11. Utah Jazz – Gradey Dick, G, Kansas
The Utah Jazz will enter the offseason with the belief that they are close to being a true playoff contender in the Western Conference. It doesn’t appear as if this team is going to completely bottom out this offseason and, at this point, I would be extremely surprised if they did. They’re going to be better next season and perhaps a big part of that will be Gradey Dick, who could be in play for this team at pick No. 11.
Dick is coming off a good freshman season at Kansas even though he struggled a bit down the stretch. Still, he’ll be considered one of the best shooters in this draft and is much more than that on the offensive end of the floor too. The big question is whether or not he’ll be able to defend at a high level. The good thing about Dick is that he’s 6-foot-8 and will enter the league with much flexibility when it comes to positioning.
If he can prove that he can be a difference-making playmaker at the next level, Dick will have the opportunity to be a top-10 pick. If he falls out of the top 10, there’s a team out there that could be getting a really good player late in the lottery.