Utah Jazz Take Different Direction in 2024 NBA Re-Draft

Yes, it's far too early to write off a raw, developing wing talent like Williams just one year in, but with hindsight 20/20, it makes you wonder who the Jazz would have ended up taking if they knew just how each of last year's rookie talents had ended up panning out for their first year pro.

The Athletic's Sam Vecenie recently put together a 2024 NBA re-draft to stack up who the top picks in the draft would be knowing the information we do now, and for the 10th-overall pick, those honors didn't go to Williams. Instead Miami Heat big man Kel'el Ware is seen as the ideal selection.

"Over his final 42 games last year, Ware averaged 11.1 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks while shooting 54.4 percent from the field and making a 3 every other game," Vecenie wrote. "Few bigs can sky out of ball screens higher and quicker than Ware can if he can slip and get downhill. He’s a serious threat to throw down massive lob dunks at any point, and he moves like a wing despite being 7 feet with a 7-foot-5 wingspan."

"The Heat were excellent defensively when both Ware and Bam Adebayo were on the court, posting a 110.5 defensive rating, and his ability to act as a deterrent inside certainly opens up lineup constructions that allow the Heat to be great on defense... Additionally, while part of the appeal of Ware is certainly that ability to leave a screen early and slip to the rim to beat a help defender to a lob, he needs to keep working on his overall screening ability."

Ware has certainly made his presence felt in the Heat's frontcourt just one year deep into his career, and has made his fit work at the next level alongside another strong defensive center in Miami's rotation in Bam Adebayo. Ware has proven to play the five, shift over to the four to play with Adebayo, and in turn, makes him a fascinating hypothetical fit next to the Jazz's own big man in Walker Kessler.

Especially with the calamities the Jazz had faced last season on the defensive end, being the league's worst-ranked unit for the second year in a row, a defensive-minded, versatile big man looks the part as a stellar fir in this young core in Utah. Though, at the time, Ware didn't seem to get many looks within the top ten, and particularly for the Jazz, who wound up with Williams in the end.

Thankfully, for the Jazz, Williams has shown positive strides this offseason into having a much better year two than his rookie campaign. He had a handful of strong games during the Las Vegas Summer League showing another layer of aggressiveness and scoring prowess, and has definitely made a few notable physical changes to his body that has the chance to translate well on both ends.

Ware may not be the one landing in Utah, even with an eye-catching hypothetical fit, but Williams, and the rest of the names picked up last summer by the Jazz still have clear upside to bank on across the next few seasons that makes them exciting cases to watch before the 2025-26 campaign.

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