Jazz Draft: Top 5 NBA Players Taken at Pick 16

As a result of the Rudy Gobert trade last offseason, the Utah Jazz hold the rights to this year's Minnesota Timberwolves' first-round pick. After an overall disappointing season and first-round exit from the Wolves, the Jazz now hold the 16th overall pick in the 2023 draft.

When looking at the history of the pick in previous drafts, there's been some adequate talent sprinkled throughout recent years. In the past 12 seasons, you could subjectively consider five of those picks to be a hit.

This should be some pretty good news for Jazz fans. A hit rate like this can help provide some hope surrounding their incoming prospect at 16 for this year's draft. If recent history should suggest anything, Utah should have another quality player soon incoming to the squad.

With this, let's take a look at some of the past drafts across NBA history and rank the top five players selected at 16th overall.

5. Terry Rozier

The Charlotte Hornets guard has had a productive career in his seven years in the league. While he hasn't been able to reach the playoffs since his days in Boston, his regular season averages have been among the most consistent in the league.

Rozier was drafted 16th overall out of Louisville in the 2015 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics. During his time his Boston, he was always viewed as a young, valuable, bench guard, but never got the best opportunities in his first four NBA seasons. Thankfully, after a sign-and-trade with the Hornets in 2019, Rozier got the opportunity to come and replace the role of longtime Hornet, Kemba Walker.

Since then, he's averaged over 18 points per game for the past four seasons, along with averaging a career-high of 21.1 points in his 2022-23 campaign. His efficiency numbers did take a slight dip, but he's still continued to be one of the better scoring guards in the league.

4. Hedo Turkoglu

Turkoglu was the 16th overall pick for the Sacramento Kings in the 2000 NBA Draft. While he had some solid seasons with the Kings, he never truly got his footing in the league until he arrived with the Orlando Magic in 2004. During his time in Orlando, Turkoglu was one of their key pieces in their late 2000s NBA Finals runs.

In Turkoglu's 15-year career, he managed to average over 9 points per game in 10 of them. He also managed to get Most Improved Player honors during the 2007-08 season. It was in that season that Turkoglu managed to average over 19 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists en route to become the second leading scorer for the 50-plus win Magic.

3. Nikola Vucevic

The first All-Star of the list, Nikola Vucevic was also another player that had some of the best seasons of his career in Orlando. While he's most well-known for his time in a Magic jersey, he was originally drafted to the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2011 NBA Draft. After one season in Philly, Vucevic got dealt to the Magic as a part of the mega-deal for Dwight Howard .

It was after that deal when Vucevic's career began to take off. He's averaged a double-double in eight of his career seasons, along with collecting two All-Star appearances in 2019 and 2021.

After being traded to the Chicago Bulls at the 2021 trade deadline, he's spent the past two seasons continuing his double-double average, posting an exact 17.6 point, 11 rebound statline for the past two seasons.

2. Metta Sandiford-Artest

A man of many names, but also a man of many accomplishments. Sandiford-Artest was one of the biggest heavy hitters of the NBA in the 2000s. Originally drafted by the Bulls in 1999, he played for a total of six teams across his NBA career.

His most notable years were while he was with the Indiana Pacers. Not only was that the team he was able to reach All-Star status with, but it was also when he had his part in the Malice at the Palace in 2004.

Even after that significant event to derail his career and suspend him for the rest of that season, he still found success in the league post-Malice. After his years with Indiana, he spent some time producing some good numbers with Sacramento and with the Houston Rockets, and even managed to win a championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2010.

1. John Stockton

The best 16th overall pick is none other than the Utah Jazz legend himself, John Stockton. He was 16th overall in the historic 1984 NBA Draft, consisting of names like Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley, and Michael Jordan.

Stockton played a lengthy 19 years for the Jazz, crushing the NBA record for assists and steals; a record that still stands today. He also netted 10 All-Star appearances and 11 All-NBA selections.

Here's a crazy stat: In his entire time with Utah, Stockton never once missed the NBA playoffs, being a part of 19 straight playoff teams for the Jazz. He played a total of 182 postseason games without missing the dance once in his entire career.

Stockton still stands today as one of the best passers and two-way guards in NBA history. Even without being able to ever get that ever-so-valueable NBA championship thanks to Michael Jordan, he's still one of the game's best court generals to touch the floor.

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