Jazz Draft: Top 5 NBA Players Taken at Pick 27

The Utah Jazz enter the 2023 NBA Draft with a league-high three first-round picks. Along with pick 27, the Jazz hold their own pick (currently sitting at the 9th-best odds), as well as the Minnesota Timberwolves pick (sitting at 16th overall).

With a couple of months still leading up to the draft, looking at the history of results the pick itself could be a way to see what we can expect from the incoming draftee. And while there has yet to be a true first-ballot Hall of Famer type of player to be drafted at 27, there's been a handful of effective players selected with the pick.

Especially within the past decade, we've seen some impactful players drafted in this spot develop into key pieces for contending and even championship-level teams.

Let's take a look at the top five NBA players to ever be drafted at 27th overall.

5. Aaron Afflalo (2007)

One of the forgotten players of the early 2010s, Afflalo was one of the more effective scorers in the league during his time with the Orlando Magic.

While his best years were with Orlando, it wasn't before a few quick stops in Detroit and Denver beforehand. He was drafted 27th overall in 2007 to the Detroit Pistons and wasn't able to secure consistent playing time. He was then traded to the Denver Nuggets, where his career was able to get a steady start.

He averaged about 12 points per game in his three years with the Nuggets before being included a part in the four-team Dwight Howard mega-deal. Afflalo, along with Al Harrington were shipped off to the Magic where Aaron began the prime of his career.

While the Magic were never a competitive team with Afflalo in town, he still managed to average over 18 points a night on over 42% shooting from beyond the arc in 2013-14.

4. Robert Williams (2018)

The youngest entry on the list, Robert Williams has, and should continue to be a key piece for the Boston Celtics' championship-level defense. He was drafted late in the first round at 27 to the Celtics in 2018. While it took a couple of seasons to show his value to Boston, he's now one of the most valuable pieces on Boston's roster.

While this season he's been limited in regular season play, only playing in 35 total games over the course of the season, his impact over the past two seasons for the team has been well appreciated.

He was able to receive All-Defensive honors for the 2021-22 season, a key part of the Celtics' defense that led them to their first NBA Finals in over a decade.

3. Kyle Kuzma (2017)

The former Los Angeles Laker and NBA champion, Kuzma has quietly proven to be one of the best players selected at 27 across the course of NBA history. Especially with his recent production for the Washington Wizards, Kuzma has been able to prove himself as one of the better forwards in today's league.

In his time with the Lakers, he transitioned from what was seen to be one of the future stars of the league to one of the key role players to help the 2019-20 Lakers win the championship.

After his championship, he was shipped to Washington as a part of the infamous Russell Westbrook deal to send him to Los Angeles. While his team hasn't been able to reach anything close to his championship heights when he was with LA, he averaged a career-high 21.2 points per game this season, paired with his additional averages over 7 rebounds and 3 assists.

2. Pascal Siakam (2016)

Siakam, like Kuzma, is another key player that proved to be a big part of a championship team. Pascal, however, is actually one who's been able to reach All-Star status a couple of times throughout his career.

He was drafted 27th overall by the Toronto Raptors in 2016 from New Mexico State. Originally a project-type of player, he soon made a significant leap to help the Raptors take the next step in becoming a true contender.

He won Most Improved Player honors during the 2018-19 season after his averages jumped from 7 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists to about 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists. It was that season when the Raptors took down the Golden State Warriors in order to win the franchise's first ever championship.

1. Rudy Gobert (2013)

Shockingly enough, the Jazz have found some significant success with the 27th overall pick in the past. While this pick was originally owned by the Nuggets, Gobert was traded on draft night in order to join Utah.

Now, what was the full trade to send Gobert to the Jazz? Former Jazz guard Erick Green and some cash was all it took to secure the 7-foot Frenchman. Rudy ended up spending 9 years with the franchise as their defensive anchor, earning three Defensive Player of the Year honors along the way.

Gobert also managed to achieve two All-Star appearances, four All-NBA selections, and an insane six All-Defensive selections during his time in Utah. While the current discourse surrounding Gobert as of recent has been primarily negative, we can't fail to forget his stellar defensive impact in the middle for the Jazz during the mid-to-late 2010s.