Best draft picks in Utah Jazz history
The draft is a seminal moment for many incoming players. Putting aside competitive stakes, each young athlete's life is irreversibly altered by the fame and fortune that comes with being an NBA player. The exorbitant contract values ensures these players almost never have to worry about personal finances. Plus, these young guns get to play alongside some of their basketball idols for a living. With these high stakes, it's easy to see why the draft is so revered.
Likewise, the fortunes of a city and franchise can be completely transformed by a draft pick. LeBron James, for instance, brought Cleveland its first sports championship in 52 years and was also reportedly worth hundreds of millions to the city's downtown economy. It almost goes without saying that Michael Jordan built the Chicago Bulls from the ground up into a championship team whose dynamic would reverberate through the decades.
With that in mind, Stacker compiled a list of the best draft picks in Utah Jazz history using data from Basketball-Reference.com. Players were ranked according to a formula that approximates their career achievements, career value, and play quality. The formula encompasses Basketball-Reference.com's Hall of Fame probability, career win shares, and value over replacement player, aka VORP. For players drafted before data is available for VORP, half of the player's win shares were used in its place to calculate their Stacker score.
Basketball Hall of Fame inductees were given a minimum of 60% for their Hall of Fame probability, indicating a worthy résumé for their time but not up to par with some modern players. Scores were normalized to 100 based on the scoring leader. Keep reading to see where your favorite players fall on the list.
#42. Jarron Collins
- Stacker score: 1.1
- 53rd overall pick in 2001
- Played eight seasons with Utah Jazz
- Career averages: 3.9 PTS, 2.9 REB, 0.8 AST
- Advanced statistics: 15.7 win shares, -3.1 box plus/minus, -2.5 VORP
#41. James Hardy
- Stacker score: 1.2
- 11th overall pick in 1978
- Played one season with New Orleans Jazz and three seasons with Utah Jazz
- Career averages: 5.7 PTS, 5.3 REB, 1.3 AST
- Advanced statistics: 6.3 win shares, -1.2 box plus/minus, 1.0 VORP
#40. Tony Bradley
- Stacker score: 1.3
- 28th overall pick in 2017
- Played three seasons with Utah Jazz
- Career averages: 4.4 PTS, 4.1 REB, 0.5 AST
- Advanced statistics: 7.5 win shares, 0.2 box plus/minus, 1.1 VORP
#39. Carey Scurry
- Stacker score: 1.4
- 37th overall pick in 1985
- Played three seasons with Utah Jazz
- Career averages: 4.7 PTS, 2.9 REB, 1.1 AST
- Advanced statistics: 5.3 win shares, 1.7 box plus/minus, 2.2 VORP
#38. Aaron James
- Stacker score: 1.5
- 28th overall pick in 1974
- Played five seasons with New Orleans Jazz
- Career averages: 10.8 PTS, 4.1 REB, 1.0 AST
- Advanced statistics: 13.1 win shares, -2.3 box plus/minus, -0.6 VORP
#37. Bob Hansen
- Stacker score: 1.6
- 54th overall pick in 1983
