2014 NBA Mock Draft: An in-depth look at both rounds
By Joe Nardone
Mandatory Credit: Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports
23. Utah Jazz – Jarnell Stokes, PF, Tennessee
H: 6′ 8″ W: 263 lbs DOB: 01/07/1994
2013-14 NCAA (35 GP) 15.0 PPG 10.5 RPG 2.0 APG 27.5 PER
I really want to slot Clint Capella in here, as Joe mentioned we’re going to start to see a lot of the International players start to go mid-late first round, but with the Jazz taking on so many project bigs over the past few years I think they’ll go with the close to finished product in Jarnell Stokes.
At 6’8, and around 260lbs Stokes makes up for everything he lacks in height and ability with grit and hustle, and is one of the best rebounders in this draft due to his lower body strength and knack for winning positioning battles. Stokes was third in the nation in offensive rebounds per game (4.3) this past season, and is ranked as Draft Express’s #1 offensive rebounder when taking pace into consideration.
Considering that Utah was one of the worst shooting teams in the league this past season, they could use as much help around the glass as possible, and Stokes will give whatever team that selects him plenty of that. — Jared