Utah Jazz 2011 NBA draft: Dignan's little board

The season is toast! Play the rookies and look to the future.

The Future: The Jazz have the 6th pick in the 2011 draft as of right now. Below is my top 6 picks for the Jazz. Not necessarily the top 6 players in the draft (although...?). I used a combination of "best available" and "position needs" to determine these picks.

my top 6 picks for the Jazz as of right now...

6. Brandon Knight | PG/SG | 6-4 | 183lbs.

*Great scouting report on Brandon Knight HERE!

5. Enes Kanter | C/PF | 6-10 | 255lbs.

Kanter is a bit under sized as an NBA center, but has a thick frame and one of the most NBA ready games in the draft. He will contribute immediately wherever he goes.

4. Terrence Jones | WING | 6-8 | 226lbs.

I keep waiting for this guy to NOT impress me... hasn't happened. His game is being compared to Lamar Odem, A.K., and Shawn Kemp... three very different players. That right there should impress that he is versatile to say the least.

3. Perry Jones | C/PF | 6-11 | 220lbs.

Said to be a guard in a Center's body... that can be great (amazing ball control & smooth shot out to the perimeter), and bad (unusually poor rebounder & his back to the basket is just average). With his size and athleticism, I have a hard time seeing him as anything less than a true starter, with one or two All-Star appearances.

2. Kyrie Irving | PG | 6-2 | 180lbs.

He is what he is... in a good way. Kyrie can man the role of PG for just about any NBA team that doesn't already have an elite franchise guard. He has all the tools to be one of the top guards... only time will tell if he translates into the Williams, Rose, Wall, Rondo, and Paul class, or is just a good starter that should be the 2nd best player on a playoff team.

1. Harrison Barnes | WING | 6-7 | 212lbs.

Barnes can and should be a career top 3 wing player. He has every tool needed to be elite. I think he's ready to help any team right now, and could be the go to guy on almost any team in 3-5 years.

*Guys just outside my top six: Derrick Williams(SF), Kemba Walker(PG), & Kawhi Leonard(SF)

As of right now, Utah has a 2nd pick in the lotto at 12. This is an interesting pick, on the one hand it's great to have a second pick in the lotto. On the other, if it can be packaged in a trade in the off-season...

anyway, other than the guys mentioned above, who i don't think will be there at 12, here are a few scenarios:

If the Jazz get Harrison Barnes, Kyrie Irving, Terrence Jones or Brandon Knight with that 6th pick; I think you obviously look at true a big for the next pick.

John Henson(C/PF), Patric Young(PF/C), & Donatas Motiejunas(C/PF) (in that order) would be at the top of my list.

If a big like Kanter or Perry Jones is taken with that earlier pick, a wing would DEFINITELY need to be taken at 12. If Leonard, Derrick Williams, or Kemba (in that order) are still on the board, it's a no brainer! I don't think they will be. Guys that probably will be available are Jordan Hamilton(WING), Jimmer(PG/SG), Alec Burks(WING), and the stretch to Travis Leslie(SG) (think under-sized DeMar DeRozan with a much better touch on his jumper out to the three).

Terrence Jones

As far as sleepers go, if a lotto pick can be a sleeper, I have a mid to late lotto pick that I think perhaps might be the best guy in the draft... and a potential NBA super star: Terrence Jones! I really have a hard time not picking this guy as my #1 for the Jazz. Barnes and Irving edged him out just because they look like guys that can help out right now on any team. But in the long run (might not be that long!), Terrence might be the best player out of the draft. His ball control is clean and tight as he's able to keep his dribble when most guys with his size and build only put the ball on the floor when they are attacking the rim. He is physically built like LeBron James, and has a game similar to AK's best stuff.

As I have discussed with Ice Man before, Those 20-30 games AK has every year that are super impressive (Sat 2/26/11 : 21pts. 7asts. 7rbds. ) would make AK an all-star if he could do it 70+ times a year!

Enter Terence Jones; A much stronger and more durable AK... yes please!

With the gray sky of missing the playoffs and the looming season lock-out, the draft may be the best thing to look forward to for a long time. 

Utah Jazz 2011 NBA draft watch

Another look at what "experts" are predicting in the 2011 NBA draft.

"With the 6th pick the Utah Jazz select..."

Enes Kanter

Draftexpress.com : Enes Kanter | 6-10, 250lbs. | C/PF | International | 18 yrs old |
Kanter is what he is; an NBA ready big that plays with a lot of maturity and intelligence. He isn't a freak athlete or anything, but he has a thick body that when combined with his court vision and intelligence, will be a steady scorer and rebounder that will make him a starter at the 4/5 spot on almost any team that doesn't have an all-star already there.
Compared to Kevin Love.

ESPN.com : Harrison Barnes | 6-7, 212lbs. | SF | North Carolina | Fr. |
Harrison has come on as of late! He has rebounded back a little bit his high school charm of "the most complete wing since Kobe Bryant".
I feel strongly that he will go sooner than 6, but if he is still on the board at 6 don't expect the Jazz to take anyone else!

Jan Vesely

NBAdraft.net : Jan Vesely | 6-11, 240lbs. | SF/PF | International | 2o yrs old |
International guys always make me nervous. That being said, Jan is one of the most athletic "non-euro league type" guys I've seen (Youtube him!). By that I mean he plays aggressively and dunks everything he can! It's hard to gage weather he is as NBA ready as he looks, or if he is just dominating a soft league.
Don't take this the wrong way, but his game actually reminds me of a MUCH lesser version of LeBron James... I know, that sounds ridiculous. O.K., so then perhaps the 76'ers' "Iggy".
A huge wing that has quickness, but is still lacking the ability to play in the paint on a regular basis. Has the best shot in the NBA as a freakishly long SF rather than a PF.

