Utah Jazz Sitting Pretty After Climbing in Draft Lottery

The basketball gods shone their light on the Utah Jazz this past Sunday as they jumped up to second overall in the draft lottery.

The stroke of luck, combined with the team's rapidly improving roster, puts them in a unique position to climb the standings next year, and opens a long-term window of contention in the Western Conference thanks to impactful veterans, a high-upside young core, and a stockpiled asset chest.

With the excitement of moving up and the NBA draft combine beginning in Chicago, many have chimed in on who the team should take or what they should do with the pick.

Here's why sitting second is the perfect spot for the team:

The Dybantsa Angle

The current favorite to be the number one pick, AJ Dybantsa, is an incredible talent.

At just under 6’9” without shoes on, Dybantsa checks so many boxes as a prospect after averaging an NCAA-leading 25.5 points to go along with 6.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.

The Jazz have obvious connections to Dybantsa, who played his college basketball at BYU and has spent a lot of time in Utah. Because of this, many have jumped to the conclusion that the Jazz should empty the coffers to the Washington Wizards to slide up one draft slot and have the right to Dybantsa.

This would be an irresponsible move for the Jazz, considering the talent that will be on the board even if Dybantsa were to go first overall.

Not just that, though. There's no clear consensus number one prospect in the class as there have been in years past. Dybantsa is joined by Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, and even Caleb Wilson atop different evaluators boards.

With the Jazz sitting at second, that seems to be the floor for the dynamic wing. While they would obviously be ecstatic to be able to draft him, it is not a Dybantsa or bust draft outcome for the Jazz.

Fit Meets Talent

Darryn Peterson was widely considered the favorite to be drafted first overall for much of the year, particularly after significantly outplaying Dybantsa in their lone matchup in Big 12 play. With availability questions and some of his athletic ability sapped by injury, Peterson and his Jayhawks didn't finish the season strong.

Despite the questions, Peterson might be the best combination of talent and fit for the Jazz.

He's, if not the best, one of the best shooters in the class. He can play with and without the ball, something that increases his versatility for a talented Jazz team.

He also has excellent positional size in the backcourt and uses his length and anticipation to create havoc on the less glamorous end of the court.

Fit should never supersede talent, especially when picking someone you hope will be a franchise player. Though it undoubtedly matters for development and your long-term projection.

Not only does Peterson fit nicely both in the short and long term next to Keyonte George and Ace Bailey, but he also fits incredibly well in Will Hardy's movement-heavy offense.

Family Connections

On top of Dybantsa and Peterson, Cameron Boozer, fresh off being the best player in all of college basketball as a freshman, is a player who deserves consideration as well. 

Boozer is a bruising power forward who can dribble, pass, and shoot the ball at a high clip. Boozer has been successful at every level and will likely continue to do so in the NBA.

Boozer's path to stardom is more complicated in Salt Lake City, with the team's loaded (and expensive) frontcourt, but shouldn't be a possibility that's completely overlooked.

Bottom Line

All in all, the Jazz are in an excellent spot going into the NBA draft.

No matter how the Wizards approach their top pick, the Jazz will be able to draft whoever is left of AJ Dybantsa or Darryn Peterson, who, while different, are both elite prospects. Even Cameron Boozer would be a worthy number one pick in many draft classes.

So while there will likely be a lot of talk about the Jazz selling the farm to move up a slot to get their pick of the two, they're sitting pretty right where they are.

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