Active Jazz Select Azubuike, Hughes After Draft-Day Deals

Udoka was a dominating force for Kansas. (via ESPN)

For the Utah Jazz, the 2020 NBA Draft started hours before the selections began. In the early hours of the morning on Wednesday, the Jazz agreed to send the No. 23 pick¹ to the New York Knicks in exchange for the No. 27 and No. 38 selections. 

This instantly fueled speculation as to why the Jazz were willing to part with the No. 23 pick. The first explanation was that the Jazz felt capable of drafting their interests just a few selections behind at the No. 28 and could add an additional pick in the second round with the No. 38. The second theory is that the Jazz might have had interest in Arizona guard Josh Green, but then realized early on he wouldn’t be available at No. 23. Eventually he wasn’t, as the Dallas Mavericks selected him No. 18 overall.

When it came time to use their No. 27 pick, the Jazz selected center Udoka Azubuike, from the University of Kansas. Azubuike (pronounced you-DOE-kuh az-uh-BOO-kee) is originally from Delta, Nigeria and after playing high school basketball in Jacksonville, Florida, played all four years of his college career at the University of Kansas.

As a Jayhawk, Azubuike was an absolute interior force and strong rim protector. In his senior year, the 270 pound seven-foot center averaged 13.7 points , 10.5 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game and shot 74.8% from the field. His most notable performance was against Texas Christian University where he scored 31 points on 13 of 14 attempts, grabbed 14 rebounds and recorded five blocks.  

If Azubuike can quickly adjust to the NBA game, he should be filling the center position on the second unit. One of the biggest struggles for the Jazz was the amount of points they conceded when Rudy Gobert was on the bench. It’s clear that 2019 signee Ed Davis is not a fit with Utah and the younger Tony Bradley just wasn’t the defensive minded back up the team needed as they absolutely bled points when he was on the floor. Offensively, players like Donovan Mitchell and Joe Ingles should enjoy playing with their new teammate as they will be able to work off of Azubuike’s screens and throw plenty of lobs to the big guy, a seamless transition from when they play with Rudy.

Azubuike will have a huge advantage to begin his career as he learns from one of the best centers in the league. Ironically, both of these players were selected deep in the first round of the NBA draft, and the hopes will be that Azubuike can do his best to mimic the two-time Defensive Player of the Year.

After being drafted Azubuike expressed his excitement in regards to the opportunity to play with Gobert. He mentioned his days at Kansas, how his role was similar to that of Gobert’s and he is excited to learn from him as he begins his career in Utah.

Azubuike: I’m so excited to play alongside Rudy, a defensive specialist — that’s mostly what I did at Kansas. I had a similar role, to affect the game defensively. So I’m excited to learn from him.

— Eric Walden (@tribjazz) November 19, 2020

For fans hoping for the return of Derrick Favors, this may put those hopes to rest as this is a much cheaper option for a backup big and provides an opportunity to develop the young rookie into something great.

As draft night continued, Utah packaged the No. 38 pick with Bradley in a deal with the Detroit Pistons, receiving “future considerations”² and cash. But they weren’t done drafting. Minutes later, they acquired the No. 39 pick from the New Orleans Pelicans in return for a future pick, and used it to select forward Elijiah Hughes from Syracuse University. Hughes is originally from Beacon, New York, and actually began his college career at East Carolina University. After a solid freshman year at East Carolina, Hughes transferred to Syracuse where he would play his Junior and Senior year.

Hughes took a huge leap as he joined the Orange and became a dominant scorer. During his senior year he averaged 19 points per game, 3.4 assists, 4.9 rebounds, shot 34% from three-point range and 42% from the field. His most notable performance was against Georgia Tech where he scored 33 points on 10 of 15 attempts, recorded 4 assists, and hit six threes on the night.

With his ability to create shots for himself and others, Hughes brings some much needed scoring and creativity off the bench for Utah. Production often slows down when the second unit checks in, and Hughes will hopefully be able to provide some consistent bench offense as he is incredibly explosive, can stroke the ball from three, and is capable of slithery finishes against bigger defenders.

With the NBA draft behind them, the Jazz’s attention now turns to free agency. Teams can officially begin negotiating with free agents on on Friday, Nov. 20 at 6 p.m. ET, and sign deals the following Sunday. The Jazz currently have some $111 million committed to eight players with guaranteed contracts, giving them roughly $21 million to spend before they trigger the NBA’s luxury tax. Offloading Bradley helps increase the chances that they can re-sign bench scoer Jordan Clarkson and also use free agent exceptions, such as the $9.3 million “mid-level.” They may no longer be needing the services of former Jazz man Favors, but there are plenty of other interesting free agent targets for a team looking to upgrade the back half of its rotation.