Elijah Hughes is officially headed to the NBA! Hughes was selected 39th overall by the Pelicans, then traded to the Jazz. He becomes the 46th Syracuse player drafted with Jim Boeheim at the helm.
The 6-foot-6 wing heads to Salt Lake City, where he’ll join a Utah team looking to compete for a playoff spot next year. Hughes will suit up with former Louisville star Donovan Mitchell and and two-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert, and will be coached by former Duke hooper Quin Snyder.
The Jazz went 44-28 last year, finishing sixth in the Western Conference. Utah bowed out of the playoffs in the first round, losing to the Nuggets in seven games.
Hughes most likely will be a bench player, but has an opportunity to be a fourth scoring option for the Jazz behind Mitchell, Gobert, and point guard Mike Conley Jr. Utah’s sixth man in 2019 Jordan Clarkson is a free agent, and could ask more than the Jazz can afford.
