# 23 - Utah Jazz

 

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What I’d Do:

Kyle Anderson

6’9” (7’3” wingspan), 230 lbs, 9/20/1993 (20 years old)

The more I learn about Kyle Anderson the more I love him.  He has one of my favorite draft combine interview videos.  He seems like a down to earth kid and he mentions his passing as his biggest asset and that if had to pick a position to label himself, he'd pick PG (he's 6'9").  He led the Pac-12 in assists last season and has a 7’3” wingspan.  That’s about all you need to know about him to know why I’m so impressed.  At 7.8 assists per 40 he leads the draft class (that includes all PGs).  He reminds me of a smaller version of Lamar Odom in the way he’ll be able to rebound (9.0 defensive rebounds per 40) and initiate the break.

The biggest question marks are with his mobility.  It’s glaring on the defensive end where he will have no chance to stay with NBA 3’s on the perimeter (despite his length allowing him to post 2.1 steals per 40).  It also limits him on the offensive end.  Some teams aren’t convinced he can get to his spots against and NBA defense.  Draft Express compared him to Evan Turner as a guy who could do everything in college, but against NBA competition struggled to create the same way.  I could see that.  

The counter to that is another question mark.  Something Turner could never develop was an outside shot to create more space for himself. Anderson shot 48% from 3 last year (only 58 attempts) and posted an extremely efficient 1.42 Points per possession in catch and shoot situations.  I don’t think any teams are sold on him as a knockdown shooter yet though.  The potential is there, but if he struggles to shoot and to defend he’s going to get lost in the shuffle in the NBA.

I think he probably gets selected higher than this (OKC at 21 would be another great situation for him) but if Utah has the opportunity they should not pass him up.  Utah could certainly use another playmaker and they might even be able to give Anderson the freedom to play a little point forward.  If he is shooting from the outside that’s even better for them.  I had Utah taking Aaron Gordon at pick 4.  Gordon and Anderson would add an incredible amount of flexibility to that lineup.  You could play either of them at almost 4 positions and Gordon could help cover for Anderson’s weak defense.  Anderson to Gordon alley-oops would certainly be the most unconventional in the game today.

Also, keep the hair Kyle.

What I Think They’ll Do:

So much has to do with what they do at pick 4.  If they don’t go with Gordon and end up with a big (Randle, Vonleh, Embiid) than they almost have to go with a SF here.  Anderson fits well.  Warren too if he falls.  Cleanthony Early could be an option as well (Goodman has Early).  They also could be looking for a point guard with size if they’ve come to the realization Trey Burke isn’t the future franchise PG.  There’s an outside shot Exum falls to them at 4, but if not, Chad Ford has them taking Jordan Clarkson who has similar size and has been great in pre-draft workouts.  What makes them so difficult to peg is one of their biggest assets coming into a draft with two picks… they have incredible roster flexibility.  Of course, that could be rephrased as, ‘They could use help at almost every position.’  Sorry, Jazz fans.

Crazy Draft Day Trade:

I had a lot of trouble with this one.  They seem to be floating Favors a lot out there, but the Favors and pick 5 for Cleveland’s 1 seems to be the best deal for Utah.  I don’t think they move Favors to the C’s or Lakers to add the 6 or 7 pick, although, I wouldn’t mind that for them.  As far as pick 23, I think the most likely deal is selling it to a team that doesn’t have a pick in the first round here.  Detroit, New Orleans, or New York might be so desperate to get into the first round that they pay up for it.  

Ultimately, I think they keep the pick and they don't have a lot of assets.  The most likely deal is some kind of sign and trade with Gordon Haywood, but sign and trades rarely involve anything valuable and Utah has no leverage.  There will be too many teams with money this off-season and someone is going to price Utah out of extending Haywood.  They'll be lucky to get anything valuable back.