- Played seven seasons with Utah Jazz
- Career averages: 6.9 PTS, 2.2 REB, 1.6 AST
- Advanced statistics: 15.4 win shares, -2.4 box plus/minus, -1.2 VORP
- Accolades
--- 1992 NBA Champ
#36. Walker Kessler
- Stacker score: 1.6
- 22nd overall pick in 2022
- Played one season with Utah Jazz
- Career averages: 9.2 PTS, 8.4 REB, 0.9 AST
- Advanced statistics: 7.1 win shares, 2.9 box plus/minus, 2.1 VORP
#35. Jeremy Evans
- Stacker score: 1.7
- 55th overall pick in 2010
- Played five seasons with Utah Jazz
- Career averages: 3.5 PTS, 2.6 REB, 0.4 AST
- Advanced statistics: 8.2 win shares, 0.9 box plus/minus, 1.9 VORP
#34. Raul Neto
- Stacker score: 1.8
- 47th overall pick in 2013
- Played four seasons with Utah Jazz
- Career averages: 5.7 PTS, 1.5 REB, 2.1 AST
- Advanced statistics: 11.6 win shares, -1.5 box plus/minus, 0.8 VORP
#33. Trey Burke
- Stacker score: 2.2
- Ninth overall pick in 2013
- Played three seasons with Utah Jazz
- Career averages: 9.6 PTS, 1.8 REB, 3.1 AST
- Advanced statistics: 12.9 win shares, -1.3 box plus/minus, 1.7 VORP
#32. Scott Padgett
- Stacker score: 2.5
- 28th overall pick in 1999
- Played four seasons with Utah Jazz
- Career averages: 4.2 PTS, 2.7 REB, 0.7 AST
- Advanced statistics: 13.2 win shares, -0.4 box plus/minus, 2.3 VORP
#31. Grayson Allen
- Stacker score: 2.5
- 21st overall pick in 2018
- Played one season with Utah Jazz
- Career averages: 9.7 PTS, 2.8 REB, 1.7 AST
- Advanced statistics: 13.1 win shares, -0.4 box plus/minus, 2.4 VORP
#30. Jim McElroy
- Stacker score: 2.6
- 38th overall pick in 1975
- Played four seasons with New Orleans Jazz
- Career averages: 9.9 PTS, 2.0 REB, 3.5 AST
- Advanced statistics: 14.0 win shares, -1.1 box plus/minus, 2.2 VORP
#29. Trey Lyles
- Stacker score: 3.0
- 12th overall pick in 2015
- Played two seasons with Utah Jazz
- Career averages: 7.8 PTS, 4.3 REB, 1.0 AST
- Advanced statistics: 17.0 win shares, -1.0 box plus/minus, 2.3 VORP
#28. Rodney Hood
- Stacker score: 3.0
- 23rd overall pick in 2014
- Played four seasons with Utah Jazz
- Career averages: 10.4 PTS, 2.6 REB, 1.6 AST
- Advanced statistics: 17.4 win shares, -1.2 box plus/minus, 2.2 VORP
#27. Blue Edwards
- Stacker score: 3.8
- 21st overall pick in 1989
- Played four seasons with Utah Jazz
- Career averages: 10.8 PTS, 3.4 REB, 2.0 AST
- Advanced statistics: 24.2 win shares, -1.6 box plus/minus, 1.9 VORP
#26. Darrell Griffith
- Stacker score: 4.0
- Second overall pick in 1980
- Played 10 seasons with Utah Jazz
- Career averages: 16.2 PTS, 3.3 REB, 2.1 AST
- Advanced statistics: 22.0 win shares, -1.4 box plus/minus, 3.4 VORP
- Accolades
--- 1980-81 ROY
#25. Shandon Anderson
- Stacker score: 4.1
- 54th overall pick in 1996
- Played three seasons with Utah Jazz
- Career averages: 7.4 PTS, 3.1 REB, 1.4 AST
- Advanced statistics: 23.6 win shares, -1.3 box plus/minus, 3.0 VORP
- Accolades
--- 2006 NBA Champ
#24. Kris Humphries
- Stacker score: 4.3
- 14th overall pick in 2004
- Played two seasons with Utah Jazz
- Career averages: 6.7 PTS, 5.4 REB, 0.7 AST
