For most people familiar with the Utah Jazz, the answer to who the Jazz will select with the No. 2 overall pick comes down to whoever the Washington Wizards don’t select: AJ Dybantsa or Darryn Peterson.
But one prominent NBA media figure seems dead set in his stance that the Jazz will select Duke big man Cameron Boozer. For Bill Simmons, it’s not if the Jazz take Boozer, it’s when.
“I would bet anything AJ (Dybantsa) is the first pick… and I think Boozer goes two,” Simmons said on “The Bill Simmons Podcast” on Saturday night.
This wasn’t the first time that Simmons expressed his confidence in the Jazz selecting Boozer. On a June 8 episode of his podcast, Simmons expressed his hunch that Boozer would end up in Utah.
“I think Danny (Ainge) is such a wildcard at second,” Simmons said. “He did it with (Jayson) Tatum, he did it with (Jaylen) Brown, he did it when he was going to take Durant, he over and over again looks at the high end talent guys and is able to project them. You would think it’s going to happen with Peterson, but I think there’s too many red flags. I think he’s going to stay away from Peterson. I could see him taking Boozer at two. That would be my minus-130 bet right now. I might be wrong, but I really think they’re gonna take Boozer, I do. I can’t explain it.”
Later on, Simmons explained that the Jazz’s front office knows the families of Dybantsa and Boozer incredibly well, know that the two like playing in Utah — something that should never be taken for granted — and that Peterson is too much of a wildcard to take a swing on.
J. Kyle Mann, an NBA draft analyst for The Ringer who was Simmons’ guest on the June 8 episode did not echo this sentiment.
“I think the Jazz will take Peterson. I’ve heard they like Peterson, I’ve heard Danny likes Peterson,” Mann said.
Boozer was the national player of the year in his lone collegiate season at Duke, averaging an insane freshman stat line of 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. Boozer’s high IQ and rebounding are two of his biggest strengths, while his defense and perceived lower athletic ability leave some teams hesitant on drafting the former Blue Devil.
The NBA Draft will be held on June 23 at 8 ET in Brooklyn, N.Y.
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