An Extremely Timely Introduction to the New Faces on the Utah Jazz

There are plenty of new faces for Jazz fans to learn, like Sexton’s, Markkanen’s and Hardy’s (Photos via The Salt Lake Tribune)

Hello Utah Jazz fan, enthusiast, and/or basketball masochist! Surely you’ve heard enough by now of Utah’s earth-shattering decision to move on from Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell. Utah acquired a giant bag of draft picks from Minnesota and Cleveland, respectively, but the Jazz also acquired some actual basketball players in these trades (and elsewhere). There will be a wildly different team that takes the floor from last season.

Yeah, I’m curious about what the team will do but it’s a shame both Gobert and Mitchell are gone.

It’s definitely a new, much worse era (for now) for Utah. If you haven’t watched any NBA preseason—and I certainly don’t blame you if you haven’t—you may be a little startled at the sheer number of dudes who you don’t recognize from last year.

Fine, I’ve come to accept that we must start anew. But how many new people are we talking about?

Of the 15 main-roster guys (not counting 2-ways), we have eleven new faces to talk about.

That is way too many! How long are you gonna keep me?

I am mentally and physically incapable of writing short blogs, and the Jazz didn’t do me any favors on this topic. Let’s get right to it then, starting with the best actual player the Jazz received in their offseason overhaul.

Lauri Markkanen, Forward, #23

The Cavaliers had fewer draft picks and raw, young talent to trade for Donovan Mitchell than the Knicks did, so Cleveland had to trade relatively established players Lauri Markkanen and Collin Sexton to the Jazz to help sweeten the deal. Markkanen is still just 25, though, and for the first time in his career projects to have a primary role on a team that isn’t coached by an F-tier coach.

Okay, but is he good?

Kind of, and he might get even better!

Such a ringing endorsement…

He’s still young but has shown real NBA talent so far—there’s lots of room for optimism here. Markkanen has averaged 15.4 points across 29.7 minutes in his career, and has been pretty jerked around as far as role and opportunity. The 6’11” Markkanen and has real range and wide basketball skills for his size. It’s my personal belief that he gets better as more of the offense revolves around him, and that will certainly be the case in Utah. He hasn’t shown any helpful defensive skills, but he definitely gives a shit on that end of the floor. For context we might be more familiar with, he operates as a better, more versatile, taller version of Bojan Bogdanovic. We’re just hoping he can be a lot more, but what he is now is pretty okay.

Markkanen is Finnish and absolutely kicked ass at a competitive EuroBasket tournament this summer—he averaged 27.9/8.1/2.4 in 7 games while serving as Finland’s only real top talent in the tournament.

It will also be interesting to see how much small forward responsibility that new Jazz coach Will Hardy gives to Markkanen, a position he first started playing just last year in Cleveland and didn’t seem horribly miscast.

Wait. New coach? You mean to tell me Quin Snyder is gone too?

It’s an almost entirely new slate for Utah. In his exit interview, Snyder did not do well hiding his exhaustion with running it back with this particular group, and probably has enough clout now to afford skipping a season rather than ram his head against a wall with a fledgling group of youngsters.

Wow, the drama really affected him, too?

Probably, although we’ll never know for sure.

I’m exhausted too. Who’s the new guy?

Will Hardy, Head Coach

Snyder’s departure necessitated the hiring of the 34-year-old Hardy, who I initially lamented. Not because I think he will be a bad coach, but at the time Utah still had Mitchell; I was hopeful in keeping Donovan happy long-term and supported hiring his old friend (and current Knicks assistant) Johnnie Bryant.

Utah likely already knew that it was probably jettisoning Mitchell, went with the long-term play and gave a very rare 5-year contract to a first-time NBA head coach. Hardy now joins the NBA ranks as the youngest head coach in the league, following laudatory stints as an assistant for the Spurs and Celtics. He has no real NBA pedigree (the 6’6” Hardy had a fine career at Division III Williams College in the NESCAC, which is basically full of trust fund kids from Massachusetts and Vermont), and didn’t even have a Wikipedia page when he was hired.

Cool, it sounds like this guy will be terrible.

Maybe, as he’s largely unknown. But he was responsible for coaching Gregg Popovich’s summer league squads and Popovich has been vocal in his praise for Hardy, which carries a lot of weight. He might struggle with “first time NBA coach” things, but, by all accounts, he really understands modern NBA strategy and is good at connecting with professional basketball players. I think it’s fair to have some solid optimism.

I just looked it up, and the nickname for Williams College is the “Ephs.” What the hell is an “Eph?”

It’s short for Ephraim Williams, the founder of the college, and now their mascot is a purple cow.

Um… let’s get back to the new guys.

