Draft2023

Ryan Kostecka

After a month and a half of speculation, the Utah Jazz learned their draft fate on Tuesday evening.&nbsp;

Already owning the No. 16 (Minnesota) and No. 28 (Philadelphia) picks in the draft via trades with Minnesota and Brooklyn, respectively, the Jazz also had an outside chance at the No. 1 overall pick (4.5%) and a top-four pick (20.3%). In the end, the Jazz stayed right where they were at and will have the No. 9 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.

In what's expected to be a loaded draft class by most analysts, Utah is expected to get immediate help with the No. 9 pick.

The Jazz have never had the top pick in the draft but have had 10 lottery picks since 2000. The highest selection they've ever had came in 1980 when they chose Darrell Griffith at No. 2. Utah has selected eight times in the top-10, choosing Deron Williams (2005) and Enes Freedom (2011) with the No. 3 pick, and Dante Exum (2014) with the No. 5 pick.

The last time the Jazz had a top-12 pick was in 2016, choosing Taurean Prince, but they traded him to Atlanta. Utah also had the No. 12 pick in 2015, picking Trey Lyles.

The good news for the Jazz is that they already have a well-established nucleus after an exciting past season.&nbsp;

Head coach Will Hardy, the second-youngest in the league, proved far more wise than his years. He took a team expected to finish near the bottom of the standings and had them in play-in contention until the final games of the season.&nbsp;

Lauri Markkanen emerged as a bonafide star, being named to his first All-Star game and then chosen as a starter in a breakout season. As Utah's No. 1 option, he averaged career-highs in points (25.6), shot attempts (17.3), field goal percentage (49.9%), free throw percentage (87.5%), assists (1.9), and minutes (34.4). He also averaged 8.6 rebounds per game, 39.2% from three, and 58.6% effective field goal percentage, all the second-most in his career.

Walker Kessler, acquired in a trade with Minnesota last offseason, took over as the starting center midway through the season and never looked back. The All-Rookie First Team member averaged 11.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks in his 40 starts, becoming the first rookie in 25 years to record at least four games of 7+ blocks, trailing Tim Duncan's five times in 1998.

Much like Kessler, Ochai Agbaji was another offseason addition last year who emerged late in his rookie season. He averaged 7.9 points and 2.1 rebounds in 20.5 minutes per game, shooting 35.5% from beyond the arc — but those numbers were drastically better late in the season when he averaged 13.9 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game over March and April.&nbsp;

With that core expected to return along with other role players such as Kelly Olynyk, Collin Sexton, Rudy Gay, and Simone Fontecchio, the Jazz won't have to rely on their rookie class for immediate, game-changing production. But make no mistake, the vibes are high in Utah, and the expectation continues to grow.&nbsp;

Season tickets for the 2023-24 season are on sale now. Call or text 801-355-DUNK to reserve your seats or click HERE to shop online.

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Utah Stays Put, Will Have The No. 9, 16, And 28 Picks In The 2023 NBA Draft

Alright, Jazz Nation, how much faith do you have in ping-pong balls?

One of the most important offseason dates is quickly approaching as Utah will find out where its first-round draft pick lands during the NBA Lottery on Tuesday, May 16 at 6:00 p.m. MT on ESPN.

For those who don't understand the complicated process of the draft lottery — which I'm guessing is somewhere around 97.3% of basketball fans — here's a breakdown of the process and what Jazz Nation can expect.&nbsp;

WHAT IS THE DRAFT LOTTERY?The draft lottery is the process that is used to determine the first four picks in the NBA draft, and applies to the seven teams with the worst record from each conference to be seeded 1-14 (1 being the worst record, 14 being the best).&nbsp;

The team with the&nbsp; lowest win percentage in the regular season will receive no worse than the No. 5 pick in the draft. The teams with the three worst records will all have the same chance of winning the lottery and picking No. 1 overall . After the first four teams' drawings are complete, picks 5-14 will go in inverse order of the teams’ regular season record.&nbsp;

HOW DOES IT WORK?Yes, they use actual ping pong balls.

Teams 1-14 will be assigned certain four-number combinations to determine their pick, all of which will be done in a private room off-camera and be overseen by a representative from the accounting firm Ernst & Young.

