1. Rawle Alkins
Begin this past season recovering from surgery on a fractured foot? Check. Frustratingly inconsistent? Check. Could be one of the NBA’s premier defenders? Remains to be seen, so asterisk.
Rawle Alkins is a prospect with injury question marks, and a player who relied on his athleticism to compensate for his deficiencies. However, he ranks as the best player for the Utah Jazz at No. 21, even when they already have a starting backcourt set for next season.
Is Rawle Alkins the top-prospect in this draft class? No. Could he be? Maybe, but that shouldn’t discourage the Utah Jazz from drafting him.
The Jazz have had a surprisingly solid group of backup guards dating back to the past few years – Alec Burks, Dante Exum, Raul Neto, and Shelvin Mack – but no 2s or 3s that can match the athleticism that Alkins possesses. (Shoutout to Dante Exum for this dunk on P.J. Tucker though). Just watch and be amazed:
Exum and/or Neto may very well be kept by the Jazz, who could opt for a bigger forward or center in this year’s draft class. But one advantage that Alkins has over both of them is his defensive chops on the wing.
This past season at Arizona Alkins averaged 1.6 steals per game, and the previous season averaged 1.2 steals per game. For a guy that missed a good portion of this past season to come in and have that much of a defensive impact is impressive.
He’s 6’5″ and 220 pounds, so the frame is already there to go toe-to-toe with most NBA players, allowing Snyder and co. to have him defend multiple positions without much to worry about.
Next: 2018 NBA Mock Draft - Doncic still No. 1 in post-lottery edition
Rawle Alkins may not be the first prospect on Utah’s wishlist, but he could help them build to a new crescendo next postseason.