Utah Jazz Open Pre-Draft Workouts Wednesday
By Cody Powers
The Utah Jazz announced Tuesday that they will hold their first pre-draft workouts on Wednesday. The Jazz will workout a total of six players. The players coming in for workouts, however, are not guys that you will see going in the lottery.
The Jazz will host Taylor Braun, Bryce Cotton, Stephen Holt, Akil Mitchell, Mike Moser, and Ronald Roberts Jr.
Braun is a senior guard from North Dakota State University. Braun stands 6′ 7″ and weighs 210 pounds. This last season with the Bison, Braun averaged 17.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game. Braun increased his points per game and assist per game totals during his final two seasons with the Bison compared to his first two seasons. However, his rebounding averages dropped in his last two seasons. In the most recent mock draft on NBADraft.net, Braun is not projected to be drafted.
Cotton is a senior guard out of Providence. Cotton stands at 6′ 1″ and weights 165 pounds. Cotton had a fantastic senior season with the Friars, averaging 21.8 points, 5.9 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game. One downside to Cotton’s senior season is his turnovers. Cotton averaged a career high 2.4 turnovers per game. However, Cotton was efficient getting to the free throw line, averaging nearly eight free throw attempts per game. In the most recent mock draft, Cotton is not projected to be drafted.
Holt is another senior guard, from St. Mary’s University. Holt stands at 6′ 4″ and weighs 195 pounds. Out of the first three guards, Holt didn’t score the ball nearly as much as the other two. Holt averaged 15.2 points, 3.9 assists, and 3.8 rebounds per game in the West Coast Conference. However, out of the first three guards, Holt averaged the least amount of turnovers. Being in the same conference as BYU, fans of the cougars could have an opinion on Holt that I can’t quite give you. In the most recent mock draft, Holt is not projected to be drafted.
Mitchell is a senior forward out of the University of Virginia. Mitchell seen a decrease in his stats this season, mainly do to less playing time. His junior season, Mitchell was averaging over 30 minutes per game. This season, he seen his minutes decrease down towards 25 per game. Due to that, Mitchell’s rebounding average dropped off nearly two rebounds per game from the season before, as well as his points per game nearly cut in half. Mitchell shot a good percentage at 56.1% from the field, however, his free throw percentage was awful, shooting 42.7% from the line. In the most recent mock draft, Mitchell is not projected to be drafted.
Moser is a senior forward out of the University of Oregon. Moser stands at 6′ 8″ and weighs 211 pounds. Moser might be a guy the Jazz are bringing in because he is a guy who can stretch the floor. Moser shot over four three point attempts per game this past season for the Ducks and averaged 37.8% from deep. To go along with the three point shooting, Moser averaged nearly eight rebounds per game and had double digits in scoring averages. Moser is also a decent free throw shooter, averaging over 70% from the line. In the most current mock draft, Moser is not projected to be drafted.
Finally, Roberts Jr. is a senior forward from St. Joeseph’s. Roberts stands at 6′ 8″ and weighs 225 pounds. Roberts shot a great percentage his final season with the Hawks, averaging 60% from the field. Roberts also averaged 14.4 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. However, like Mitchell, Roberts struggled from the free throw line. Roberts was averaging 59.5% from the line in his senior season. Another downside to Roberts, he averaged over two turnovers per game which could get worse in the NBA with better defenders. In the most current mock draft, Roberts is projected to be drafted by the San Antonio Spurs with the 60th pick.
As stated earlier, the Jazz will host these pre-draft workouts tomorrow in Salt Lake City. None of the guys listed above are guys that look to be drafted when the Jazz draft in the second round. However, they could be looking at these guys in case they want to bring them into training camp later on. Remember when Jazz are looking at guys that might not get drafted, the Jazz signed Wesley Matthews who didn’t get drafted, and he has turned out to be a pretty good player in the NBA.