What seemed like an endless parade of pre-draft workouts at the Zions Bank Basketball Center resulted in the Jazz taking Kentucky’s Trey Lyles with the No. 12 pick Thursday night.
It’s hard to judge a lottery pick the moment he is selected, but that didn't stop pretty much everyone from trying.
So, how did the Jazz grade out? Let’s take a look.
“Lyles was a tough player to project. His numbers weren’t great, but he was playing behind great players and playing out of position. As a power forward, Lyles has solid potential. He is a poor man’s Karl-Anthony Towns.”
"General manager Dennis Lindsey said Lyles had 'Jazz DNA' in him. I couldn't agree more. There's very little that's sexy about Lyles' game. But he's got good size, has a very high basketball IQ, is skilled in the post and has an emerging perimeter game. If he can take his shooting out to the NBA 3-point line (and right now that's a big if), he'll be a very good complement to Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert," Chad Ford wrote.
“Lyles makes a lot of sense as a complement to Utah's starting frontcourt of Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert. Lyles' biggest shortcoming is a relatively low ceiling, which isn't as important to a Utah team that's already set ahead of him. He can play with both starters, and if he extends his range as a pro as the Jazz hope, he'll provide better spacing than the starting duo. Thumbs up.” Kevin Pelton wrote.
“You have Derrick Favors. You want Paul Millsap. Lyles obviously has great upside and the Jazz can make some gambles here, but it's hard to see why they decided to further complicate an already complicated frontcourt.”
“Still somewhat of a mystery because the ex-Kentucky forward had to contort his game to fit the role UK needed him to play last season. The Wildcats had a glut of frontcourt talent, so Lyles became a 6-foot-10 small forward in a two-post offense. While he isn't a liability defending the perimeter, his more natural position in the NBA is probably power forward. The skilled, versatile rookie should add to the strength of an already formidable Utah frontcourt.”
“Trey Lyles perhaps had to sacrifice his game the most of any NBA-caliber guy in John Calipari's platoon-style system. He'll get a chance to fully blossom in Utah.”
“The knock on Lyles is a lack of explosiveness and quickness. It limits his perceived upside at both ends of the floor. However, he's comfortable shooting in the mid-range and operating with his back to the basket on the low block. He's also flashed the body control to face up, attack and finish on the move.”
SB Nation: Fit: A | Opportunity: B
“Lyles will fit nicely with both Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors, provided he's able to extend his range. He has good shooting form and the Jazz have a good history of developing shooters, so that shouldn't be a problem. Lyles is an average defensive player, but that issue could be mitigated while playing with Gobert or Favors. Most impressive of all is his elite feel for the game playing off-ball. He rarely turns the ball over and can drive closeouts turning into a playmaker.”
Other links:
— Big 12 expansion: Examining the pros, cons and candidates (CBS Sports)
— The secret is out on Tour: Jimmy Blair’s kid can play (Golf Week)