On Saturday, the Utah Jazz resumed their intensive pre-draft process with another group of prospects looking to take their games to the next level. This particular group was headlined by a pair of big men with first-round potential; namely, Daniel Gafford and Luka Samanic.
While Gafford undoubtedly offers big upside as an athlete and a shot-blocker defensively, Samanic could become the kind of player the Jazz haven’t had but have desperately needed in recent years: a playmaking big man with skills to pay the bills offensively.
When asked what the 6-foot-11, 227-pound Croatian brings to the table, Jazz VP of player personnel Walt Perrin rattled off the following items —
- Pretty good athlete; vertical athlete.