The first round of the 2025 NBA draft came to a close Wednesday night and the Utah Jazz came away with two impressive players — Ace Bailey, taken with the fifth overall pick, and Walter Clayton Jr. taken with the 18th pick.
The second round of the draft will continue Thursday night and though the Jazz originally had two 2025 second-rounders, they will go into Thursday with a single second-round pick — No. 53.
In order to get Clayton, the Jazz traded up to the 18th spot, sending the Washington Wizards the 21st and 43rd picks in the 2025 draft and two future second-round picks.
The Jazz will certainly have room on their roster to take another player (they had four non-guaranteed contract players at the end of the 2024-25 season) but there’s no guarantee they will keep the 53rd pick.
They could deal the pick for cash considerations or a future second-rounder to try to recoup a bit of the cost of Wednesday night’s deal. But, if they do decide to keep the pick, there are players that they could take a swing on near the bottom of the second round.
If the Jazz were to trade to move up in the second round, there are still a lot of worthwhile players. I’ve written before about liking Stanford’s Maxime Raynaud and there are other players who will probably get snatched up through the first half of the second round like Florida’s Alijah Martin and Wisconsin’s John Tonje.
But, if the Jazz stay at 53, they are likely to still have some players that could seriously be worth bringing in for Summer League and training camp and then either rostering or putting on a two-way contract.
Here are three players that could be a good fit for the Jazz.
Chaz Lanier — guard — 6′3.75″ (without shoes) — 6′9″ wingspan
The Tennessee guard can shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot and shoot some more — how does 39.5% from deep on 8.2 attempts per game sound? He would come in quite a bit older than some of his rookie peers (he’ll turn 24 in December) but he has improved every year and just needs to prove that his game can translate at the next level.
Kobe Sanders — wing — 6′7″ (without shoes) — 6′8.25″ wingspan
After playing at Cal Poly for four years, he finished up his collegiate career with a fifth year at Nevada. Everything I see and hear about Sanders points to him being an incredibly smart player who does not make mistakes with the ball. The way people talk about him as a ball handler, playmaker and decision maker remind me of Joe Ingles. He rarely turns the ball over, does not get sped up, won’t shock you with athleticism but he will make the right play and continues to improve as a shooter.
RJ Luis Jr. — wing — 6′5.75″ (without shoes) — 6′10.5″ wingspan
At St. John’s, in one of the most disciplined defensive collegiate systems, he was a gritty and crafty player who can dribble, pass and — almost — shoot. The shot is probably what is giving people some pause with a three-year college average of 31.4% from deep. But, when you’re picking at 53, and your team had the worst defense in the league, you could do a lot worse than a guy who can guard multiple positions and plays unselfishly.
