The 2025 NBA Draft did not exactly go to plan for the Utah Jazz, who scrapped their way to the bottom of the standings last season, only to get stuck with the fifth overall pick after securing the best odds for No. 1. And yet, Danny Ainge and Utah's family-first front office still made a splash, selecting the polarizing Ace Bailey out of Rutgers. A later trade moved Utah up to No. 18 to select Florida's March Madness MVP, Walter Clayton Jr.
It's hard to earnestly complain about these picks, as Bailey probably represents the highest ceiling in the draft beyond Cooper Flagg. Clayton at No. 18 was perfectly solid value; Utah has a lot of small guards, but it's clear both Ainge and Will Hardy have a type, a vision of how the game should be played. Clayton certainly fits the bill as a certified gunner with a scrappy attitude and a polished skill set. He should occupy a significant role from day one.
Utah is one of the more difficult NBA teams to get a read on nowadays, but there is at least a path forward. Especially if Bailey and Clayton live up to their potential. Walker Kessler, Lauri Markkanen, Isaiah Collier, Kyle Filipowski, Brice Sensabaugh, Taylor Hendricks — there's a long list of compelling youngish players in Salt Lake City.
That said... the Jazz could come to regret these missed opportunities.
Jase Richardson, Orlando Magic (25th pick)
Jase Richardson's tumble to 25th overall was one of the more confounding draft night slides. It's not actually difficult to understand why it happened — he's undersized combo guard, which is an archetype the league is starting to stay away from. It just feels like a case where front offices missed the forest for the trees.
Richardson is not a surefire star or anything, but he was an efficiency outlier as a freshman at Michigan State, one of the few first years in recent memory to actually break out under Tom Izzo. After beginning the season in a strictly complementary role, Richardson was effectively driving the bus once March Madness came around. He's a knockdown shooter and a jittery driver off the catch, with creative avenues to get into a feather-soft floater.
There isn't really a cold spot on Richardson's shot chart. And while he very much was a combo guard at Michigan State, it's not like he's some incompetent passer. He occupied more of an on-ball role in high school and he displays a tremendous feel for when to cut, relocate and pass in the flow of the offense. I'm banking on that high IQ to translate to more of a traditional lead guard role in Orlando.
Utah went for a more established prospect in Clayton, but Richardson is three years younger with a more well-rounded scoring profile and superior on-ball defense. Whereas Clayton is nothing special as a playmaker, Richardson has a clearer path developing his point guard skills without sacrificing his incredible shot-making.
Noa Essengue, Chicago Bulls (12th pick)
Noa Essengue's Summer League appearances with the Chicago Bulls were a decidedly mixed bag, which is hardly a surprise coming from the second-youngest player in this rookie class. Essengue made waves last season with Ratiopharm Ulm in Germany, rendering an impressive two-way impact despite the inherent chaos of youth. Essengue's developmental track will require more patience than your average lottery pick, but Chicago should start to see glimpses early on.
This Bulls offense is built to accentuate Essengue's skill set, and vice versa. Say what you will about Billy Donovan, but his up-tempo, guard-heavy lineups paid dividends last season and put an undermanned Chicago team in the Play-In conversation. Josh Giddey went from borderline unplayable in OKC to a potential $20 million-plus annual cornerstone in Donovan's system. This is a team that wants to get out in the open floor and run. Essengue can run.
At 6-foot-11, Essengue covers a lot of ground with long, coordinated strides. He's at his best in transition, where he can overpower smaller defenders with sheer lankiness or side-step slower bigs on the retreat. In the halfcourt, while Essengue needs to refine his handles and add a bit more strength, he is far from an unmitigated negative. Essengue has sharp instincts for when to cut, when to crash the offensive glass, and when to relocate into open space. He just processes the game better than your average 18-year-old mega-athlete.
Factor in the immense defensive potential Essengue will showcase for a Bulls team that feels destined to embrace its youth movement eventually, and there's a world in which the Jazz start to second-guess Bailey, whose unrefined shot selection and generally unpredictable approach to offense will clash violently against NBA sensibilities, especially early on.
Collin Murray-Boyles, Toronto Raptors (9th pick)
At the risk of sounding like a broken record... Collin Murray-Boyles, the No. 3 prospect at FanSided, was vastly misunderstood and underrated in the pre-draft cylce. The Toronto Raptors made him the No. 9 overall pick and the overwhelming reaction in most NBA circles was shock, as few projected him that high. And that was backwards. We should all be questioning how he slid so far.
In a not so dissimilar fashion to Jase Richardson, CMB is an easy prospect to write off based on surface-level observations. He's a 6-foot-7 big who doesn't shoot 3s. How can that possibly work in today's NBA. It's a fair question, but there is an answer. That answer is rooted primarily in the fact that Murray-Boyles is one of the most dominant defensive prospects to enter the league in years.
CMB drew Draymond Green comps and they weren't completely laughable. It's rare for a collegiate star to possess such a natural gift for slipping into passing lanes, detonating on weak-side blocks, and generally putting himself in the right position to muck things up. CMB's defensive instincts are second to none among his rookie peers and he is going to render an extremely positive impact on that end of the floor from day one.
The offense isn't certified in the same way, but CMB was hardly ineffective as the primary fulcrum at South Carolina. Yes, the lack of 3-point shooting will be a hurdle, but CMB was incredibly efficient around the rim. He uses every bit of his 239-pound frame to absorb contact and create angles in the paint. CMB can proficiently drive and kick from the elbow. There aren't many holes beyond the murky 3-point shot, which Murray-Boyles has been working on ever since the season ended.
He'll need to scrap for playing time in Toronto, but CMB should quickly make himself known to the broader NBA fandom (including potentially bitter Jazz fans).