Redrafting The 1st Round Of The 2014 NBA Draft

5. Utah Jazz: Elfrid Payton, Louisiana-Lafayette

Original selection: 10th by the Philadelphia 76ers (later traded to the Orlando Magic

2015-16 statistics: 11.0 PPG, 5.8 APG, 3.6 RPG, 13.61 PER

Elfrid Payton wasn’t a household name as the draft approached, but many analysts thought very highly of the 6’4″ point guard. His junior season, he won national player of the year and was named first team All-Sun Belt. It was unsure of who would take a chance on Payton. Since he played at Louisiana-Lafayette, Payton didn’t have the opportunity to play on national stages as often.

Payton has exceeded expectations coming out of a smaller school and translated into the NBA game smoothly. Though he still struggles mightily with his jump shot, he has a tremendous feel for the game, is able to get his teammates involved, and is still an elite defender–averaging 1.6 steals per game in his two seasons.

The Jazz are in desperate need of point guard. They’ve been in the rumor mill of trading for Jeff Teague before this year’s deadline to help secure them a playoff position in the West, but nothing is certain yet. With Payton, they’d have a solid facilitator to get guys like Gordon Hayward, Rudy Gobert, and Derrick Favors easy shots.

He would also fit perfectly in the intense defensive scheme that Utah has already.

Next: No. 6