Huh?

Gordon Hayward?? wtFudge??? Jeremy Evans????

Kevin O’Connor was like: “everyone thinks we plan to fill a need or take the best player available or go with raw talent in the draft, but we’re going to zig when they are expecting us to zag! We’re going to do the exact opposite of all that!”

So what are they saying about the Utah Jazz’ draft performance this morning??

Utah
I'm not big on Gordon Hayward, but I think he works well here. He can't really create his own shot off the dribble but can shoot, and in Utah the system will help create some open looks for him to knock down.
Grade: B

Utah Jazz
9. Gordon Hayward, SF, Butler
I mean, is the white guy to Jazz joke too obvious? I don't get this one. I think George and Henry are better wing prospects. Utah needs a shooter since Kyle Korver is a free agent, but what about Ed Davis here? Carlos Boozer is likely gone and I think Davis has more potential as a pro than Hayward. (Pick Grade: Don't Get It)

55. Jeremy Evans, F, Western Kentucky
A guy who has not received any hype on any mock draft I have looked at this season. He is a physical player who could add some depth behind Paul Millsap. (Pick Grade: Meh)


Utah Jazz:
The Jazz reached into the hype machine and pulled out Gordon Hayward, the darling who took those plucky Butler Bulldogs all the way to the bright lights of the Final Fours. (Insert a few fluttering eyelashes and a "Wowee!" or two into that sentence for effect.) Maybe I'm wrong, as I haven't assembled teams who are regular Western Conference contenders as Jazz GM Kevin O'Connor has. But ... whaaaaaat? Hayward, given the team's needs (at least one big, a dead-eye shooter -- which Hayward is not right now)? Pfft to that. (And no, second-round pick-up Jeremy Evans of Western Kentucky doesn't save it.) Final Grade: F.


No. 9: Jazz select:
Gordan Hayward, SF, Butler
Grade C

Analysis: The Jazz's inexperience in the lottery shows. You don't draft winners at 9, you draft talent.

Utah- B (Gordon Hayward)
The Jazz are far better than your typical team picking ninth, so they can afford to pick a role player at that spot. That's what they got in Hayward. For now, Gordon will probably come off the bench and hit jumpers. With his size, he should get the shot off with ease and he knows how to score. He's probably never going to be a star given that he doesn't have particularly good athleticism, but in Utah he can run the wings and hit the open shots that are there because of Deron Williams.

Utah
Draft Grade
C
Picks:
No. 9 Gordon Hayward
No. 55 Jeremy Evans
Hayward falls somewhere between a reach and an OK pick. Paul George or Luke Babbitt would have been better choices to fill a void on the wing, but Hayward should do well in Utah's system. Outside of Ryan Reid, Evans was probably the most surprising pick of the draft. A relative unknown, the springy Western Kentucky power forward is under 200 pounds and averaged just 10 points and 6.9 rebounds per game as a senior.