NBA Draft 2020: Mock Draft 7.0 (Who Teams Should Pick)

The Jazz shouldn’t give up on the Donovan Mitchell-Rudy Gobert pairing for the sake of change. With Mike Conley on the last legs of his career, point guard is the most pressing area of need. Grooming his replacement is smart, and Nico Mannion makes a fine candidate.

Once considered a potential top-five pick, Mannion possesses plenty of natural talent. He’s a limited athlete, but an elite feel for the game could help Mannion survive the transition to a more athletic brand of basketball in the NBA. He sees the floor as well as anyone in this class, and his unselfish brand of playmaking would surely benefit the Jazz offense.

Whether Mannion can truly elevate to the level of starting point guard is a valid question. He will need to become a better finisher at the rim, and he will need to better prove his mettle on defense. But with the pressure Donovan Mitchell puts on defenses, on top of Gobert’s value as a vertical spacer, it’s not hard to envision Mannion finding a comfortable home in Utah.