With another NBA season approaching, and with the Utah Jazz coming off a surprising season, what can be expected from a team in a league that’s been overrun by super-teams and rising stars? In the perspective of many fans, things are looking up. The darkest days may be over for the Jazz.
The Jazz surpassed all expectations with how they played last season, earning a 37-45 record. Unknowing people would see that record as a disappointment, but there’s much more to this record than meets the eye. The Jazz had just traded a large portion of their team, including two-star players in the offseason, for young players and a treasure trove of future draft picks. So once the season began, the Jazz had a completely new look. The team had close to no time to build chemistry before the season started, except that the Jazz looked like they could be contenders for a playoff spot once the season began.
The revised jazz team started off with a 10-3 record, leading the league and shocking everybody in it. As the season progressed the team began to cool off, but still surpassed expectations, as some news outlets were predicting the Jazz to win around only 23 games.
Another big surprise for the Jazz last season were the player performances, particularly from first-year All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen. Averaging career highs in points (25.6), and rebounds (8.6) per game, he was awarded the NBA’s Most Improved Player award, and he shows no signs of slowing down coming into this season. Other players had improved as well, such as guard Jordan Clarkson, who averaged a career high in points (20.8) last season as he took on starter responsibilities instead of coming off the bench as the 6th man.
A deciding factor on the jazz’s success this season depends on the performances of their big new team additions: veteran forward John Collins, as well as rookie additions; guard Keyonte George, and forwards Taylor Hendricks and Brice Sensabaugh.
A deciding factor on the jazz’s success this season depends on the performances of their big new team additions: veteran forward John Collin.
Collins is a very intriguing piece for this jazz squad due to his potential greatness. Four seasons ago, Collins was a 20+ point per game scorer and snagged 10+ rebounds a game as well. He suffered an injury that cascaded his career into lower shooting percentages, and the role that Collins had on his previous team had diminished every year after that. A change of scenery can help boost players’ careers, a prime example being the Jazz’s own Lauri Markkanen, who, after being traded to Utah, went from a fringe-starting three-point sniper to an elite three-level scorer. The hope is that Collins can get back to the player that he once was.
The three rookies that Utah drafted in last summer’s NBA draft all have shown promise in the glimpses of NBA action they’ve seen. Ben Anderson, KSL Sports, spoke on the NBA readiness that George has shown. “He’s a talented off-the-dribble shooter who has the ability to knock down looks from three and in the mid-range,” Anderson said. George has shown his potential to be an explosive guard for the Jazz, averaging 18.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.3 steals during the NBA summer league.
Hendricks has presented potential in the limited minutes fans have seen him play. The forward position is a strength of the Jazz, with players like Markkanen, Collins, and Kelly Olynyk already expected to take up most of the playing time, so Hendricks will likely spend some time with the Jazz’s G-League team. Will Hardy; Utah Jazz Head Coach, finds it more important to give players time to develop, instead of playing them when they aren’t ready. He explains, “I want to create an environment where people work for it and it’s not just handed to you. Like, ‘Oh, you’re a high draft pick and so you just get to have the ball the whole time.” In Hendricks’ situation, he will need to prove that he was worth being drafted 9th overall by Utah. Spending some time in the G-League will be a great opportunity for him to grow, and be ready when he gets called to action in an NBA game.
![Jazz logo art by Carson Stoughton and Franklin Monson](https://weberwarriornews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/JazzLogo-300x274.jpg)
The same goes for Sensibaugh, the third rookie. Fans haven’t gotten much action from him and he is coming off an injury, so the G-League is most likely going to be where he sees his playing time for now.
Other Jazz players are expected to improve going into the season. Center Walker Kessler came off a great rookie season, placing third in Rookie of the Year voting. Along with natural progression, Kessler also played for Team USA in the FIBA World Cup being surrounded by some of the top stars in the NBA, giving him experience and helping him grow as a player. A site, Salt City Hoops, talked about how Kessler’s offseason work could mean great things as a jazz man. “The summer has already been successful for Kess as it’s been reported that he has been getting bigger and stronger, even adding 15 pounds to his large frame. He’s also reportedly been working on his deep shot, as Hardy says the big man can shoot a few this upcoming season.” As a second-year player that has already solidified himself as one of the best shot-blockers in the league, adding outside shooting to his skillset is a sure win.
More players are expected to play a contributing role on our teams, such as guards Collin Sexton, Talen Horton-Tucker, Kris Dunn, as well as forwards Ochai Agbaji and Ömer Yurtseven all seeming ready to step up to the plate and play some competitive basketball this year.
During the offseason most teams lose a player or two that are good contributors to the team, or had a great relationship with the fanbase. That was not the case for Utah this summer, where the only players that are not returning to the team were slim contributors or players that rode the bench all season. As other teams were losing some talent over the summer, the Jazz were only getting better.
Is the Utah Jazz ready to compete for a Championship? Not yet, but as the super-teams get older and begin to fade away, the constantly improving jazz team will be there to take their place when the time comes. This Jazz season will make for a very entertaining one, and it will show NBA fans that rebuilding teams can be just as fun to watch as the contending ones.