Utah Jazz take a look at SMU’s Semi Ojeleye in pre-draft workout

This summer's pre-draft workout process is more difficult than the past for the Utah Jazz front office.

Utah has two picks late in the first round, Nos. 24 and 30, on June 22. But this summer with Gordon Hayward, George Hill and Joe Ingles as noted free agents, the Jazz face drafting players for a roster that may change dramatically before training camp.

"It can be frustrating," said Walt Perrin, Utah's VP of Player Personnel. "The draft is before free agency. So we don't exactly know what our roster is going to look like."

The Jazz worked out six players on Wednesday under that backdrop, including SMU's Semi Ojeleye, who projects to be available late in the first round when the Jazz have their selections. Ojeleye spent five years in college, and transferred from Duke to SMU in the middle of his career. He's more mature than usual draftees at 22 years old, is fully developed at 6-foot-7 and 241 pounds, and can play both forward positions.

Ojeleye's profile lends itself to someone who can help the Jazz as a complementary player on a full roster. And the later picks of the first round are typically littered with older players ready to help immediately — a prime example is this past season, as the Milwaukee Bucks made the Eastern Conference playoffs thanks to Malcolm Brogdon.

But if Utah's roster changes after free agency, the team may be better served to have drafted someone with more potential upside than Ojeleye.

Perrin said he was impressed with Ojeleye's ability to shoot the ball, and his athleticism.

He's probably best as a stretch power forward, but the Jazz do see him as a guy who can eventually play out on the wing as well.

"He showed better ball-handling than we thought, because he wasn't asked to do as much of that in college," Perrin said. "He shot the ball very well. He had a good workout."

Ojeleye played at Duke for two years, including one season with current Jazz shooting guard Rodney Hood, but then transferred to SMU for a larger role. His college career peaked this season, when he averaged 19 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, was named American Athletic Conference Player of the Year and led SMU to the NCAA Tournament.

"I feel like a lot of guys fall into this range," Ojeleye said. "It's a good spot to be in, and I wanted to be able to impress, because I'm hoping to sneak into the first round. The most important thing, I want to be a rookie that can defend.

"I wanted to shoot it well, and I wanted to show that I can handle the ball, but I didn't want to do anything out of character. I wanted to do what got me into the workout."

tjones@sltrib.com

Twitter: @tribjazz