-As of right now, the Jazz are still a few games out of the playoffs, and have th 13 pick in the 2011 draft.

 "With the 13th pick, the Utah Jazz select..."

Draftexpress.com : Harrison Barnes | 6-7, 212lbs | SF | North Carolina | Fr. |
No way Barnes slips this far, but if he does expect the Jazz to front office to be dancing in the streets of ESA!!! I really like the evaluations of http://www.draftexpress.com/, and think that they usually are the most accurate draft guys... I think they missed this one. BARNES WILL NOT BE HERE AT 13!

Kawhi Leonard

ESPN.com : Kawhi Leonard | 6-7, 225 lbs. | SF | SDSU | So. |
*I actually took this off of Chad Ford's top 100 list, because Jimmer is still the 13th pick on the mock draft, which I already reported on and don't think is realistic.
Kawhi is an NBA guy. I can't stress enough how much this guy reminds me of Gerald Wallace! It is one of the strongest compressions I have seen.
Leonard rebounds extremely well for a SF and plays that aggressive scoring wing so well. He is not a spot up shooter, but with his great athletic ability it would be a waste to spot him up! He gets to the rim well, but doesn't do it enough. His real strength is to rebound, put it back up aggressively and draw the foul. He needs to develop a go to move, and work on his ball control.

Brandon Knight

NBAdraft.net : Brandon Knight | 6-4, 183lbs. | PG/SG | Kentucky | Fr. |
This guy might be the biggest bust/all-star guy on the board. Some scouts say he won't even go in the first round while others say he will be gone in the top 10.
He can flat out score! he shoots very well from behind the arc, and has the quickness to get to the rim... although sometimes seems to not really know what to do when he gets there. His thin frame also makes him a great target for head hunter defenders.
I would not be disappointed with this pick at all. I would love to see a combo guard on the Jazz squad right now. With Harris on the court he could play off the PG and look to blow by slower wing defenders, or be the extra pass guy. His ability to defend the wing or PG is amazing as well. He's long and athletic, but can be pushed around by meatier guards (like D-Will).



My gripe about the title of "poor draft class":


This draft class has been considered a "poor" draft class... that to me is as silly as trying to predict how March Madness will turnout!
Although some seasons produce a clear #1, this season does not. That does not mean there isn't a big time NBA guy or multiple guys in this draft! Just like the tournament, Butler looked incredible, but no one would of predicted that.
I'm not just saying this because the Jazz might have 2 picks in the top 12, but that is frustrating.

The huge upside to this draft is I think there will be less "busts". It seems like there is a smaller amount of D. Cousins type guys, and more Greg Monroe type guys... both were high pick guys, but with Cousins you had a chance of landing a super star or a washout head case... Monroe had less upside, but a lot less possible downside too. Perry Jones, Harrison Barnes, and Enes Kanter are all that type of guy. NBA starters with potential to be a little more or a little less. That's why I like this draft class. If we can get two guys out of a solid and consistent draft class, odds are one of them is going to be pretty special.

I'll take that.

Utah Jazz NBA Draft watch 2011

This is a little piece we will be updating after each game from here on out.

With The biggest trade in Jazz history, came a great guard, a future all-star (maybe) PF, and a lotto pick from New Jersey.

Even though this Draft class is suspect according to the "experts", a lotto pick is always a little exciting.

Here is how the Jazz stand right now in the draft, with what Draftexpress.com and ESPN.com are projecting the Jazz to do.

If the 2011 Draft was today:

Or pick from New Jersey shows we pick 6th (there is a 6.3% chance the Jazz can land a 1-3 pick in the lotto, but we will go as though that did not happen)




"With the 6th pick, the Utah Jazz select..."

ESPN: Harrison Barnes 6-7, 212lbs. Small Forward Freshman North Carolina

He was the #1 player coming out of high school, and was strongly compared to Kobe Bryant! Yea, that Kobe. He has been less than amazing at N.C., and now there is a little fear that he will even be less impressive in the NBA. One thought is though that a player who's game resembles Kobe at 18 and loses a little over the next few years, might still have a game that resemble Stephen Jackson's. A 20 year old Stephen Jackson with a cool head... I'd take that!

Draftexpress: Enes Kanter 6-10, 250lbs. Center 18yrs old International

At one point Kanter was projected to go #1 in the draft. The fact that he has not played competitively in well over a year and is still thought of this highly by NBA scouts is pretty incredible.







Hopefully the Jazz will not have another lotto pick because they win some games and make the playoffs. But for now...




"With the 13th pick, the Utah Jazz select..."

ESPN & Draftexpress: Jimmer Fredette 6-2, 195lbs. Guard Senior BYU

I like this pick; not because I am a huge BYU fan (even though I am), but because it is a great pick if it is the Jazz's second pick of the draft.

Jimmer is an electric player that has a lot of "?" about if his incredible college game can translate to the NBA. I'm not 100% sure on that. While I watch him, I get so wrapped up in what he is able to do on the court that I tend to think he will make the jump.

Then the game ends, and my feet hit the ground and I tend to think he just doesn't have some of the tools that a guard in the NBA must have to do well.

But again, if he can be an already good team's second pick, who wouldn't take that risk!?