Collin Sexton, Point Guard/Shooting Guard, #2

Sexton also comes to Utah from Cleveland in the Mitchell trade, and takes the mantle on the 2022-23 Jazz as the player with the best individual NBA skill on the team: efficient volume scoring off the dribble. Sexton missed the vast majority of Cleveland’s surprising run to the playoffs last year after tearing his meniscus. Sexton opted to repair, rather than remove, the meniscus, which bodes well for his longer-term health but generally has a much longer rehabilitation timeline. He has no restrictions heading into the season, but the Jazz probably won’t overtax him since there are plenty of capable ballhandlers.

Wait, you just glided past the “efficient volume scoring” part. That seems really important!

Yes, but it’s just not clear if he can do anything other than that. Think Jordan Clarkson, but a little more efficient and less herky-jerky in his attacking style. He averaged 4.3 assists two seasons ago, but that was across 35 minutes as Cleveland’s only reliable ballhandler (Darius Garland was a bad rookie at the time). Sexton has never shown defensive chops, but the optimist would suggest he’s never had to for garbage Cavaliers teams and trying to shoulder a massive offensive load. At the end of the day, Sexton will be a really fun scorer to watch, and I’m excited to see Clarkson/Sexton go for a combined 80 points from time to time.

Sexton got a new, pretty reasonable contract as part of the sign-and-trade to the Jazz. Both he and Markkanen have solid deals that don’t break the bank, and can look like bargains if they round out their skillsets.

I’ll stay skeptical. What role players did we bring in?

Jarred Vanderbilt, Forward/Small-Ball Center, #8

Vanderbilt has been a favorite of NBA dorks ever since he started his career in 2018 with the Denver Nuggets as a 2nd round pick. He played super sparingly in Denver for nearly two seasons before getting traded to Minnesota in a massive deal, but had exhibited good energy and rebounding skill.

It wasn’t until last year, though, that “Vando” reached a level worthy of consistent playing time. He started most of the season and acted as the Timberwolves’ primary defensive energy guy, averaging 8.4 rebounds in just 25.4 minutes per game and frequently defending opponents’ best wing player. The main issue with Vanderbilt is that he has absolutely zero range—or offensive feel or scoring ability of any kind, really—but he’ll quickly endear himself to Jazz fans with ridiculous hustle and energy. Maybe Utah can draw some more skill out of him along the way.

The Jazz really could have used a guy like that last year.

Extremely agree. Let’s see who else we might keep around for the next couple years.

Kelly Olynyk, Forward/Center, #41

Aside from players brought in from the Gobert/Mitchell trades, the Jazz also sent Bogdanovic to Detroit in a smaller deal. The return was Olynyk, who has been an okay starting-caliber stretch power forward/center in his time with Boston, Houston, and Detroit.

Wait, the guy with ridiculous hair and that wild chin hair? That’s all we got for Bogey?

That’s the one! It’s reasonable for Jazz fans to be upset about Olynyk being the only thing Utah could get for Bogdanovic, as opposed to a first round pick or young talent, but it really jolted me to be more objective as to what Bogey’s real value was. Bogdanovic, 33 years old, is playing out an expiring contract and can’t defend or pass super well. His scoring was good enough for some contending teams to offer a first round pick to the Jazz, but only if Utah acquired him alongside incredibly shitty salary commitments to bad players. And Bogey had to be traded ASAP, because he’ll help the Jazz win too much this year (i.e., Bogey is just not a guy a coaching staff can ‘rest’ without pissing him off).

The better option, in team CEO Danny Ainge’s opinion, was Olynyk, who simply solves the problem the Jazz faced of, “Who the fuck is playing center?”¹ Regardless of how bad a team intends to be, bits of competence throughout the roster serves to not stilt the development of young players. Olynyk has great high-leverage experience with quality Boston and Miami teams, will never pose spacing issues, and will not egregiously mess up offensive or defensive assignments. I’ve also been impressed with Olynyk’s passing in the preseason, a skill he exhibited in his role as Houston’s and Detroit’s only decent player the past two years. He’s a terrible rebounder for his size, but he should be playing alongside Markkanen and/or Vanderbilt at all times.

Olynyk’s issues start and end with just running out of talent to make a winning difference, which is fine for this Jazz squad.

It still feels deflating to see such a great Jazzman like Bogey get traded for really nothing at all.

Let’s then lift the mood by talking about the 2022 first round picks Utah got in the Gobert/Mitchell deals—the first sources of high-end optimism that will hit the floor for the Jazz.

Ochai Agbaji, Shooting Guard/Small Forward, #30

I’ll save the full scouting report on the rookies.

Thanks. This is already entirely too long.

I know. But I do want to give a brief rundown of who these guys are, since their minutes will be the most closely picked apart by Jazz fans. Agbaji, received in the Mitchell trade, was a 4-year college player at Kansas and was named the 2022 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player. Agbaji was drafted 14th overall by Cleveland for his elite-level catch-and-shoot distance shooting and man-on-man defense capabilities. He got by with rudimentary dribbling and playmaking in college that probably won’t immediately translate to the NBA. We will probably not be surprised by any new skills from the 22-year-old.

