Category: Utah Jazz Blog

Jazz basketball blog – Utah Jazz blog

Jazz sign Kyle Filipowski

The Utah Jazz have signed center/forward Kyle Filipowski.

Filipowski (7-0, 248, Duke) played in eight games (five starts) for the Jazz at the 2024 Salt Lake City Summer League and NBA 2K25 Summer League in Las Vegas, owning averages of 11.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.0 steal in 22.2 minutes per contest. The Westtown, N.Y., native was drafted by the Jazz with the 32nd overall pick in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft.

During his two-year collegiate career, he played in 72 games (all starts), averaging 15.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.1 blocks in 29.8 minutes per contest. He was only the seventh Duke player in the past 50 years to total over 1,000 points in their first two seasons.

As a sophomore during the 2023-24 season, he averaged 16.4 points on 50.6 percent from the field, along with 8.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 36 games, earning Consensus 2023-24 All-American Second Team and All-ACC First Team honors. During his first collegiate season in 2022-23, he recorded averages of 15.1 points, 9.0 boards, and 1.6 assists in 36 games, garnering 2022-23 All-ACC Second Team and All-ACC Freshman Team honors, as well as being named the ACC’s Freshman of the Year and Rookie of the Year.

The 20-year-old finished his high school career at Wilbraham & Monson Academy in Wilbraham, Mass., where he was named the 2021 Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year. He competed at the 2022 Jordan Brand Classic and Nike Hoop Summit following his high school career.

Utah Jazz coaching staff and basketball operations department update

Today, the Utah Jazz announced staff updates within the coaching staff and basketball operations department ahead of the 2024-25 season.

Shane Fenske, who previously served as Vice President of Analytics and Insights has been moved into the role of Assistant General Manager. Prior to his time with the Jazz, the Blackduck, Minn., native spent six seasons with the Boston Celtics as a basketball operations and salary cap analyst and basketball operations technology developer. He has a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Yale.

Assistant Coach Sean Sheldon, who has been with the organization for two years, will move to the front of the bench for Will Hardy’s staff. He began in the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs, starting as a quality assurance assistant in the video department, before being promoted to assistant video coordinator and then head video coordinator. The Traverse City, Mich., native was a graduate assistant at Michigan State after playing professionally in Switzerland for a season. He was a four-year player at William & Mary from 2012-16.

Andrew Warren, who has served as an assistant video coordinator for the team for the past two seasons will transition into the role of Assistant Coach. A native of Indianapolis, he served as a video coordinator for the Birmingham Squadron during the 2021-22 season, after an exceptional 10-plus year international and G League career, playing in Argentina, Australia, Estonia, Germany, Italy, Kosovo, Japan, and New Zealand as well as for the G League’s Santa Cruz Warriors and Stockton Kings (then Reno Bighorns). He played collegiately at Bradley (2006-11).

Justin Mazzulla, who served as Assistant Coach and Video Coordinator for the Salt Lake City Stars, Utah’s G League affiliate, will be moving to the Jazz video room as an Assistant Video Coordinator. The Johnston, R.I., native, briefly served as a Graduate Assistant at Rhode Island and played five collegiate seasons at George Washington (2017-20) and Vermont (2020-22).

Torin Dorn joins the Jazz video room as Assistant Video Coordinator, after serving as Assistant Coach and Player Development Associate for the Salt Lake City Stars. The Charlotte, N.C., native began his playing career at North Carolina-Charlotte before transferring to N.C. State, where he spent three seasons (2016-18). Following his time with the Wolfpack, Dorn went on to play professionally in the Polish Basketball League (2019-20) and Czech Basketball League (2021-22), before returning to N.C. State as a Graduate Manager.

Katie Benzan, who joined the Jazz as a Basketball Operations generalist in 2022-23, will now serve as Salt Lake City Stars Assistant General Manager/Coordinator of Pro Scouting. The Wellesley, Mass., native played one professional season with the Washington Mystics of the WNBA in 2022 after a standout collegiate career at Harvard (2016-19) and Maryland (2020-22), where she set a program record for three-point percentage (.474).

Brian Pauga, who served as a scout for the organization has been promoted to Director of College Scouting & Basketball Intelligence, with another former scout, Shenton Wai, being elevated to Manager of Pro Scouting. Zach Paige will now serve as Manager of Basketball Operations and Scouting after serving as Coordinator of Basketball Operations. Spencer Siegel has been added as a Data Scientist in the front office after recently finishing his master’s degree in statistics from Stanford, with the team also adding Alec Moore as Full Stack Software Engineer earlier this season.

Additionally, Lynzie Sorenson is being promoted to Director of Family Relations, Josh Raia has been named Executive Chef, Anela Davis has been added as a Basketball Operations Generalist-Analytics, and Bernard Webb is being elevated to Team Operations Coordinator.

