Utah is never going to be a premier free agency destination for NBA players. It's been a consistent trend with the Utah Jazz since the early days of the Mountain-cradled franchise, and it shows no sign of changing in the immediate future despite the market's booming NHL magnetism. For a market like Utah, building through the draft is a critical step in establishing a contender.

Thankfully, the Jazz's draft yield has been remarkable in the few short years they spent tanking for odds.

Keyonte George and Brice Sensabaugh have grown into reliable and talented NBA players since being selected in the 2023 class -- the first year of Utah's post Mitchell-Gobert rebuild. But I want to talk about the crop of 2024, a year described by many as perhaps the worst draft class ever compiled, yet a year that the Utah Jazz managed to emerge from as major winners.

I have to mention the elephant in the room before addressing the Jazz's success in '24. Cody Williams was drafted 10th overall with the intention of being a project player first and foremost. Though he was a McDonald's All-American and led a very good Colorado team with 40% three-point shooting and excellent defense, Williams hasn't quite managed to size up to the NBA level.

This could all change this year, however, after he grew into a valuable off-ball slasher for the Jazz in expanded minutes as a sophomore. Still, he's a string bean, and an often uncoordinated one at that. He won't develop into a unicorn, unfortunately, but he's a serviceable bench producer, and still has room to grow.

The Jazz could have drafted: Matas Buzelis, Bub Carrington, Kel'el Ware, Jared McCain

After the 10th pick, Utah didn't pick again until the 29th pick, where they managed to snag Isaiah Collier, the number-one player in his high school class and an immensely underrated draft prospect who had slid from a late lottery projection to nearly falling from the first round entirely.

Collier was 8th in the NBA in assists per game last season, despite coming off the bench for Will Hardy. Though his jump shot leaves plenty to be desired, Collier is one of the best second-unit point guards in the league and a more than worthy pick at 29.

Speaking of players who fell in the order, Kyle Filipowski shockingly fell all the way to the early second round, where Utah wasted no time selecting the Duke veteran and former lottery projection.

Flip does a bit of everything for Utah, so long as that everything is on the offensive end. He struggles to match the size and strength of the NBA's better centers, but it's not uncommon to see Filipowski fill up the score sheet for 20 points and 10 rebounds, plus a smattering of assists to boot.

I like their late draft return compared to the rest of the draft class.

The Jazz could have drafted: Ajay Mitchell, Adem Bona, Jaylen Wells

Considering how poorly this draft is viewed now by the basketball-enjoying public, it's remarkable how the Jazz were able to draw such production in the deeper crevices of the order.