NBA Mock Draft: Spurs land Victor Wembanyama; Blazers jump into top 3

9. Utah Jazz – Jarace Walker, F, Houston

With the way Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler played this past season, you wouldn’t expect the Utah Jazz to target a frontcourt player with the No. 9 overall pick in the NBA Draft. Nevertheless, with how the board has fallen, Jarace Walker would be the best player available type of pick for the Jazz. And honestly, he’s too good to pass up at No. 9 if he’s still available. If this is how the board falls, the Jazz should run up to turn in their draft card.

Walker may not have the high ceiling that some of the other top 10 picks in this NBA Draft have, but there’s no question that he’s a player that’s going to be essential to a team’s success in the future. He does it all, and then some. He can defend at a high level, and multiple positions, can be a secondary playmaker, and is a better offensive player than you might think.

If Walker can develop a consistent 3-point shot, he is going to be an invaluable player in the NBA. He may never get as many headlines as some of the other draft prospects may get but he’s a winning player that is willing to do all the little things.

The big question is, at what point in the draft is a team willing to take that exchange?