The Utah Jazz finished the season five games out of the play-in tournament with a 35-47 record and will look to take advantage of three first-round draft picks on Thursday night. Will Hardy will head into Year 2 as the head coach of the Jazz looking to upgrade the roster for the future.
The Jazz are set up for plenty of success for the foreseeable future with the number of draft picks they have over the next few years. With the amount of draft capital Utah has at its disposal, there’s no reason for the Jazz to not take some risks on draft night.
Jazz 2023 NBA Draft selections
No. 9: Taylor Hendricks, Forward, UCF
No. 16: Keyonte George, Shooting guard, Baylor
No. 28: Brice Sensabaugh, Small forward, Ohio State
Hendricks is an agile defender and a versatile pick-and-roll target who will be most effective in pick-and-pop situations given his knack for hitting threes and penetrating off the bounce. As a bouncy leaper who’s comfortable around the rim, he’ll prove valuable as well in help defense and rim protection.
George has a nice combination of size, strength, and quickness which gave collegiate defenders fits, and that sets him up nicely as he makes the transition toward facing NBA level competition.
Sensabaugh broke out offensively in his lone season, but his three-point shooting is the most encouraging. If he can improve defensively, he’ll be one of the steals of this draft.
Fantasy basketball outlook
His 7-foot wingspan and potency from shooting beyond the arc illustrate his clear upside, but the fit and respective fantasy production will be interesting to watch. Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler are already established in the rotation, so there’s a slim chance that Hendricks could face an uphill battle for minutes out of the gate.
George is likely to be a contributor off the bench to start, so limited production and fantasy potential feel like a realistic expectation. However, with Collin Sexton continuously included in trade rumors, it could open the door to more minutes for George if Sexton is indeed moved elsewhere. We’ll see how the rotation plays out with Sensabaugh and George, but one of those players could be a steal in fantasy basketball in 2023-24.