The Jazz just had one of the most fortunate bounces of the ping-pong ball in NBA Draft history, landing the #3 pick and #12 pick in the draft. The Jazz drafted Enes Kanter # 3 out of Turkey and Alec Burks #12 out of Colorado. The reason for picking Kanter 3rd was ultimately because of his back to the basket phyiscal play that the Jazz lack in the middle. The Jazz need somebody who can play center, and Kanter seems capable of doing that for the Jazz. He's tough, physical, rebounds really well, and among other things, he has a reliable mid range game. Nothing like Okur, but still an offensive game that shows a lot of potential and capability. Certainly not a liability on the offensive end like Fesenko is. Kevin O'Connor said of Kanter:
"If you were to look at him as football player, he's a north-south guy. He's not gonna dazzle you with footwork, but he's gonna try to run over you. He's gonna give us some length. Is he a leaper and shot blocker? No, but to go along with what we've got inside, I think he gives Coach Corbin some options.Remember he's 19... But he's a willing worker and I think that's the key. He's a kid who didn't play last year and had a 5.9 % body fat and did as good as anybody on the treadmill. When you do the treadmill you are only allowed to go a certain amount of minutes and I think there were only 5 or 6 guys who did that and he was one of them. He was the best player available at 3 and he adds toughness to our team."
About the #12 pick Alec Burks, Kevin O'Connor said:
"We liked him for his Versatility. He's improved his shooting. We had him in the other day, and he shot the ball well. He's not a knock down three point shooter, but in this league, in today's day in age, when you can't put your hands on somebody, guys that are slashers and guys that get to the ball, get to the foul line and get layups. He might be able to play a little point guard. He's got good skills with the ball and he's 19 and he's got a chip on his shoulder. He wasn't highly recruited, he came in to Colorado and had a terrific freshman year and improved in every area in his sophomore year. He's 6'6 and big for his position. We were very comfortable with him at 12, and we had no interest in making any trades. "
All in all, it sounds like Kevin O'Connor and the rest of the Jazz organization are very happy with their draft picks. Both guys seem like they can make a difference for the Jazz next season. The reason why Kanter was picked was more obvious to Utah fans. The need for a good center is needed in Utah if the Jazz want to contend for a title. As for Burks, a little more of a mystery how he will fit in. Especially with CJ Miles, Gordon Hayward, and Raja Bell. But I think this means that either Raja Bell or CJ Miles is gone. Probably Bell, but we shall see. Also with Kanter being picked, it's likely that Fesenko and or/Elson is out of town as well. Interesting to see what the final roster looks like. 16 guys are on the roster as of now. 15 is the Max. I see Elson out of town, possibly Fesenko, and maybe even Raja Bell. Tho I see those guys going in that order of most likely to go. Elson because he's older, a journeyman, and doens't have the upshot of Fesenko. Fesenko because he's not developing offensively at a rate that the Jazz would hope, and Bell because his shooting sucked. Miles may be gone too. I see Price and Watson sticking because the Jazz need a couple of back up Point Guards to Devin Harris. Anyways, interesting moves await the Jazz as they try to see what they can do to develop a more balanced roster.
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