Utah Jazz: A look back at NBA Draft history before 2017
The Utah Jazz have four selections in the 2017 NBA Draft. How has Utah, and the league, fared at picks 24, 30, 42, and 55?
The Utah Jazz completed a 2016-17 campaign that saw them go 51-31 and win their first Northwest Division championship since 2007-08. Despite the successful season, the Jazz face a lot of uncertainty this summer.
George Hill, Shelvin Mack, and Jeff Withey are all unrestricted free agents. Joe Ingles will be a restricted free agent. There is also a chance that Derrick Favors could be dealt in the offseason.
Whether Gordon Hayward will re-sign or not becomes the biggest question of the summer in Salt Lake.
To combat some of the mounting concerns, the Jazz enter the 2017 NBA Draft armed with four picks: No. 24, No. 30, No. 42 and No. 55. Utah’s four picks are tied for the second-most in Thursday’s draft, along with the Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic. However, the Philadelphia 76ers outdid them by holding five picks in this draft.
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The Jazz are a consistent presence in the draft; they have participated every year since 1993. They have had four picks twice before in the two-round era (since 1989): 1999 and 2016. Utah has had three or more picks in every draft since 2013.
The Utah Jazz have selected No. 24 twice in team history. The selections had opposite outcomes.
The most recent pick came in 2001, when the Jazz chose Spanish point guard Raul Lopez. Lopez was a member of the team for three seasons, but only played one-and-a-half due to knee injuries. He averaged 6.5 points and 3.8 assists per game in 113 appearances.
Their other selection came in 1999 when they chose Russian forward Andrei Kirilenko. “AK-47” played 10 seasons in Salt Lake City, averaging 12.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, and 1.4 steals per game during his tenure. Kirilenko made the 2002 All-Rookie First Team, was an All-Star in 2004, and a three-time All-Defensive Team member from 2004-06.
Kirilenko is one of the best No. 24 selections of all time. His 75.4 career win shares is third-best among 24th picks. Other great picks at this slot include Terry Porter, Arvydas Sabonis, Kyle Lowry, Serge Ibaka, Sam Cassell and Derek Fisher.
The Jazz have never selected No. 30 in the draft. However, it’s possible to pick up a gem at this position. Chicago Bulls swingman Jimmy Butler is the best player at this slot. He joins career win share leaders David Lee, Spencer Haywood and Nate McMillan.
The No. 42 pick is becoming an annual tradition for the Utah Jazz. 2017 will mark the third consecutive draft they picked at this position. The team has made four selections all-time at No. 42. However, none of them have ever suited up for the Jazz. Utah’s first three selections at No. 42 never even played in the NBA.
Their 1976 selection of San Diego State’s Steve Copp was a third round pick; the league had only 18 teams at the time. Jeff Moe was picked in 1988 and Olivier Hanlan was selected in 2015. Hanlan’s rights were traded to the San Antonio Spurs for Boris Diaw, a 2022 second round pick, and cash.
2016 selection Isaiah Whitehead is the only 42nd pick by the Jazz that has played in the NBA. However, he was traded to the Brooklyn Nets the day after the draft for the rights to No. 55 pick Marcus Paige. Paige spent his first pro season with the Jazz G-League affiliate Salt Lake City Stars.
NBA franchises don’t look to the No. 42 pick for a game-changer. However, teams are able to find productive players at this spot. Golden State Warriors center Zaza Pachulia is the career win shares leader for the pick. Stephen Jackson, Matt Geiger and Harvey Catchings follow Pachulia on that list.
The Jazz have also picked at No. 55 four times in team history. Two of them had NBA careers. Mack Coleman (1975, a fourth round pick) and Herbert Hill (2007) were unable to ever make it in the association.
Utah selected point guard Jerry Eaves out of Louisville in the third round in 1982. Eaves spent two seasons with the Jazz as a rotation player. He was waived in 1984 after averaging 6.9 points and 2.5 assists in 162 regular season appearances. His NBA career flamed out from there.
Their most recent 55th pick was Jeremy Evans in 2010. He played 219 regular season games in five seasons for the franchise. Unfortunately, Evans averaged only 3.5 points and 2.7 rebounds per game over that span. His only highlights with the Jazz were winning the 2012 NBA Slam Dunk Contest and being the runner-up to Terrence Ross in 2013. Evans played one more season in the league with the Dallas Mavericks before moving on to Russia for the 2016-17 season.
Only 18 of 56 (32.1 percent) of No. 55 picks have gone on to play in the NBA. That’s the third-fewest among the first 60 picks in NBA Draft history. Spurs guard Patrick Mills’ 20.0 career win shares are the most among players at this slot.
Despite his underwhelming NBA career, Jeremy Evans’ 8.2 actually puts him at fourth on the list. Jerry Eaves’ 2.6 career win shares is ninth among all 55th picks.
Next: 2017 NBA Mock Draft: Final edition
The Jazz will look to utilize their bundle of draft picks on Thursday night in Brooklyn to create a stable future for the franchise. But with the mixed fortunes of their own — and the league’s — history at these draft positions, they will need to be smart with their selections if they want impact players.