What We’ve Learned About the Utah Jazz

April 7th, 2023 | by Zarin Ficklin

Thanks to the growth of players like Markkanen, Jazz have learned a lot about what their future could look like. (Trent Nelson, The Salt Lake Tribune)

Utah’s first season of the rebuild is nearly in the books. It’s been a season of discovery, starting way back in October when were still guessing and projecting about who would be the team’s best player or a part of the next contending team. Luckily, many of those answers are clearer six months later.

Let’s examine what we’ve learned from some key players (and non-players!):

Lauri Markkanen

Of all this season’s revelations, the Finnisher has obviously been the most important. Some wondered if he might jockey with Collin Sexton or Jordan Clarkson as the most productive player. But no one predicted he’d become an All-Star starter, with strong odds for earning All-NBA and Most Improved Player honors.

These stats speak for themselves: 25.6 PPG, 8.6 RPG, and 58.6 eFG%. Those are numbers of a top-25 player in the league. What’s more important is that Lauri’s playstyle is ideally suited to complement another star. He doesn’t need the ball in his hands to be effective and plays within the offense. His skill for a 7-footer allows the Jazz positional versatility and size advantage.

While Markkanen has performed impressively as Utah’s top option, it’s not hard to see him filling the Klay Thompson role on a championship-calibre roster. That’s a huge find on the first year of a rebuild.

Walker Kessler

Many fans have bemoaned Utah’s use of first-round picks on centers — despite Rudy Gobert being one such selection. So when a Jazz legend was traded for Minnesota’s first-round rookie big man, it’s unsurprising he was not a particularly exciting prospect. But after the first preseason game it was apparent he had a great feel for the game. It’s remarkable how questions about Kessler moved from “Will he beat out Udoka Azubuike for backup center minutes?” to “How comparable is he to Gobert right now?”

He leads the league in effective field goal percentage, and is second in block percentage. He’s 14th in win shares per 48 minutes. I would have been happy if Kessler turned out to be a dependable backup center. Now, it’s fair to wonder if Kessler could make a future All-Star team. The truth is that Kessler and Markkanen have been so impactful the Jazz have remained in the playoff chase despite trading away their entire starting lineup from last season.

To have two clear-cut starters for the next contending version of the team is a massive win.

Will Hardy

Will Hardy was far from a household name before becoming Utah’s sixth head coach. But he’s made a strong impression in his first year. It’s easy for the wheels to fall off during a rebuild — just look at some of the other bottom-dwellers in the standings. But Hardy has kept this team focused and unselfish. “Team 49” has become one of the franchise’s most endearing iterations in part because of how hard they play. The team is clearly enjoying itself, a refreshing change from last season. Some coaches are better player managers while others excel more in the Xs and Os. Hardy is no slouch in tactics department either, with inventive out-of-timeout play calls and in-game adjustments. At age 35, the Jazz found another pillar in its new head coach.

Ochai Agbaji

There was fair reason to worry about Agbaji early in the season, especially after poor shooting numbers in his G-league stint. Clearly the coaching staff and front office saw more of the picture than fans can see, and they kept working to unleash the athletic wing. The Agbaji we’ve seen in the second half of the season is a confident scorer at multiple levels and an athletic defender.

Some wondered if Ochai would be a bust, but now he looks like a prototypical 3&D player and possible starting shooting guard. Championship teams need Danny Greens, and in addition to a good defensive foundation, Agbaji has shown flashes in recent weeks of an offensive game even more dynamic than Green’s important spot-up shooting that helped three different teams win titles.

Collin Sexton

Despite Sexton missing over 30 games due to injuries, we still learned some important things about him. Two seasons ago he played 35 minutes per game as the Cavs’ de facto scorer (averaging 24 a game). With the Jazz, he played 24 minutes per game, more often as a sixth man. The hamstring injury limited him some, and the Jazz were also very careful given his recovery from last season’s knee surgery. But his size and skill set may fit better off the bench anyway. He’s a 6-1 shooting guard who can get to the rim at will. His contagious energy always feel like a shot in the arm.

