NY Knicks: Ranking Walt Perrin, Utah Jazz Top 10 draft picks

With Walt Perrin set to join the New York Knicks front office, let’s review the Top 10 Utah Jazz draft picks during his tenure with the organization.

While COVID-19 has shut down NBA basketball games, the New York Knicks continued to work behind the scenes to shape their front office. On Monday, the Knicks reportedly hired Utah Jazz VP of Player Personnel Walt Perrin to be their new assistant GM and head of college scouting. Perrin spent nearly 20 years with the Utah Jazz, overseeing their draft process, from organizing workouts to advanced scouting.

During Perrin’s time in Utah, the Jazz have resembled a sound organization, from player development to playoff appearances. The Jazz made the playoffs 10 of those 20 seasons. They truly bottomed out – i.e. more than 6 games under 500 – for two of the remaining ten seasons. Due to the competitive nature of the Western Conference, the Jazz even had three seasons where the team didn’t make the playoffs with a .500 or better record.

In other words, due to the Jazz’ success, they have often drafted players outside of the lottery in the mid-to-late slots of the first round. Drafting mid-to-late round picks requires a deft understanding of scouting and networking with players and agents. It’s not uncommon to see lottery picks drop down past the early first round due to a multitude of factors. The skillset Perrin possesses reinforces these traits.

The Jazz have had several successful draft picks during the 20 year stretch Perrin spent in the organization as an integral part of their drafting process.

The purpose of this article is to list out the top 10 draft picks during his tenure, both from a talent and value perspective. While Perrin was not solely responsible for all of these draft selections, his input was key in making the choices, and the Jazz draft record provides insight into his scouting record.