NBA Draft 2016: Utah Jazz Select Joel Bolomboy with 52nd pick

Weber State's Joel Bolomboy will stay in Utah to start his professional career. He was selected by the Jazz with the 52nd pick in Thursday night's NBA Draft.

Bolomboy used a solid senior season for the Wildcats to jump into the draft conversation. He finished the regular season third in the country in rebounds per game -- a hallmark of his game throughout his college career -- and secured his second Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year award this past season.

Bolomboy really stepped up the offensive portion of his game this last year as well. He averaged over 17 points per game as a senior, easily eclipsing his 13.3 point per game mark as a junior. Bolomboy also improved his shot by 10 points as a senior over his junior year performance, finishing the season shooting 57.3 percent from the field. The improved offensive game gained Bolomboy the honor of Big Sky Most Valuable Player and certainly caught the eyes of NBA scouts.

Despite the improved offensive game in his senior campaign, Bolomboy will likely need to carve out a defensive and rebounding role with his new team. Bolomboy was able to use his size to over-match opponents at the collegiate level. This will be more of a struggle against some of the larger and more experienced athletes in the NBA. It will be a challenge, but Bolomboy could make the most of his professional opportunity by establishing himself in a specialist role.