That’t not to say Sexton couldn’t be a future starter. He’s only 24 and he’s in constant communication with Hardy. It’s a fun subplot to any game to see how to two interact on the court. Sexton could evolve his game to be more of a distributor. He’s already developed his shot selection and efficiency, with a career best 55.8 eFG% this season. Starter or not, Sexton appears to be an important piece of the future.

Kris Dunn

On a minimum deal, Dunn looks like a fantastic third point guard whose numbers actually look viable for even backup duty: 12.3 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 5.1 apg on 57.6 eFG%. And of course, his point of attack defense is superb.

Dunn is 29 years old, and has been in and out of the league the last couple of years, largely because he’s a career 31% outside shooter. Suddenly, he’s converting 46% as a Jazzman, but we need a larger sample size to see how real the improvement is. How will Kris’ impact sustain if he’s getting 10-15 minutes per game instead of 24?

But Dunn’s performance so far is very encouraging, and he could be great addition to the team given his contract.

Talen Horton-Tucker

THT remains a polarizing player. His size, talent, and age makes him an intriguing prospect. But the lack of shooting means he has to have the ball in his hands to maximize his talents. Maybe he continues to develop his passing and efficiency and becomes a solid backup point guard. But as a score-first shooting guard, he’s behind Clarkson and Sexton in the pecking order (and that’s not to mention Ochai’s potential as a starting shooting guard or any guards the Jazz may draft).

Really, Horton-Tucker needs to develop his shot to solidify his place on a contending roster. And his shooting has largely remained the same in his first four seasons. For next season, the draft (and Clarkson’s fate) could impact whether THT is dangled on the trade market. He also could decide to decline his player option and hit the market.

Jordan Clarkson

JC hasn’t played since the All-Star game, but don’t forget his impact on the team when he was healthy. We saw Jordan thrive in a starting role, averaging a career best 20.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg, and 4.4 apg. His efficiency was still just okay at 51.9 eFG% and his defensive game is still lacking. But JC also brings energy and passion that fuels the team. Once Mike Conley departed, Clarkson became the heart and soul of the team in many ways.

The other reality is that Clarkson is turning 31 and the Jazz may want to prioritize youth at the guard position (especially depending on who they draft). If Clarkson’s asking price becomes too high Utah may be wise to part ways. But if the number is right, Clarkson can contribute in the short term, and would still have trade value in future moves.

The Front Office

We’ve also learned a bit about how this front office operates:

  1. They’ve held out for the right deals. They could have traded Donovan Mitchell to the Knicks earlier in the offseason, but held out for a better deal from Cleveland. They could have traded Conley or Malik Beasley earlier in the season, but wouldn’t gave gotten the same level of asset and would have needed to take back unwanted salary. We can quibble about perceived value in return for some of these trades, but the net return from the past year’s transactions have been extremely positive.
  2. The Jazz have prioritized cap flexibility. Related to the last point — yes, the Jazz probably could have gotten more raw draft assets from other moves. But now they have a clear cap sheet moving forward and have flexibility to sign free agents or absorb a large salary.
  3. The Jazz created a roster that allowed for a competent offense so the young players could develop properly. Utah didn’t have to bring in Kelly Olynyk or keep Conley for the first half of the season. But having “grown-ups in the room” helped younger Jazz players learn in the context of meaningful games. This led not just to a more entertaining product to watch, but also close game situations for Utah’s youth to develop in.
  4. Utah is also not afraid to trade its veterans. As mentioned earlier, last season’s entire starting lineup is now gone. It’s clear this team has a new direction.
  5. The front office has repeated the importance of positional length. Agbaji (as a two-guard), Markkanen, and Kessler are all athletic or big for their positions. We’ll see how the Jazz continue to prioritize this in the draft and trades. For example, there are several wing-sized point guard available in Anthony Black and the Thompson twins. Or would they consider breaking this pattern to pursue a smaller, but proven point guard like Fred VanVleet?

This season was all about discovering what the Jazz had in the returns they got from overhauling the roster. This coming offseason will be especially illuminating as the team now has flexibility and assets to truly shape the roster in the direction they want.

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