Jazz sign guard Taevion Kinsey to 10-day contract

The Utah Jazz have signed guard Taevion Kinsey to a 10-day contract.

Kinsey (6-5, 190, Marshall) has appeared in 25 games for the Salt Lake City Stars, the team’s G League affiliate, in 2023-24, owning averages of 10.2 points on 55.8 percent from the field and 46.8 percent from beyond the arc, along with 3.3 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 28.7 minutes per contest. He was selected to compete in the G League Slam Dunk Contest at All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis, where he earned second place.

The Columbus, Ohio, native played five seasons at Marshall (2018-23), appearing in 154 games (130 starts), owning averages of 17.1 points on 50.7 percent from the field, along with 4.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.1 steals in 34.1 minutes per contest and left the school as its all-time leading scorer with 2,641 points. He was named the 2022-23 Sun Belt Player of the Year following his final college season, with averages of 22.1 points, 5.4 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.7 steals in 32 games (all starts) and was also named to the 2022-23 All-Sun Belt First Team. He competed for the Utah entries at 2023 Salt Lake City Summer League and NBA 2K24 Summer League.

Jazz trade Kelly Olynyk, Ochai Agbaji to Raptors for Kira Lewis Jr., Otto Porter Jr.

The Toronto Raptors have acquired forward-center Kelly Olynyk and guard Ochai Agbaji in a trade with the Utah Jazz for guard Kira Lewis Jr., forward Otto Porter Jr. and a 2024 first round draft pick.

Olynyk, 6-foot-11, 240 pounds, is averaging 8.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 20.4 minutes in 50 contests (eight starts) this season with the Jazz. He is shooting .562 (145-258) from the floor, including .429 (36-84) from three-point range, and has scored 10+ points in 14 games.

A native of Toronto, Olynyk played three collegiate seasons at Gonzaga (2009-13) and was picked 13th overall by Dallas in the 2013 NBA Draft. He owns career averages of 10.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 22.5 minutes in 728 contests (242 starts) with Boston, Miami, Houston, Detroit and Utah.

On the international stage Olynyk has been a longstanding member of Canada’s Senior Men’s National Team, helping the squad win bronze at the 2023 FIBA World Cup and qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Agbaji, 6-foot-5, 215 pounds, is averaging 5.4 points, 2.5 rebounds and 19.7 minutes in 51 games (10 starts) this season. He is shooting .426 (106-249) from the field and has scored in double figures eight times. Agbaji scored a season-high 21 points (7-14 FG, 5-10 3PT, 2-2 FT) Dec. 6 at Dallas.

A native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Agbaji was acquired by Utah after he was picked 14th overall by Cleveland in the 2022 NBA Draft. He holds career averages of 6.7 points, 2.2 rebounds and 20.1 minutes in 110 games (32 starts) with the Jazz.

Prior to the NBA, Agbaji played four seasons at Kansas (2018-22) where he was named the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player and earned consensus All-America First Team honours as a senior after helping the Jayhawks capture the 2022 NCAA National Championship.

Lewis was acquired from Indiana on Jan. 17 and appeared in one game with the Raptors. Porter averaged 3.6 points, 2.1 rebounds and 13.9 minutes in 23 games (three starts) with the Raptors after signing as a free agent in July 2022.

Pistons trade Kevin Knox II to Jazz

The Detroit Pistons have acquired forward Simone Fontecchio in a trade with the Utah Jazz for Kevin Knox II, the rights to Gabriele Procida and draft considerations.

Fontecchio, 6-8, 209, is in his second NBA season after signing with Utah as an international free agent out of Italy in 2022. He is averaging career-highs across the board this season with 8.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 23.2 minutes in 50 games (34 starts). Fontecchio is shooting a career-high 39 percent from 3-point range this season and has made at least half of his 3-point attempts in 19 outings. In 102 career NBA games with the Jazz (40 starts), he has averaged 7.6 points (.363 3FG), 2.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists.

A native of Pescara, Italy, the 28-year-old Fontecchio played professionally for 11 seasons overseas prior to entering the NBA. A three-time Italian Super Cup winner (2016-18) and a 2014 Lega Basket Serie A All-Star, he competed for Team Italy in the 2023 FIBA World Cup and averaged 18.0 points and 5.6 rebounds, leading the Italian team to the quarterfinals. Fontecchio also reached the quarterfinals with the Italian National Team in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics. In his 2021-22 season with Baskonia in Liga ACB (Spain), he averaged an international career-high 12.4 points (.410 3FG).

