2023 off-season

[url]https://www.deseret.com/2023/8/6/23816225/utah-jazz-mailbag-john-collins-kris-dunn-streaming-service[/url]

[QUOTE]Most of the questions I received this time around concerned the current Utah Jazz roster, which currently stands at 18 players, including three two-way contracts — Lauri Markkanen, Jordan Clarkson, John Collins, Kelly Olynyk, Walker Kessler, Collin Sexton, Ochai Agbaji, Kris Dunn, Luka Samanic, Talen Horton-Tucker, Simone Fontecchio, Taylor Hendricks, Keyonte George, Brice Sensabaugh, Omer Yurtseven, Johnny Juzang (two-way), Micah Potter (two-way) and Joey Hauser (two-way).

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so I guess Potter is signed? Never saw it anywhere!

[QUOTE]So, while I don’t expect the Jazz to make any big moves before the 2023-24 season begins, there’s always a chance. Also consider that the NBA could shift significantly before this offseason is over.

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Sexton or Talen need to go and eventually Olynyk and Simone and of course The Bum

[QUOTE]I believe that on opening day of the 2023-24 season that Dunn will be the Jazz’s best point guard. If it were me coaching the team, independent of a front office and the league at large, I would start Dunn.

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best two way player anyway

[QUOTE]George is going to need some time to work up to being ready for regular NBA minutes and that might mean he spends some time in the G League or slowly works his way into the Jazz rotation the same way that Agbaji did last season.

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hard to imagine him not in the rotation from day 1

[QUOTE]So where does does all of this leave Dunn? It depends. If the Jazz start out the season with Horton-Tucker or they decide to just throw George into the fire to see how he reacts, then it could mean that Dunn is coming off the bench.

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if they don't trade Sexton or Talen he might be cut

[QUOTE]In addition to that, there were also reports of the asking price. That price seemed more outlandish with every report and it was so evident that Collins was available to the rest of the league that the Jazz eventually were able to land him for Gay and second-round pick, a much smaller asking price than had originally been floated.

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and a huge trade exception and saved money for the Hawks :facepalm

[url]https://saltcityhoops.com/5-most-intriguing-lineups-for-the-jazz/[/url]

[QUOTE]If I were to stack rank them, I’d go: Clarkson, Collin Sexton, Agbaji, George, Talen Horton-Tucker, Kris Dunn. Based on that stack rank, you’d think the easy answer would be to just play Sexton at point guard and JC at shooting guard. The concern with that would be ball movement. Sexton has only averaged 3.2 assist per game in his career and only has one season greater than 3 per game. JC had a career year with 4.4 assist last season, but his career average is just 2.7 per game. Both may be better suited being a score-first sixth man off the bench, but I would expect at least one of the two will start, because they are Utah’s best scoring creators off the dribble.

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Sexton did a good job running the team last year. He learned a lot from Conley. Clarkson back to the bench(or another team) makes most sense. Sexton/ Agbaji

[QUOTE]The Jazz’s most used starting lineup last season lineup featured Mike Conley and Jarred Vanderbilt, who are no longer with the team. The second most used lineup was Horton-Tucker, Agbaji, Markkanen, Olynyk, and Kessler. That lineup played 310 possessions together, and had a +9.8 differential. That said, it seems like Clarkson is bound to start at one of the guard spots, and it’s likely that Olynyk will be swapped out for the newly arrived Collins.

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The Bum at the 1? :roll:

[QUOTE]That brings us to the lineup above. My hope is that Clarkson (with his nice shiny new extension) starts at one guard spot, along with Agbaji, Markkanen, Collins, and Kessler. Outside of JC, who can still hold his own when he wants, defensively that lineup will hold up well with their size, length, and athleticism, anchored with Kessler in the middle. They can also space the floor with high-level shooting at four of those positions, while also putting lot of pressure at and above the rim between JC’s driving and Markkanen, Collins and Kessler’s dunking ability.

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3 bigs and a small back court sounds like big problems on D

[QUOTE]You have creation off the dribble, on-ball shot creation, spot up shooting, and you still have solid size at every position so they wouldn’t be absolutely terrible on defense. This lineup played a grand total of 28 possessions together last season, roughly the equivalent of playing a single quarter together. That said, the sample results were promising. They had a +13.5 point differential with a 125 Offensive Rating and a 111.5 Defensive Rating.

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size at 4 and 5 but not Kessler :facepalm

[QUOTE]With no poor three-point shooters on the floor, the Jazz could play five out so Sexton and JC could penetrate the paint at will. Agbaji shot 48 percent on corner threes last season, and Olynyk shot 45 percent. With Markkanen as the ball screener for the two guards, what are you supposed to do as an opposing defense? Not sure that 111.5 defensive rating would hold true, but I do think that offensive rating isn’t far off.

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The Bum is poor shooter!

[QUOTE]When trying to build a defense-first lineups for the Jazz, you start to realize that they are much more potent on offense. While this lineup would be a very good defensive team, I can’t imagine they would hold up on the other side of the ball. They just wouldn’t have enough 3-point shooting between Dunn (career 31.3%), THT (28%), Hendricks (shot well in college, but need to see it in the NBA), and Kessler (3 total career three-point attempts).

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Dunn hit open shots last year. Rather him take an open shot than The Bum throwing up another prayer and brick anysay!

