2023 NBA Mock Draft 2.0: Victor Wembanyama makes surprise team happy

The Jazz started the season blisteringly hot but have since regressed, looking more like a play-in/back of the lottery team than a surprise contender. With multiple first-round picks at their disposal, Utah has the opportunity to address several needs here. Enter Nikola Durisic, the big Serbian guard who supplies playmaking upside and defensive versatility.

Playing for Mega Basket of the Adriatic League — a team with a long track record of producing NBA talent — Durisic has produced admirably against professional competition. At 6-foot-8, he would give Utah another ball-handler. Given Mike Conley’s age and Collin Sexton’s limitations, the Jazz would be smart to invest in players who can share the playmaking burden and provide connective tissue offensively.

Durisic has to get better as a decision-maker, like most teenagers, but the flashes are just undeniable. He looks fluid coming off screens, driving downhill, and transitioning into his pull-up jumper. He also flashes serious upside as a passer and would fit cleanly in Utah’s movement-heavy offense.

Then there’s the defensive end, where Durisic has proven his mettle with physicality at the point of attack and versatility across multiple positions. The Jazz have struggled to get stops all season, so they would definitely hope Durisic maxes out his potential on that side of the ball.