Jazz Storylines to Watch Down the Stretch

Keyonte George’s progress is something to watch over the season’s close. (Darron Cummings via sltrib.com)

The All-Star festivities have left Indianapolis, but two months of regular season basketball remain. For the Utah Jazz specifically, 26 games are left on the calendar before chapter two of the Will Hardy era/ Lauri Markkanen cornerstone novella ends. Here are three things worth monitoring down the stretch. 

Storyline 1: Play-in and Draft Pick Status

At the February 8 trade deadline, the Jazz shipped three rotation players out: Ochai Agbaji, Kelly Olynyk, and Simone Fontecchio. In the four games between those trades and the All-Star break, the Jazz went 0-4, including a loss loss against Golden State which dropped the Jazz four games out of the play-in tournament seeding. It’s likely the Jazz miss the playoffs again, with ESPN’s Power Index giving the them just a 0.7% chance to make the playoffs and a 5% chance to make the play-in. 

As has been discussed plenty, the Jazz owe a top-10 protected pick to the Thunder in the upcoming draft. Currently, the Jazz own the 11th worst record in the league. If they ended the season there, the pick would be outside the protected range and would be conveyed to OKC. Granted, they are currently only one game removed from keeping the pick at the ten-spot. 

According to ESPN’s Power Index, the Jazz are projected to win 38 games at season’s end, which would put them at the No. 12 spot. If that’s how it plays out, the pick will go to the Thunder.

Teams to watch around the same sphere as Utah are the Nets, who just fired their head coach and could be in for a free-fall, as well as the Bulls, the Hawks and the Rockets. Out of those last three, the Jazz were the only team that made significant moves at the deadline, while the Bulls and Hawks are still positioning for play-in berths. ESPN’s 38.1-win projection for Utah is just ahead of the Bulls (37.9), Rockets (36.2), Hawks (35.8) and Nets (32.8). Interestingly, the Jazz have the fourth hardest schedule remaining — a lot of games against Western Conference playoff teams — while the Bulls, Rockets, and Hawks go 16, 17, and 18 respectively. The Nets have the second easiest schedule remaining, with Tankathon.com noting their opponent’s winning percentage is 46%. Lastly, if you want the Jazz to enter the top 10 and keep their pick, root for Quin Snyder’s Hawks to pick up an extra win or two as they land closest to the Jazz in most projections. 

While this discourse is fun and engaging for fans on the couch, the Jazz brass have said publicly that making the play-in or retaining a pick isn’t the organization’s focus or goals. Instead it’s the long-term, specifically building a four or five-year championship window according to Jazz GM Justin Zanik.

“We had a few things happen to us, we took our shots, and it didn’t work out, but at the end of the day, we haven’t been out of the second round since 2007, so the goal isn’t to make a Play-In, don’t make a Play-In, keep your pick, don’t keep your pick,” Zanik said. “Those aren’t the goals.”

Storyline 2: Keyonte George’s Place On the All-Rookie Team

Now that Keyonte George is driving the wagon as the starting point guard for the rest of the season, I recently wrote about keys for Keyonte. He needs to stay clutch, play with confidence, and figure out his shooting touch on the road to show continued development and help the Jazz remain competitive. As he does so, he’ll also cement his status on an All-Rookie team. 

For much of the season, George has been on the fringe five of most rookie ladder rankings, with Victor Wembanyama (Spurs), Chet Holmgren (Thunder), Brandon Miller (Hornets), Jamie Jaquez (Heat), and Ausar Thompson (Pistons) as the common names in front.

If All-Rookie teams looked at positions, George would be the first point guard off the board, but this is the first year the honor is given on the basis of positionless voting. The Heat’s trade for Terry Rozier might put Jaquez in the backseat a bit, and Thompson has been a bit up and down but will continue to get minutes on a bad team.

Regardless, I’d love to see George hit nine shots from deep every game from here out and become a certified member of this rookie class. 

