It’s been almost three weeks since the NBA Lottery, when the #2 pick was given to the Utah Jazz. My guess is that a lot of Jazz fans were preparing themselves for disappointment, as always. But instead, it was shock and elation at their pick jumping in the lottery for the first time.
Now, the anxiety of hoping the Jazz jump has turned into the anxiety of who the Jazz will pick. If we’re being honest, there are only two real options: AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson.
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Now, the issue for Utah is that that decision is likely being made for them, but let’s consider the Wizards make the analytical pick and take Cam Boozer, who is the upside pick and who is the best fit between Peterson and Dybantsa?
This could be argued in a myriad of ways, but when you look at the Jazz roster, the starting unit as it stands is likely Keyonte George, Ace Bailey, Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Walker Kessler. That’s a huge lineup that will be really interesting next season. The issue? There’s not a lot of reliable ball-handling and playmaking with that roster. The other thing to consider is if Ace Bailey is ready to be an unquestioned starter. In my opinion, he’s not quite there yet, and come draft night, regardless of whether the Jazz draft Dybantsa or Peterson, Bailey is likely coming off the bench. So in that scenario of Bailey as your 6th man, Darryn Peterson is definitely the better fit. Both he and Dybantsa can handle the ball, but Peterson would slide into the 2-spot seamlessly. He can play off of Keyonte George and be an off-ball shooter, whereas Dybantsa, as of right now, is more effective with the ball in his hands. Considering how lethal Peterson is as a shooter, it immediately makes the Jazz offense a candidate for top-5, if not the best, if the best-case scenario happens.
But where Peterson is the best “fit,” Dybantsa is definitely the upside pick between the two. His size at 6’9”-6’10” with shoes combined with his length and an astounding 42” vertical at the combine makes his ceiling as high as they get. You can see Dybantsa becoming an absolute demon once he becomes a more consistent three-point shooter. He also has the best ability in the draft to penetrate the paint and get to the rim, thanks to his body control, strength, and crazy-long strides. As soon as you see Dybantsa with NBA spacing, you’re going to see a player that is going to control games for 15 years.
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With all that said, the Jazz can’t go wrong with either pick. Both Dybantsa and Peterson are worthy of the #1 pick. Right now, FanDuel has the odds strongly in favor of AJ Dybantsa going #1. In the rare occasion that the Jazz can pick between Dybantsa or Peterson, and the choice was up to you, should they go with fit or upside?
