12. Utah Jazz
Pelton: This one's pretty obvious. The Jazz went 19-10 after the All-Star break despite getting the league's worst production in terms of my wins above replacement player stat (WARP) from their point guards. Dante Exum has the potential to solve that, but one way or another Utah needs better production from its point guards.
Ford: No, no, no, Kevin. No more point guards in Utah. Exum is their future. I think he has the potential to be the best player on their roster. Don't give them any ideas. He's 19. He just transitioned from Australian high-school basketball to the NBA. He'll make a huge leap this season. If anything, it's the backup point guard position that they need to solve. But more importantly, I think the Jazz are one of the few teams in the lottery that are really set with excellent young players at each position on the floor. Exum at point guard, Alec Burks at shooting guard, Gordon Hayward at small forward, Derrick Favors at power forward and Rudy Gobert at center. And I love Rodney Hood coming off the bench. I think that gives them the space to take the best player available, regardless of position. In my Grade: A Mock Draft, that was UCLA's Kevon Looney. I also think he's a great fit as a backup for both Favors and Hayward. He's young and not really ready, but I love his long-term potential.
Pelton: I don't disagree with taking the best player available, but I would argue that taking a point guard doesn't necessarily mean burying Exum. Among other things, it's not yet clear that point guard is his best position since Exum has the size to play shooting guard. But unless they go for one of my favorites like Jones or Utah's Delon Wright, the best player available probably will be Looney. Kaminsky could be a fit here, too. Coach Quin Snyder has been looking for a big man to stretch the floor, and Kaminsky could slot comfortably into a three-player rotation in the frontcourt, playing alongside both Favors and Gobert.