Storyline #3: Lauri Markkanen’s Shooting Splits

Last season Markkanen put up a smooth shooting percentage line: 49.9% from the field, 39% from deep, and 87.5% from the free throw line. As we all know, it was his coming out party with a resurgent season that placed him in the upper-echelon of NBA stars with an All-Star berth and All-NBA consideration. On his third NBA team and in his sixth season, a sweet-shooting star was born. 

This year, the percentages are both up and down from a year ago: 49.1% from the field, 40% from deep, and 88.7% from the free throw line. 

For many, the 50-40-90 club is a coveted group to distinguish shooters from great to great, great. It’s also fairly rare, which makes the distinguished company so elite. The most recent player to achieve the 50-40-90 was Kevin Durant in 2022-2023, and Durant, alongside Steve Nash and Larry Bird, are the only players to do it multiple seasons. Steph Curry, by the way, is also the only player to accomplish the statistical feat while averaging over 30 points per game. 

Markkanen isn’t going to add his name to the list, but look at how close he has gotten both seasons in a Jazz jersey! Two cool substats for Markkanen also point out that he can get it done. In 21 games played that the Jazz won, the big guy shoots 54.7% from the field, 46.6% from deep, and 90.8% from the foul line. In another small sample size, during the 16 games of January, when the Jazz went on a great winning streak, Markkanen went 49.8% from the field, 43.7% from three, and 89.9% from the foul line. 

Regardless of the play-in tournament or a top-10 draft pick, Markkanen and other Jazzmen will still play hard to end the season. It’s in the franchise DNA. For Markkanen, I want to see his shooting touch tick back up as he started to struggle in February toward the All-Star break. Perhaps his involvement in the 3-point shooting contest will get him rolling again or maybe it’s just having a break that will reinvigorate his shooting stroke. Either way, don’t take the guy for granted while he plays for the home team. 

Rapid Run: Storylines of Former *Beloved* Jazzmen

• Rudy Gobert is on track to win his fourth Defensive Player of the Year award since 2018, anchoring the Minnesota Timberwolves to the best defensive rating in the league. Gobert has been the favorite to take home the trophy for most of the season, and not much should change that narrative to close the season. Many wondered if he could make it work in Minnesota, with year one as legit evidence. Here in year two, however, it’s the Timberwolves who may have won the trade if a deep playoff run is connected to the regular season success. 
• Speaking of the Timberwolves, guard Mike Conley recently reupped with the Wolves on a 2-year, $22 million extension. The steady veteran point guard will help lead the stars on the team towards the playoffs where the Wolves are hoping to make significant noise. The Wolves are first in the West, 1.5 games ahead of OKC. As far as locker room value and on-court production are concerned, the extension is a steal. 
• The Cavs are currently the second seed in the Eastern Conference, with former Jazz star Donovan Mitchell playing out of his mind. As the Cavs surged toward the All-Star break, Mitchell was included in MVP consideration. Like Gobert, Mitchell needs an extended playoff run to add to his résumé as a star, and the Cavs need one if they hope to retain the start before he hits free agency. Forever and always, I’m Team Mitchell and will cheer for the guy. 
• Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks has also been included in some early MVP consideration, with the Knicks picking up some big wins. Many consider them a threat in the playoffs, especially if and when the team gets fully healthy. To make the argument stronger, Jazz alumni Alec Burks and Bojan Bogdanovic were added at the trade deadline to bolster their bench. Bogey will especially be strong for them – someone who can start if needed, close if needed, and score if needed. I’m excited to see how far the Knicks go, and if we get another Knicks-vs.-Mitchell playoff series. 
• Another former Jazz man back on a contending team is Royce O’Neale, who went from the Nets to the Suns at the deadline. What a deal for Phoenix, who gave up second-round picks to get the versatile, 3-and-D O’Neale. The Suns have been questioned as a Finals contender because of their lack of depth, but O’Neale was a sweet pickup to remedy some of that. 

Hoops come back on Thursday!