At the 14th pick, a team can either draft for a deep, raw prospect that could immediately fizzle, or take a player who has obviously translatable NBA skills with limited overall upside. Agbaji is the latter—he is exceedingly unlikely to be a star, but his shooting and defense should be solid from the jump as he grows into a reliable starting option.

That’s what you call “high-end optimism?!”

Fair, but Agbaji definitely projects to be part of the next contending Jazz squad, so his development will be fun to watch.

Walker Kessler, Center, #24

Speaking of optimism, I was immediately disappointed that the first man to replace Hall-of-Famer Gobert at center was a 7’1” stiff who I had never heard of. But then I saw this scouting video of Kessler at Auburn, and I came away really impressed! Kessler had an impressive preseason, showing advanced ball movement and defensive awareness for the center position that typically take big men years to learn. His rim protection skills are way better than merely “is big,” and shows a creative understanding of defensive angles and timing. Competing against NBA athleticism does not appear to have robbed him of his great finishing touch. Perhaps most of all, Kessler hustled his ass off in preseason and was very quick and mobile on the break in both directions, which is rare for a seven-foot rookie.

Make no mistake, Kessler doesn’t have a lot of head-turning potential right now. But, like Agbaji, he has immediately useful skills and there can be a starting role on a contender for him in his future. This year, I’ll be looking to see how he defends in space and whether an NBA development cycle can give him some shooting range. Both he and Agbaji are also great interviews and might add a touch of entertainment to a season lacking in actual basketball joy at times.

Hey, we found Gobert at the end of the first round, too. By my count we have four other dudes you need to write seven thousand words about. Who’s next?

Malik Beasley, Shooting Guard, #5

Beasley followed the identical team path as Vanderbilt, traveling from Denver to Minnesota to Utah in the same trades. Even though it appears that Beasley will be the fifth starter for the Jazz on opening night², there isn’t a ton of interesting stuff to write home about regarding his game. He’s a fabulous three point shooter, averaging over three triples per game the past three seasons on over eight attempts per game. He has a little bit of a dribble game, but you really want him roaming the perimeter to stress test a defense while others handle the ball. You will not notice or care about his defense, and there isn’t much other potential to scratch with his game. He has a team option on his contract for next year, so maybe he’ll suddenly find himself starting 150 games for the Jazz when all is said and done.

Beasley served a jail sentence for weapons charges last year in Minnesota; I’m only bringing that up now because he has been fairly open about his experience and said in preseason interviews that he wants to translate that into winning the NBA’s Community Assist Award—it would be great to have such a positive influence in Salt Lake City after losing community stalwarts of Gobert and Mitchell. Beasley finds himself relevant in pop culture as he dated Scottie Pippen’s ex-wife and Real Housewives of Miami star, Larsa Pippen, while married to Montana Yao. This information is why you read my stupid words.

I mean, my patience broke a long time ago.

Well let me bring you back with some international flair!

Simone Fontecchio, Forward, #16

Fontecchio is quite literally the only guaranteed contract free agent Utah brought in over the offseason, and boy was this unexpected. Fontecchio is a 26-year-old Italian national who has played his entire career in Europe, so he was basically entirely off most fans’ radars as an NBA prospect. I always love national team tournaments like the FIBA World Cup and EuroBasket, so I was familiar with Fontecchio, but I really had no idea he had intentions of trying to snag an NBA deal.

Fontecchio is a strong, 6’8” forward who can shoot the hell out of the ball. He has a wide shooting base and quick shooting motion, which is perfect for fast NBA closeouts. He’s not very quick and probably can’t dribble or defend very well, but he has some passing ability and will never flake on defense.

Like Markkanen, Fontecchio also kicked ass at EuroBasket; he averaged 19.4 points and 4 rebounds while shooting 45.1% from deep for Italy. Fontecchio is the guy I am most anxious to see on the court: I really have no idea how his game will translate to the NBA and I just want to see something new and different.

Okay, I like it! Any other non-North American players on the team?

Leandro Bolmaro, Forward, #9

Yep! Bolmaro was a first round pick of Minnesota last year and comes to Utah in the Gobert trade. The 6’6” Argentinian was drafted 23rd overall last year out of FC Barcelona (alternating between the senior squad and their reserve squad), but has massively struggled to score at the NBA level so far. He was definitely a candidate to be cut by the Jazz in preseason, despite his first-round pedigree. Bolmaro can jump pretty well and carries the torch of Argentinian basketball players who can pass, but there’s a whole lot of [gestures wildly] that he needs to figure out before he’s trusted with NBA minutes. It’s early, but the early returns aren’t promising.

