SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Jazz hoped one of them would be available. They certainly didn't expect the other to be available. Combined, the Jazz had one of the best first-round drafts in the NBA.

Utah used its No. 10 lottery pick to select Colorado forward Cody Williams, one of the players in Wednesday's draft who still has a lot of potential. The Jazz used their second first-round pick to select USC point guard Isaiah Collier, who was once considered a lottery pick. And while his value dropped as the draft went on, he was still expected to go somewhere in the top 20.

As the Jazz go through their current rebuild, the draft has been a key tool they have used. In the coming days, Utah will likely look for ways to improve a roster that finished at the bottom of the Western Conference. But the draft is the only thing the Jazz have control over, and on Wednesday, Utah came away with as good a draft as it could have hoped for on paper.

We'll explore why that is below, and provide a prediction for Thursday afternoon's second round, with Utah at the top of the pack. How does this all fit together if the Jazz are throwing away young talent? And what does Utah do next?

Divine intervention?

If the Jazz had somehow gotten lucky and won the lottery, Williams would have been firmly in the running for the No. 1 pick. Ultimately, he might or even probably wouldn't have gotten the nod. But the fact that he would have been considered should tell you how interested the Jazz were in the small forward. They did a lot of homework on him before the draft. They interviewed him at the NBA draft combine. They invited him to a private workout. Jazz general manager Justin Zanik and head coach Will Hardy invited him to dinner.

In addition to the physical talent and upside, the Jazz were also impressed with Williams' maturity. These were some of the reasons Williams shot to the top of Utah's draft list. The Jazz went into the draft with the assumption that they might have to move up to recruit him. As it turns out, they didn't have to go anywhere.

A few things led to them making their preferred pick. The Detroit Pistons selected athletic small forward Ron Holland with the No. 5 pick, pushing UConn center Donovan Clingan further back. At No. 8, the Minnesota Timberwolves jumped into the top 10 to take Kentucky point guard Rob Dillingham. When that happened, the Memphis Grizzlies grabbed Purdue big man Zach Edey with the ninth pick.

“When we spoke on Monday, I said this draft was going to be unpredictable,” Zanik said. “There were a number of things and a number of scenarios. We tried to prepare as much as we could before the draft in terms of our models and the players we projected. We got quite a few calls to trade up or down. But our models told us to stay, and we're thrilled with how the draft went.”

The Jazz know they have a lot of work to do with Williams. He still needs to build a lot more strength. Williams needs to learn to be more assertive on the field. But when you look at the 6-foot-8, the length and the skill, it's easy to see why the Jazz and others were intrigued.

To quote Cody Williams: “Look good, feel good” 💜🎵 pic.twitter.com/k7Pny96uL7

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) 27 June 2024

The hope is that Williams' development will be similar, or at least similar, to that of his older brother Jalen Williams, who has established himself as a star with the Oklahoma City Thunder. As far as fit goes, the Jazz are a great fit for Williams. Utah doesn't have a natural small forward on its roster, which means the Jazz have exactly one natural small forward on the roster in Williams. Additionally, Williams is a good shooter, he can make good plays off the dribble, and he can pass and defend.

Jazz managers Danny Ainge and Zanik have long had size and length in mind. Williams needs to work on size and strength. But length and athleticism both meet the Jazz's needs.

“He's a true wing player with NBA speed, talent and skill,” Zanik said Wednesday night. “He's very young and needs to work on his body. But he's very mature for his age. You can see his athletic talent and ability very easily.”

What we know

Collier has weaknesses in his game.

He doesn't play without the basketball in his hands and doesn't move without the ball. He should be a better defender considering his size, strength and athleticism. His jump shot is patchy. He has had problems with turnovers in the past.

But he is a dynamic talent. He and Rob Dillingham are probably the two best guards in the draft when it comes to getting downhill off the dribble. He is an excellent passer. Collier thrives off the dribble in the zone and creates significant pressure on opposing defenses. He is an excellent competitor who doesn't give in to his opponents, and frankly, the Jazz need more of that.

The mistakes are numerous, and how Collier overcomes them will determine the course of his NBA career. But there's no way a player of his talent should have been picked 29th. The Jazz figuratively sprinted to the podium to get him, flaws and all. Collier will likely become Utah's best and most dynamic passer right away, which could be an indictment of the roster in its current form.

It's safe to assume that the Jazz will continue to try to bolster the roster through free agents, simply because the roster can't be comprised solely of young players. And if that happens in the backcourt, it's safe to assume that Collier will spend quite a while either in the G League or in a position where he can learn his craft at the NBA level. But there's no denying that the Jazz were one of the best value picks of the first round.

Collier was arguably the best high school basketball player in the country two years ago. He entered this season as a projected top-10 pick. His fall through the first round was partly self-inflicted, mainly because scouts were a little put off by the weak defense at the start of the college season. And then he got injured. And then USC got into trouble.

But Collier has a chance to thrive in the space the NBA offers. He'll have a chance to prove a lot of people wrong.

“They know how we like to play,” Zanik said. “(Hardy) tells us to move the ball. Isaiah moves the ball, so does Cody. It's important to have two guys who are capable of scoring. They have a physical and game profile that fits the NBA.”

What's next

In the days and weeks leading up to the draft, there was a feeling that Utah did not want to use all three picks, as the Jazz already had three up-and-coming second-year players and the number of young players that could fit on the roster was limited.

But there's so much value and so many good players still available in Thursday's second round that the Jazz are thrilled to use pick No. 32. There's Kyle Filipowski from Duke. There's Tyler Kolek from Marquette. There's Tyler Smith, the G League Ignite big man. There's Johnny Furphy from Kansas. That's four players who had first-round grades and all are still available.

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Utah will still explore transfer scenarios, perhaps consider moving down and securing a few more players, but with so much talent still on the board, the Jazz are happy with their position.

(Photo by Isaiah Collier: Wally Skalij / Getty Images)