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The Utah Jazz waited long into the night on Thursday as the front office waited until the second round to make a pick in the NBA draft.
In the end, however, nobody can say the first of the three picks is not an interesting one.
The Jazz drafted former Weber State star Joel Bolomboy, ending his slide and adding intrigue to an otherwise arduous evening.
"Great person, and deserves this opportunity," Portland Trail Blazers star and former Weber State star Damian Lillard said via Twitter. "Really happy for him and his family."
Bolomboy, a 6-foot-10 power forward, is one of the most athletic big men in the draft, a very good defender and a great finisher around the rim. He played four years with the Wildcats, leading Weber State to the Big Sky Conference championship and an NCAA Tournament berth.
Bolomboy averaged 17 points and 12 rebounds per game for Weber State. He finished his career as the rebounding leader at Weber State and the Big Sky. He was the league's player of the year, and he set the single season rebounding record as a senior.
We're very excited for a number of reasons," Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey said. "Character, how great of a job Weber State does developing guys, athleticism — you guys saw his physical testing [at the pre-draft combine]. He has the ability to move laterally, to run and jump, he has tools to work with. We look forward to bringing him in and letting Quin and the coaches get to work."
Bolomboy fits in with the Jazz as an energy big man off the bench, because Utah stands a decent chance at losing veteran Trevor Booker to free agency. If that happens — the Jazz would like rising second year forward Trey Lyles to be the first big man off the bench — there could be minutes for Bolomboy in the rotation as a fourth big man.
Either way, the Jazz can use someone like Bolomboy, who has both height for his position and the athleticism to play at power forward and center. He interviewed with the Jazz at the combine, but the franchise couldn't get him in for a pre-draft workout.
"He's really excited to get started and we're really excited for him," Bolomboy's agent Mark Bartelstein told The Salt Lake Tribune after the draft. "The direction the Jazz are going with the way they are drafting athleticism, we just really think it's a good fit. We're happy for him."
The remainder of the draft yielded surprises. At No. 55, the Jazz drafted Marcus Paige, out of North Carolina. With the final pick of the night, No. 60, the organization selected Tyrone Wallace, out of California.
Both are solid NBA prospects. Both are point guards. All of which means the Jazz currently have seven on the roster, a logjam that will obviously need to be alleviated at some point this summer.
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