Andrew Schlecht

Okay.

Now they listen, don't get me wrong.

They need it.

They clearly want it.

But with the triple J trade, the emergence of Keontae George, I feel way better about this jazz team going into next season than I did in the preseason.

They've put themselves in a position to weather the storm.

If the worst happens on lottery night, a lot better than these teams ahead of them.

So yes, they need it, but they've got a plan regardless.

Big tune change.

For instance, compared to my number six team, this might be a surprise, Memphis.

I struggled with where to put them the most out of any team because they've generally done well with drafting regardless of where they land.

I would totally understand the argument.

They don't need it as bad as some of these other teams.

But I think our memory of this team being a consistently good Western Conference team is so fresh in our minds that it's easy to overlook just how much this roster has changed.

And when you really look at this roster, unless you believe in some kind of jaw resurgence next season, they need this pick to hit in a big way.

They're so much further away compared to Utah, in my opinion.

Like a core of Triple J, Markkanen, and Keontae George, I just feel so much better about that compared to what Memphis has right now.

And so I thought to rank them ahead of Utah in terms of need.

Now we're in the top five.

Chicago.