- Advanced statistics: 30.3 win shares, -1.7 box plus/minus, 1.2 VORP
#23. Kosta Koufos
- Stacker score: 4.3
- 23rd overall pick in 2008
- Played two seasons with Utah Jazz
- Career averages: 5.7 PTS, 5.0 REB, 0.5 AST
- Advanced statistics: 28.3 win shares, -1.3 box plus/minus, 2.0 VORP
#22. Paul Griffin
- Stacker score: 4.5
- 74th overall pick in 1976
- Played three seasons with New Orleans Jazz
- Career averages: 5.1 PTS, 5.5 REB, 2.3 AST
- Advanced statistics: 19.6 win shares, 0.3 box plus/minus, 5.9 VORP
#21. Alec Burks
- Stacker score: 5.8
- 12th overall pick in 2011
- Played eight seasons with Utah Jazz
- Career averages: 10.8 PTS, 3.5 REB, 2.0 AST
- Advanced statistics: 28.6 win shares, -0.4 box plus/minus, 6.2 VORP
#20. Greg Ostertag
- Stacker score: 6.1
- 28th overall pick in 1995
- Played 10 seasons with Utah Jazz
- Career averages: 4.6 PTS, 5.5 REB, 0.6 AST
- Advanced statistics: 33.8 win shares, -0.6 box plus/minus, 5.1 VORP
#19. Danny Schayes
- Stacker score: 6.2
- 13th overall pick in 1981
- Played two seasons with Utah Jazz
- Career averages: 7.7 PTS, 5.0 REB, 1.1 AST
- Advanced statistics: 48.8 win shares, -2.0 box plus/minus, -0.1 VORP
#18. C.J. Miles
- Stacker score: 6.2
- 34th overall pick in 2005
- Played seven seasons with Utah Jazz
- Career averages: 9.6 PTS, 2.4 REB, 1.1 AST
- Advanced statistics: 30.1 win shares, -0.4 box plus/minus, 6.9 VORP
#17. Eric Murdock
- Stacker score: 7.5
- 21st overall pick in 1991
- Played one season with Utah Jazz
- Career averages: 10.1 PTS, 2.5 REB, 4.9 AST
- Advanced statistics: 25.6 win shares, 2.0 box plus/minus, 12.1 VORP
#16. Ronnie Brewer
- Stacker score: 7.6
- 14th overall pick in 2006
- Played four seasons with Utah Jazz
- Career averages: 7.8 PTS, 2.8 REB, 1.6 AST
- Advanced statistics: 30.4 win shares, 1.6 box plus/minus, 10.6 VORP
#15. Thurl Bailey
- Stacker score: 8.1
- Seventh overall pick in 1983
- Played 10 seasons with Utah Jazz
- Career averages: 12.8 PTS, 5.1 REB, 1.4 AST
- Advanced statistics: 45.0 win shares, -0.9 box plus/minus, 6.9 VORP
#14. Mo Williams
- Stacker score: 8.6
- 47th overall pick in 2003
- Played two seasons with Utah Jazz
- Career averages: 13.2 PTS, 2.8 REB, 4.9 AST
- Advanced statistics: 40.0 win shares, -0.3 box plus/minus, 10.0 VORP
- Accolades
--- 2016 NBA Champ
--- 1x All Star
#13. Enes Kanter
- Stacker score: 9.4
- Third overall pick in 2011
- Played four seasons with Utah Jazz
- Career averages: 11.2 PTS, 7.8 REB, 0.9 AST
- Advanced statistics: 52.8 win shares, -0.1 box plus/minus, 7.6 VORP
#12. Rich Kelley
- Stacker score: 9.8
- Seventh overall pick in 1975
- Played four seasons with New Orleans Jazz and three seasons with Utah Jazz
- Career averages: 7.6 PTS, 7.0 REB, 2.6 AST
- Advanced statistics: 42.5 win shares, 0.8 box plus/minus, 12.6 VORP
#11. Mark Eaton
- Stacker score: 9.8
- 72nd overall pick in 1982
- Played 11 seasons with Utah Jazz
- Career averages: 6.0 PTS, 7.9 REB, 1.0 AST
- Advanced statistics: 44.8 win shares, -0.1 box plus/minus, 11.8 VORP