Knox II, 6-7, 215, appeared in 73 games for Detroit over the past two seasons, averaging 6.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 15.8 minutes per game (12 starts). Originally selected No. 9 overall by the New York Knicks in 2018, Knox signed as a free agent with Detroit in 2022 and was traded to Portland in a four-team deal at the 2023 trade deadline. He re-signed with the Pistons on Nov. 8, 2023, and averaged 7.2 points and 2.4 rebounds in 31 games (11 starts) for Detroit this season.

Per the Detroit News, “Knox, a former lottery pick, has been traded by Detroit at the NBA’s annual deadline for the second consecutive season. Last February, he was part of a four-team deadline day trade and was sent to the Portland Trail Blazers, as part of the deal to acquire James Wiseman. He’s become a journeyman since entering the league in 2018, but had a more productive second stint with the Pistons this season. Now, he’ll head to a Jazz team that is hovering around the 10th seed in the Western Conference playoff picture.”

Procida, 6-7, 191, was acquired in a trade with Portland in 2022 after being selected No. 36 overall in the 2022 NBA Draft. The 21-year-old native of Como, Italy, has not yet played in the NBA and is averaging 8.7 points, 1.6 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 1.5 steals in 17.8 minutes across 23 games for ALBA Berlin in the EuroLeague this season.

Jordan Clarkson gets first triple-double by a Jazz player in very long time

Per the Deseret News:

Despite the Utah Jazz leading the Dallas Mavericks by as many as 39 points, the Delta Center was packed through the final minutes on Monday night as fans hoped to watch history.

Those who decided to see this one through to the end saw a nearly 16-year drought come to an end as Jordan Clarkson became the first Jazz player since Carlos Boozer on Feb. 13, 2008 to record a triple-double in the regular season (Ricky Rubio did it in the playoffs in 2018).

With 20 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, the Jazz’s longest tenured player earned his first career triple-double and became just the 38th player to record one coming off the bench.

FULL ARTICLE

Jazz sign, then waive, Isaiah Miller

The Utah Jazz have signed and subsequently waived guard Isaiah Miller.

Miller (6-0, 190, UNC Greensboro) spent the 2022-23 season with Utah’s G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars, where he saw action in 29 games (four starts) and averaged 7.8 points and 4.2 rebounds during the regular season.

The Covington, Ga., native played with the Jazz entries at the 2022 Salt Lake City Summer League and NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, posting averages of 3.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.3 steals in four games.

The 25-year-old played four collegiate seasons at UNC Greensboro, where he saw action in 132 games (80 starts), tallying averages of 14.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 2.4 steals in 25.6 minutes per game. He earned Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors three times (2019-21), and the Southern Conference Player of the Year twice (2020-21).

Jazz sign Omer Yurtseven

The Utah Jazz, two days ago, signed center Omer Yurtseven.

Yurtseven (7-0, 255, Georgetown) is entering his third NBA season, having spent two campaigns (2021-23) with the Miami Heat, owning averages of 5.2 points on 53.3 percent shooting and 4.9 rebounds per contest in 65 career games (12 starts). During the 2021-22 campaign, the 25-year-old totaled 11 double-figure scoring outings, including two 20-plus point outings and eight double-doubles. He’s appeared in 17 postseason contests in two seasons.

A native of Istanbul, Turkey, Yurtseven was a three-year collegiate player at NC State (2016-18) and Georgetown (2019-2), appearing in 81 games (61 starts) with career averages of 12.1 points on 53.9 percent from the field, along with 7.1 boards, and 1.4 blocks in 23.6 minutes per contest. Following his sophomore season, he was selected to the 2017-18 All-ACC Third Team.

Yurtseven began his professional career with the Fenerbahçe SK U18 squad in 2013-14 and, in 2014-15, appeared in six games for the Fenerbahçe senior squad. He competed in 19 games (one start) for Fenerbahçe in 2015-16 before opting to go to college.

Jazz trade center Damian Jones to Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers have acquired center Damian Jones in a trade with the Utah Jazz for cash considerations.

Jones (6-11, 245) played in 41 games (one start) for the Jazz and Los Angeles Lakers this past season and averaged 3.5 points and 3.0 rebounds in 11.6 minutes. He shot .640 (55-86) from the field and a career-best .588 (10-17) from three-point range. Jones also scored in double figures on three occasions and registered one double-double.

A two-time NBA Champion with Golden State (2017 and 2018), Jones has played in 240 games (75 starts) over his seven-year NBA career with Utah, L.A. Lakers, Sacramento, Phoenix, Atlanta and Golden State with averages of 5.2 points on .662 shooting from the field and 3.4 rebounds in 14.6 minutes. He has also appeared in 12 postseason games (one start) with Golden State. The Vanderbilt University product played under current Cavaliers assistant coach Luke Walton for Sacramento during parts of the 2020-21 season and the entirety of the 2021-22 season. He was originally drafted by the Warriors with the 30th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.