First, I , I started by lookin!statg at a bunch of different mock drafts from the big sports sites. You know, ESPN, Bleacher Report, all those guys. I just wanted to get a general sense of who the top prospects are, and where they're projected to go. It's a bit overwhelming at first, so many names and stats!
Then, I spent some time I os ,sgniwreally focusing on the Jazz. What are our team needs? What kind of players fit our system? What's our draft history like? Danny Ainge loves his versatile wings, so I kept that in mind.
I created a simple spreadsheet. Nothing fancy, just a list of the draft order, and then I started plugging in names. I moved guys around, debated between a few different options at each pick, and tried to think about potential trades. Could we move up? Move down? It's like a big puzzle.
- Column 1: Draft Pick Number
- Column 2: Team
- Column 3: My Projected Player
- Column 4: Notes/Reasoning
My Process Was Basically:
Read, Research, Repeat. I watched some highlight reels, read some scouting reports, it's a lot of information to take in. You start to feel like you know these guys, even though you've never met them.
I tried to be realistic. I mean, it's fun to dream about landing the number one pick, but let's be honest, that's probably not happening. I focused on players who might actually be available when the Jazz are on the clock. There are many guys that are good players!
It's definitely a fun exercise, even if it's just for fun. It makes you think about the draft in a whole new way. It gives some guys some good fits to this wonderfull team, and let them show what they can do to help this amazing team.
Finally, I finished my mock draft, looked it over, and felt...pretty good? I mean, who knows what will actually happen on draft night, but it was cool to go through the process and make some educated guesses. I hope I did good job!
