A shooting guard who may or may not be able to shoot.

Quite similar in effect, if not in form, to the old shooting guards already on the club.

"Is he going to be noted as a shooter?" asked Jazz VP Kevin O'Connor, after the deed had been done. "No. Is he going to be noted as an athlete and, hopefully, a very good basketball player? Yes."

With their first pick, the 14th overall, the Jazz took Ronnie Brewer, the son of a former pro, who played his college ball at Arkansas. The 6-foot-7 guard impressed them via his ability to run and jump and play multiple positions. O'Connor said that athleticism and versatility could eventually stretch Brewer's usefulness for the Jazz across three positions: point guard, shooting guard, and small forward.

"He could be in the top 15 percent of athletes in the NBA," O'Connor said. "It gives us somebody who will finish way above the rim on the break. . . . He handles the ball well enough. . . . He's a kid who understands how important it is to win."

Check. Check. Check. And check.

But can the shooting guard shoot?

"His game is built on athleticism," O'Connor said.

The story goes that Brewer broke his arm as a child and, ever since, cannot fully extend it when he shoots, and that hampers his accuracy.

Said O'Connor: "His release is pretty good."

The reason any of this matters is the significant fact that the Jazz's primary need heading into the draft was and is . . .

Shooting.

This past season, they hoisted outside shots with all the touch of lumber workers chucking logs in a river. In a layup-based offense, their overall shooting percentage was 44 percent. They shot 33 percent from behind the arc.

Those numbers are almost eerie because they reflect the same percentages put up this past season by Brewer at Arkansas: 44 and 33.

Bottom line is this: The Jazz's comprehensive needs before the draft, besides their greatest need - outside scoring, were interior defense and quickness on the perimeter. Due, in part, to their structured inside-out defensive scheme and, in part, to their lack of on-the-ball athleticism, the Jazz struggled defending perimeter shots and, at times, were devastated by that short-coming. They yielded nearly 38-percent efficiency to opponents on three-point shooting. It cost them more than a handful of games.

Did they fix any of those holes with Brewer?

Maybe.

The athleticism has already been addressed. Scouting reports say Brewer makes good decisions, can handle the ball, has long arms, and could be a good defender at the pro level, if he fully utilizes his physical tools and picks up his defensive intensity.

Cue Jerry Sloan, who on the phone told the kid to get his butt in shape for training camp.

Are the Jazz better today than they were yesterday?

They're more athletic.

For them, that, apparently, was either enough or all that was left.

gmonson@sltrib.com