Yuck. I’m guessing the last guy you’ll mention is someone who can help #TankNote.

Talen Horton-Tucker, Shooting Guard/Small Forward, #0

Yeah, Horton-Tucker is not my favorite player of all time. THT comes from the Lakers for Patrick Beverley, whom Utah rerouted from the Gobert trade. The 6’4” guard played token minutes for the Lakers’ championship squad, and showed enough promise in the subsequent season to snag a 3-year, $30.8 million contract from Los Angeles. Unfortunately, Horton-Tucker really struggled to develop from that promise: he shoots horribly from three, his passing skills are mitigated by incredibly dumb turnovers, and his rugged defense is overrun by limited athleticism that is exposed by actual good NBA players. All of those need to take significant steps forward to be remotely worthy of $10 million. He’s still a better option for the lose-first Jazz than Patrick Beverley, but I frequently grimace watching him play.

This list is certifiably preposterous now. Who will I actually recognize from last year?

Mike Conley, Point Guard, #11

Mountain Mike Conley will start at point guard, but Utah will be extremely judicious with his games and minutes in order to (a) not win too much and (b) preserve his health in order to trade him. He’s still the same guy we’ve come to love, so expect a deadly array of off-the-dribble threes and floaters. I’ll be stunned if he’s still around by the trade deadline, or at least actually playing games for the Jazz in March.

Jordan Clarkson, Shooting Guard, #00

The preeminent Good Vibe Tribe captain Clarkson will remain in his role as chief bench gunner, and, unlike Conley, I think has a good chance to stick around for the season.

Good. Clarkson rocks.

I agree. He’s fun, will provide the best entertainment on a bad team, and by all accounts makes his teammates enjoy life around the team more. Clarkson probably isn’t a good enough player for teams to trade a first round pick for, and he’s not going to dramatically affect Utah’s chances of winning each night. But he provides enough rare skill to Utah for them to rebuild on the fly and keep him in a rotation. Tony Jones of The Athletic hinted that Clarkson may actually receive an extension.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Shooting Guard, #6

Alexander-Walker will probably feel like a brand-new guy to most…

Yeah I have no idea who that is. Name sounds familiar, though.

…and that’s because he was the prize acquisition from Portland in the Joe Ingles trade last February.

Oh right, the guy we traded a team legend for who didn’t do anything for us. Why did we keep him?

Well he was still under contract, mainly. But NAW still has quite a large basin of untapped potential after being miscast as a distributor-level point guard in New Orleans. Not only does the point guard position have the longest tail of development of any position in the NBA, it becomes impossible for a raw talent to learn those skills with the dysfunctional offenses the Pelicans rolled out. Aside from learning passing and playrunning, though, Alexander-Walker projected to be way better of a defender and scorer in the NBA than he’s been so far. He couldn’t crack the Jazz rotation in the playoffs when the team desperately needed a backcourt body to stay in front of any ballhandler who pulled out a mild crossover. Alexander-Walker’s profile so far has been a wildly inefficient gunner who can’t run an offense or defend.

That’s…not promising.

Yeah, but he definitely flashes a ton of skill and smarts from time to time. He’s not a lost cause yet, and he has chemistry with Olynyk from the Canadian national team. This is NAW’s first training camp outside of New Orleans. It’s a make-or-break season for him to prove he belongs in an NBA rotation.

Okay, I’ll give him one more shot. Who else?

Rudy Gay, Power Forward, #22

Rudy Gay is still on the team…

Why? He was terrible. Just another failed free agent signing in the line of Jeff Green and Ed Davis.

…yeah, but his 2000s-style ball also might have been miscast in Snyder’s rigid expectations. (His contract also expires in 2024). Gay has a relationship with Hardy from San Antonio. For a really young and bad team, there is value in deploying Gay as just a “guy who knows where the ball should go on a play” to facilitate the right actions. Sure, Gay might end possessions jacking up a bad shot or make the occasional bad decision, but he’ll operate the mechanics of an NBA offense better than most. This will help guys like Bolmaro and Fontecchio who I’d hope take Gay’s spot by the end of the year.

Fine, it’s not like we’re trying to win anyways.

Udoka Azubuike, Center, #20

Speaking of not winning, perpetual ankle injury-sufferer Azubuike projects to still be Utah’s third center. The Jazz have until the end of the month to pick up next year’s option—given that Azubuike was ~thisclose~ to being cut from the team outright, that seems like a probability. Azubuike finally—finally—showed remote NBA competence on the floor last year³, so maybe you can draw a little more out of him to stick around as a backup to Kessler. And if Utah is trying to lose games at the end of the year, Azubuike will be perfect.

This ended on a pretty depressing note.

Look, all I’m hoping for is a season that feels a bit better than someone playing Trombone Champ for the first time.

It’s a low bar. The new guys should be interesting to watch, if not all that good at basketball at times.