With three first-round picks in hand this summer, the Utah Jazz will have a bunch of players in for predraft workouts over the coming weeks.
And now we know two of them: Illinois State wing Seneca Knight (who spent the 2021-22 season with BYU), and North Carolina State guard Jarkel Joiner.
Agent Kevin Martin of JCK Sports Group confirmed to The Salt Lake Tribune that Knight and Joiner will work out for the Jazz on Thursday.
Knight is a 6-foot-7, 215-pounder who began his collegiate career at San Jose State (where he averaged 17.1 points and 5.7 rebounds as a sophomore), then transferred to BYU following the COVID-interrupted 2020-21 season, and after a season with the Cougars, wrapped up his career with Illinois State.
As a senior, he averaged 12.3 points and 5.9 rebounds, and bumped his 3-point shooting all the way up from high-20s/low-30s to 39.6% on 3.0 attempts per game.
Illinois State guard Seneca Knight (3) shoots over Ball State forward Mickey Pearson Jr. (3) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Indianapolis, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
In a recent interview with USA Today’s Rookie Wire, Knight said he never wanted to leave BYU, but that coach Mark Pope had communicated his intention to give more time to younger players ahead of the Cougars’ coming inclusion in the Big 12 conference, and that the coach helped him find a landing spot.
He did credit his time with the Cougars for making him more versatile, believing he can adequately play everything from point guard to power forward.
He’s also had workouts for the Hornets, Thunder, Mavericks, and Kings, and has another with the Lakers scheduled.
“I go out there and I’m one of the best all-around players in the draft,” he told Rookie Wire. “I feel like a lot of my life has been under the radar and I never really got the exposure. I’m just trying to go out there, put my best foot forward, play hard and just show I’m a competitor along with being a good ball player.”
North Carolina State guard Jarkel Joiner (1) loses the ball as he drives against Clemson's Ian Schieffelin, top left, Ben Middlebrooks (10) and Dillon Hunter (2) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game at the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament in Greensboro, N.C., Thursday, March 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
As for Joiner, the 24-year-old played five seasons of college ball, and also sat out a year as a transfer — he began at Cal State Bakersfield, where he played two seasons, then followed that up with two seasons at Mississippi, before wrapping his collegiate career with NC State.
The 6-1/180-pounder averaged 17.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.6 assists (vs. just 1.4 turnovers) for the Wolfpack, while shooting 35.4% from deep on 5.1 attempts per game.
Both players are currently projected to be either late-second round picks/or undrafted rookie free agents.
