lacking some length for a 6-foot-7 guy. However, he takes up enough space to check backcourt players. Also — he could add strength to help him body up on wings and bigger players at the next level.
It’s hard to hit home runs at this point in the draft, but Huerter’s potential for growth combined with an NBA-ready jumpshot could give Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey the ability to leg out a triple.
— Ryan Aston
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