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Draft preview: Jazz have position of strength in No. 12

Trey Lyles will provide valuable depth to the Jazz's frontcourt next season. Mark Zerof/USA TODAY Sports

Utah finds itself in an advantageous spot with the No. 12 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft primarily because the club is already loaded with players it likes at all five positions.

So as ESPN insider Chad Ford points out in his latest mock draftInsider, the Jazz are one of just a handful of teams capable of simply taking the best player that falls to them.

Ideally, that player would come in and contribute right away. Perhaps that’s what Ford envisions when he projects the Jazz to opt for Kentucky power forward Trey Lyles with the 12th pick.

Draft analysts project a few big men to be available when Utah makes its pick, among them a cluster of talented players such as Frank Kaminsky, Myles Turner and Kevon Looney, a power forward out of UCLA. Sam Dekker could also draw heavy consideration from the Jazz, as well as guards such as Devin Booker and Notre Dame’s Jerian Grant.