Jazz Could Be in NBA Draft Lottery in More Ways Than One
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With the Utah Jazz losing their fifth game in a row Monday night to the Chicago Bulls, it might be a good time to switch gears and see where the team's three 2023 first-round draft picks are trending in what's projected to be a loaded draft class.
Here’s a quick review.
- Utah has the rights to its own pick.
- Utah has the rights to Minnesota Timberwolves' pick unprotected.
- Utah has the rights to the least favorable pick out of the Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, and Houston Rockets (via Brooklyn).
The Timberwolves' pick could very easily be a lottery pick. Minnesota’s chemistry has been an absolute mess, and they’ve been incredibly lucky to have a 10-11 record through the first quarter of the season. Minnesota's wins are mostly against lottery teams or playoff contenders missing their best players.
Also, Minnesota’s second-leading scorer, Karl-Anthony Towns, will be on the shelf for 4-6 weeks with a strained calf injury. This does not bode well for a team that will have a stretch in December where it'll play 9-of-12 games on the road, mostly against teams trending to make the playoffs.
The first-round pick the Jazz own via the Nets will most likely be the 76ers' pick. Philadelphia took a minute to string some wins together, but as it stands, they're fifth in the Eastern Conference.
The 76ers or Nets are most likely to be playoff contenders, and the best Jazz fans can hope for is for both teams to lose in the first round of the playoffs. A worst-case scenario would be a first-round matchup where the Nets and 76ers would face each other.
As far as Utah's own pick, all bets are off. The next five home games could paint a picture of what the future holds.
Utah should be favored in three or four of them, but by slim margins. If Utah continues to pile up the losses, I would expect the Jazz to trade a couple of rotational players during the season.
The two top candidates to be moved would be Mike Conley and Kelly Olynyk.
Stay tuned.
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