NBA Mock Draft 7.0: Spurs make shocking pick at No. 2; Blazers trade Damian Lillard

9. Utah Jazz – Cason Wallace, G, Kentucky

The Utah Jazz had quite the up-and-down season and for a while, it seemed as though they were going to make a real push toward the playoffs in the Western Conference. Ultimately, the Jazz fell out of that race and settled in with what is expected to be the No. 9 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. For a team that is just beginning to build, the Jazz could go any number of ways with this selection.

One prospect that could be of interest to the Jazz is Cason Wallace, a defensive-minded guard out of Kentucky. There are many that believe Wallace is the best defender in this draft class and that’s somewhere where he’ll thrive almost immediately in the NBA. He also proved to be quite the consistent 3-point shooter during his freshman season at Kentucky in which he averaged 35 percent shooting from deep.

He’ll have to prove that he can be a consistent playmaker at the next level but he did average four assists per game in college. For college standards, that’s pretty solid. And considering that he’ll be playing with a talented group in Utah, Wallace wouldn’t have too much pressure making the jump during his rookie season.