The Hive Sports

by Alma Bean

Feature Image by Julia Nikhinson of AP Photo

The Utah Jazz went into this draft knowing the one thing they could predict is how unpredictable this draft will be. With the picks that managed to fall into Utah’s lap, it’s hard to argue that Utah didn’t get the best value for all of their picks. Now that these guys are officially a part of Jazz Nation, let’s take a look at their pros and cons as they travel to Salt Lake City.

With the 10th Pick in the NBA Draft…

2023-24 Stats for Cody Williams:

11.9 PPG, 3.0 REB, 1.6 AST, 0.7 BLK, 0.6 STL, 55.2 FG%, 41.5 3PT%, 71.4 FT%

Williams is a great prospect for Utah to have drafted with the 10th pick. As a 6’7 guard with a 7’1 wingspan to pair with his lateral quickness, Utah has added a tremendous perimeter defender to their roster. On the upside of the young guard, Williams is able to take advantage of his matchups in transition and making slower defenders pay with emphatic dunks or making the right pass as he blows by the defender. Williams on the defensive end of the court will give offenses plenty of trouble as his 7’1 wingspan will create havoc for any passing lane.

When he’s not in transition, that’s where we start running into a few question marks. His dominance is dependent on offensive being switch heavy to give Williams the mismatch and use his wingspan to his advantage for a good shot selection. Though his shooting numbers may look intriguing, you may need to question the consistency of his shot when he shot 41.5 percent from the perimeter at Colorado but struggles at the free throw line shooting 71.4 percent. Williams’ physique will also be in question as he is just shy of 180 lbs. with a very slender frame. His rookie year will be a wakeup call to put on some additional muscle, but this also happened to his brother, Jalen Williams of the Oklahoma City Thunder when he was drafted in 2022.

Williams is drawing comparisons according to RotoWire, to the likes of Aaron Gordon of the Denver Nuggets and Pascal Siakam of the Indiana Pacers depending on he focuses on developing his court vision and passing ability or focusing on improving his shoot efficiency. As long as the young three-and-D wing can develop and adjust to the speed of the NBA, Utah’s front office can look at this pick as a success.

Grade: A-

With the 29th Pick in the NBA Draft…

2023-24 Stats for Isaiah Collier:

16.3 PPG, 2.9 REB, 4.6 AST, 0.2 BLK, 1.5 STL, 49.0 FG%, 33.8 3PT%, 67.3 FT%

The number one prospect of the 2023 High School Graduating Class has been projected as high as first overall down to the tail end of the first round over the last year. Most mock drafts before the draft started had Collier slated to be drafted in the late teens and yet Utah was able to easily select him at 29.

What will set Collier apart from many guards in this draft class is that he has the ability to bully his way towards the basket. Even with his ability to force his way to the basket, Collier is a remarkable ball handler and has a high IQ for facilitating the ball in tough coverage. Utah is in desperate need of a true point guard that can facilitate with ease and Collier fell right in their hands.

If Collier wants to make the jump to the NBA level, he’ll need to find consistency in his jumper. After an up-and-down season with USC, Collier had some shooting numbers that would concern most scouts. On game in particular that should raise some concern was his performance against Long Beach State in December. Collier shot a shake 5-15 (33%) from the field, 0-5 (0%) from the perimeter and 5-12 (41.7%) from the free throw line. In the seven games in which Collier had 15 or more field goal attempts, he had four games in which he shot over 45 percent and finished his freshman year with a 3-4 record in those games.

Utah will need to dedicate a good chunk of time to improve Collier’s shooting mechanics once he arrives in Salt Lake City but even with that glare, Collier has tremendous upside. According to RotoWire, Collier shows shades of players ranging from Scoot Henderson of the Portland Trail Blazers to the former NBA guard Eric Bledsoe. Henderson took a while to adjust to the speed of the NBA but at the end of last season the league was able to see the upside that Henderson offered with the third pick and Utah is looking to unlock that fire in Collier.

Grade: A

With the 32nd Pick in the NBA Draft…

2023-24 Stats for Kyle Filipowski:

16.4 PPG, 8.3 REB, 2.8 AST, 1.5 BLK, 1.1 STL, 50.5 FG%, 34.8 3PT%, 67.1 FT%

Utah with the second pick of the second round took their oldest draft prospect at the age of 21 with 72 games played at Duke. The seven-footer is interchangeable at the power forward or center position being able to space the floor and keeping the defender guessing on what his next move may be. Filipowski is a very versatile player being able to command the paint on offense, create his own shots and his growing floor vision is allowing him to become an all-around threat when the ball is in his hands.

Filipowski’s biggest weakness is the weakness of most big men is his lacking athleticism. The speed of the NBA might prove to be a bit much at first as the league is more physical and Filipowski will need to improve his lateral quickness to become an effective rim protector. There are not many cons to picking Filipowski in the second round with how much upside he has on offense and has shown the ability to grow at a quick rate.

As of now, Filipowski is drawing comparisons to names that Utah fans should be familiar with. According to RotoWire, Filipowski going into the league is similar to former Jazz man Kelly Olynyk of the Toronto Raptors and former Utah first round pick Santi Aldama of the Memphis Grizzlies. If Filipowski can improve his shooting, he has even drawn comparison to current Utah All-Star Lauri Markkanen, who Filipowski mentioned in his post draft interview that he looks up to Markkanen as a player. With these comps, Utah is in good hands with their second-round pick.

Grade: A

What’s Next

Now with the 2024 NBA Draft in the books, Utah will be eagerly waiting for their rookies to touch down in Salt Lake City. These rookies will get a little over a week to get acclimated to the altitude and the organization before getting back on the court for summer league play. Fans first look at these rookies will be on July 8 for the Salt Lake City Summer League playing alongside teammates such as Keyonte George, Taylor Hendricks, Walker Kessler and Brice Sensabaugh. With those names alone, fans in Utah will be in for a treat for this summer and this upcoming season.