Jazz select Tony Bradley with No. 28 pick after trade with Lakers

With the 28th overall pick in Thursday's NBA draft, the Utah Jazz selected North Carolina forward Tony Bradley.

The team reportedly moved up in the draft following a trade with the Los Angeles Lakers, having sent back picks No. 30 and 42.

Despite playing just 14.6 minutes per contest for the national champion Tar Heels, Bradley did enough to receive a first-round grade from most teams and remained in the NBA draft. He averaged 7.1 points and 5.1 rebounds in that time span, establishing himself as an efficient threat during his first season of college basketball.

Bradley is certainly not going to contribute much at the professional level next season, but his size makes him a worthwhile gamble in the first round. At 6-foot-10 with a 7-foot-4 wingspan, Bradley is very difficult to guard in the paint and can finish well with both hands. For such a young player he shows great basketball IQ, something he likely honed under Roy Williams' watch at North Carolina.

While he has exceptional length, Bradley registers as an average athlete at best. His shooting range doesn't extend very far currently, and he will have to improve on that greatly in order to contribute at the power forward position. He often got by in college by being larger than his opponent, something he can't rely on in the NBA. He's worth a gamble due to his upside, but is years away from playing serious minutes at the professional level.