Jazz Land Jaden McDaniels Player Comparison in Newest NBA Mock Draft

These latest NBA Draft predictions have the Utah Jazz landing a big time addition.

Feb 24, 2024; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes forward Cody Williams (10) drives past Utah / Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Despite the Utah Jazz suffering from a two-spot drop in this year's NBA Draft Lottery, they still have a shot at bringing in an impact player with their tenth-overall selection.

The 2024 draft looks unpredictable, sitting close to a month away without a clear consensus at the top of the boards around the NBA. It's that league-wide uncertainty effectively giving the Jazz an advantage to potentially secure a steal at ten, depending on how the first few picks fall.

And when looking at Bleacher Report's latest mock draft, that could be how the night pans out for Utah.

In Jonathan Wasserman's mock, the Jazz ended up selecting Colorado's Cody Williams, who dropped to the tenth spot, pinned to have some shades of Minnesota Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels:

"Scouts and executives are trying to determine Cody Williams' upside," Wasserman said. "It sounds like most see a two-way role player who'll find ways to score from off the ball and defend multiple positions.He's been pegged right now as a safe pick, but it sounds like he could also go much earlier than No. 11, with scouts intrigued by his positional size/length and production/efficiency for a player who still has so much room and time to improve his skill level."

A selection of Williams would fit the recent Jazz draft trends, prioritizing size, athleticism, and versatility, as well as give them another option to place on the wing. He's an efficient scorer when given the looks, and he projects to be a solid defender at the pro level, though he needs to add a bit of size.

In 24 games for the Buffaloes, Williams averaged 11.9 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.6 assists on a strong 55.2% from the field and 41.5% from three. Pair this production with an elite 7-foot-1 wingspan and averaging close to a block per game, and you can see his future potential as a dangerous two-way threat in the league.

It would take some time for Williams to fully lean into the McDaniels comparison defensively, but hypothetically, adding that skillset to Utah's current arsenal would make for a deadly combo in an already budding frontcourt. In the meantime, his impact on the offensive end alone could be enough to merit consideration for the Jazz.

The Jazz will be able to finally turn in their draft card once the first round of this year's draft hits on June 26th.

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