- Accolades
--- 2x Def. POY
--- 4x BLK Champ
--- 5x All-Defensive
--- 1x All Star
#10. Bryon Russell
- Stacker score: 10.1
- 45th overall pick in 1993
- Played nine seasons with Utah Jazz
- Career averages: 7.9 PTS, 3.5 REB, 1.3 AST
- Advanced statistics: 47.4 win shares, 0.4 box plus/minus, 11.8 VORP
#9. Dell Curry
- Stacker score: 11.2
- 15th overall pick in 1986
- Played one season with Utah Jazz
- Career averages: 11.7 PTS, 2.4 REB, 1.8 AST
- Advanced statistics: 41.5 win shares, 0.9 box plus/minus, 17.1 VORP
#8. Donovan Mitchell
- Stacker score: 12.2
- 13th overall pick in 2017
- Played five seasons with Utah Jazz
- Career averages: 24.6 PTS, 4.2 REB, 4.5 AST
- Advanced statistics: 37.9 win shares, 3.1 box plus/minus, 18.2 VORP
- Hall of Fame probability: 6.6%
- Accolades
--- 2022-23 All-NBA
--- 4x All Star
#7. Gordon Hayward
- Stacker score: 16.0
- Ninth overall pick in 2010
- Played seven seasons with Utah Jazz
- Career averages: 15.5 PTS, 4.5 REB, 3.5 AST
- Advanced statistics: 62.0 win shares, 1.8 box plus/minus, 23.1 VORP
- Hall of Fame probability: 0.3%
- Accolades
--- 1x All Star
#6. Deron Williams
- Stacker score: 21.3
- Third overall pick in 2005
- Played six seasons with Utah Jazz
- Career averages: 16.3 PTS, 3.1 REB, 8.1 AST
- Advanced statistics: 77.3 win shares, 1.9 box plus/minus, 28.3 VORP
- Hall of Fame probability: 9.5%
- Accolades
--- 2x All-NBA
--- 3x All Star
#5. Paul Millsap
- Stacker score: 23.5
- 47th overall pick in 2006
- Played seven seasons with Utah Jazz
- Career averages: 13.4 PTS, 7.1 REB, 2.2 AST
- Advanced statistics: 95.4 win shares, 1.9 box plus/minus, 29.9 VORP
- Hall of Fame probability: 5.5%
- Accolades
--- 2015-16 All-Defensive
--- 4x All Star
#4. Andrei Kirilenko
- Stacker score: 24.1
- 24th overall pick in 1999
- Played 10 seasons with Utah Jazz
- Career averages: 11.8 PTS, 5.5 REB, 2.7 AST
- Advanced statistics: 75.4 win shares, 4.9 box plus/minus, 41.7 VORP
- Accolades
--- 2004-05 BLK Champ
--- 3x All-Defensive
--- 1x All Star
#3. Rudy Gobert
- Stacker score: 25.8
- 27th overall pick in 2013
- Played nine seasons with Utah Jazz
- Career averages: 12.5 PTS, 11.6 REB, 1.3 AST
- Advanced statistics: 94.4 win shares, 3.6 box plus/minus, 29.2 VORP
- Hall of Fame probability: 21.6%
- Accolades
--- 3x Def. POY
--- 2021-22 TRB Champ
--- 4x All-NBA
--- 6x All-Defensive
#2. John Stockton
- Stacker score: 80.1
- 16th overall pick in 1984
- Played 19 seasons with Utah Jazz
- Career averages: 13.1 PTS, 2.7 REB, 10.5 AST
- Advanced statistics: 207.7 win shares, 6.8 box plus/minus, 106.5 VORP
- Accolades
--- 9x AST Champ
--- 11x All-NBA
--- 5x All-Defensive
--- Basketball Hall of Fame inductee
#1. Karl Malone
- Stacker score: 80.9
- 13th overall pick in 1985
- Played 18 seasons with Utah Jazz
- Career averages: 25.0 PTS, 10.1 REB, 3.6 AST
- Advanced statistics: 234.6 win shares, 5.1 box plus/minus, 99.0 VORP
- Accolades
--- 2x MVP
--- 14x All-NBA
--- 4x All-Defensive
--- Basketball Hall of Fame inductee