Fourteen ping-pong balls (numbered 1-14) will be placed in a lottery machine and mixed for 20 seconds before a ball is pulled out. The remaining 13 balls will be spun for 10 seconds before removing another ball. The same will be done with 12 balls (10-second spin) and 11 balls (10-second spin) to determine the combination. Whichever team has that combination will receive the No. 1 overall pick.&nbsp;

The exact process will be repeated three more times to determine picks 2-4. If a previously chosen team is chosen again, that combination is discarded, and the process will repeat itself.&nbsp;

There are 1,001 possible combinations, with 1,000 of those combinations assigned to the participating teams. If the one combination not assigned to a team is chosen, it is discarded, and the process repeats itself.&nbsp;

WHAT ARE THE ODDS OF GETTING THE #1 PICK?Restructured before the 2019 draft to discourage tanking, the three teams with the lowest winning percentage will all have the same odds of receiving the No. 1 overall pick. Teams 4-14 will then have that percentage drop in order of record.

ORDER | TEAM | RECORD | No. 1 PICK % | POSSIBLE COMBINATIONS

1.) Detroit Pistons | 17-65 | 14.0% | 140 combinations2.) Houston Rockets | 22-60 | 14.0% | 140 combinations3.) San Antonio Spurs | 22-60 | 14.0% | 140 combinations4.) Charlotte Hornets | 27-55 | 12.5% | 125 combinations5.) Portland Trailblazers | 33-49 | 10.5% | 105 combinations6.) Orlando Magic | 34-48 | 9.0% | 90 combinations7.) Indiana Pacers | 35-47 | 6.8% | 68 combinations8.) Washington Wizards | 35-47 | 6.7% | 67 combinations9.) Utah Jazz | 37-45 | 4.5% | 45 combinations10.) Dallas Mavericks | 38-44 | 3.0% | 30 combinations11.) Chicago Bulls | 40-42 | 1.8% | 18 combinations12.) Oklahoma City | 40-42 | 1.7% | 17 combinations13.) Toronto Raptors | 41-41 | 1.0% | 10 combinations14.) New Orleans Pelicans | 42-40 | 0.5% | 5 combinations

WHAT DOES HISTORY TELL US?Since 2000, nine teams with single-digit percentage odds won the lottery and got the No. 1 overall pick — a good sign for the Jazz.&nbsp;

2019 | New Orleans Pelicans | 6.0%2014 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 1.7%2011 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 2.8%2008 | Chicago Bulls | 1.7%2007 | Portland Trailblazers | 5.3%2006 | Toronto Raptors | 8.8%2005 | Milwaukee Bucks | 6.3%2002 | Houston Rockets | 8.9%2000 | New Jersey Nets | 4.4%

On the other hand, the most recent years don't paint&nbsp; the most promising picture. Seven of the past eight drafts have resulted in a team with the best odds getting the No. 1 overall pick — with the only exception being the Pelicans in 2019 (6% chance | Zion Williamson).&nbsp;

FINALLY, WHAT ABOUT THE JAZZ?First and foremost, Jazz Nation should hope that Collin Sexton — Utah's representative at the draft lottery — has his pockets stuffed with those lucky $2 he talked about and that a 4.5% chance turns into the No. 1 overall pick.&nbsp;

While that number seems unlikely, Utah has a 20.3% chance of being chosen in the lottery and giving themselves a top-4 pick. While it's not No. 1, it's a very nice consolation prize in a draft that experts predict to be one of the deepest of the century.&nbsp;

The Jazz have never had the top pick in the draft, but did choose Darrell Griffith at No. 2 in 1980. They’ve selected eight times in the top-10, choosing Deron Williams (2005) and Enes Freedom (2011) with the No. 3 pick.&nbsp;

Although Utah didn’t have any picks in last year’s lottery, a savvy offseason landed them Ochai Agbaji and Walker Kessler in separate trades. Agabji came on strong over the second half of the year, while Kessler was named to the All-NBA Rookie First Team.

HOW DO I WATCH?When: Tuesday, May 16Where: Chicago, IllinoisTime: 6 p.m. MTTV: ESPN

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Everything To Know About The Jazz And The NBA Draft Lottery

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