2023 NBA Mock Draft: Mavericks land difference-maker, Victor Wembanyama heads East

16. Utah Jazz (via Minnesota) take Dariq Whitehead

The Jazz have three first-round picks in the 2023 NBA Draft, and they used the first to select Cam Whitmore. When Danny Ainge was running the Celtics, he drafted both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown along with Marcus Smart to build Boston’s current core. Expect the 64-year-old to try to build another talented wing duo in Salt Lake City.

Whitehead was the number one player in this class coming out of high school and looked like a surefire top-ten pick entering this season, but his lone year at Duke has left scouts scrambling to try to place him on their boards. He averaged just 8.3 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 0.8 steals in 20.6 minutes per game. Whitehead played just 28 games as a fractured foot and a second lower leg injury hampered his playing time and production.

He shot 42.9 percent from 3-point range over 98 attempts this season, and his touch and scoring ability had scouts drooling coming into this year. That stat alone likely keeps Whitehead in the first round, but it feels like he could be selected anywhere on draft night.

The 18-year-old is a 6’7 wing with a 6’9 wingspan who competes hard on the defensive end of the floor. He struggled during his lone college season, and it is difficult to project how his game will translate to the next level. The Jazz feel like the perfect team to take a flier and hope that he can regain his high school form.