[QUOTE]Good luck scoring on them though. In today’s modern NBA, most opposing offenses are looking to use ball movement and switches on defense to find and target the worst defender. Who are you going after with this lineup? At first glance, THT might be viewed as the weakest defender, but he is 6’4″ with a 7’2″ wingspan, and weighs 234 pounds. Maybe you’d go after the rookie, Hendricks? He’s 6’10” with a 7’2″ wingspan, and was widely viewed as one of the top athletes in the draft. Dunn’s defense is the main thing that kept him in the league this long, and Agbaji is looking like one of the better 3-and-D prospects in the league. Kessler may already be a potential Defensive Player of the Year candidate.

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force Kessler out of the paint and see if he can defend in space before we make him a DPOY candidate

[url]https://saltcityhoops.com/can-john-collins-make-the-lauri-markkanen-leap-from-last-year/[/url]

[QUOTE]I wouldn’t expect Collins to have the year Markkanen had last season, primarily because Markkanen is still on this Utah Jazz roster. But it is not hard to envision Collins having a similar re-emergence back into stardom. Behind Markkanen, he and Jordan Clarkson will likely be the next featured offensive scorers. In his 21 point scoring season, Collins attempted close to 15 shots per game. Last season, that number was all the way down to 10. Both Clarkson and Markkanen were at 17 shots per game, and surprisingly in third, Malik Beasley at 12.2. If Hardy can find an effective role for him and Clarkson and Collins split the shot attempts around 14 per game, with improved three-point shooting with a healthy finger, Collins should find success. My prediction? 18 points and 8 rebounds per game, with some of the best “In your face” dunks we’ve ever seen in a Jazz uniform.

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only Lauri has put up more per game than Sexton :facepalm

[url]https://www.slcdunk.com/2023/7/29/23779514/walker-kessler-should-be-the-early-frontrunner-for-defensive-player-of-the-year[/url]

[QUOTE] [h=1]Walker Kessler should be the early frontrunner for DPOY[/h]
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has yet to show he can guard in space :roll:

[QUOTE]The [URL="https://www.slcdunk.com"]Utah Jazz[/URL] are accustomed to having elite rim protectors from Mark Eaton to Rudy Gobert and now to Walker Kessler.

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Eaton was elite as long as he didn't have to move :facepalm

[url]https://www.slcdunk.com/2023/7/26/23806846/has-luka-samanic-done-enough-to-make-the-utah-jazz-roster[/url]

[QUOTE] [h=1]Has Luka Samanic done enough to make the Utah Jazz roster?[/h]
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yes by the end of last season. There's a reason he got a partial guarantee

[url]https://www.slcdunk.com/research-statistics-analytics/2023/7/20/23802596/when-will-keyonte-george-start-at-point-guard-for-the-utah-jazz-nba-offseason-2023[/url]

[QUOTE] [h=1]When will Keyonte George start at point guard for the Utah Jazz?[/h]
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after Sexton is traded at the deadline

[url]https://thejnotes.com/2023/08/09/one-year-later-grading-utah-jazz-trade-bojan-bogdanovic-withthe-detroit-pistons/[/url]

[QUOTE]The only way the trade can develop a long-term option is if Olynyk gets traded once again, which is very likely. His contract makes him one of the most likely trade options on the team, and if the Jazz can turn him into a superstar of sorts like a Zach LaVine, or draft capital, then the trade for him will be seen in a much better light.

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Can't imagine Ainge wants Lavine but than he hasn't gotten rid of The Bum

[QUOTE]The Jazz are in the same boat in that regard. Olynyk didn’t move the needle for the team and is likely to be the answer to an obscure piece of sports trivia more than a component for a championship win.

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He started most of the year and didn't move the needle? I'd rather have him than Bojan. Better all around game

[url]https://thejnotes.com/2023/08/09/jordan-clarkson-breaks-into-the-top-20-of-shooting-guards/[/url]

:roll:

[url]https://thejnotes.com/2023/08/08/is-kris-dunn-really-someone-who-could-start-for-the-utah-jazz/[/url]

[QUOTE]The Utah Jazz are going to figure out who their starting point guard is going to be for the 2023-2024 season, sooner rather than later. Right now there are a lot of possibilities for the role. Jordan Clarkson could move over to the position, and give the Jazz a run-and-gun shooter at the spot. They could go with Collin Sexton, a more efficient version of Clarkson but without his track record.

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a track record of putting up all star numbers or a track record of being an inefficient gunner and pounder of the ball? :facepalm

[QUOTE]Well, not someone who’s going to take shots away from Clarkson, Markkanen, and Collins. And while Collins and Markkanen are far from liabilities on defense, like Clarkson, they’re not exactly prime-Mark Eaton either.

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prime Eaton wouldn't be in the league. You have to be able to move

[url]https://thejnotes.com/2023/08/08/what-is-the-most-interesting-lineup-the-utah-jazz-could-put-out-on-the-court/[/url]

[QUOTE]At point guard, we’re taking Kris Dunn at point guard. He’s arguably the best passer of all the guards, and he can play defense. At the shooting guard, we’re going Collin Sexton. He’s not a three-ball shooter like Ochai Agbaji, but he’s more efficient of a scorer than Jordan Clarkson.

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Sexton/Dunn might actually make some sense. Dunn is big enough to guard 2's

[url]https://fansided.com/2023/08/09/nba-players-bounce-back-season-2023/5/[/url]

[QUOTE]Gobert recorded his lowest points per game, rebounds per game, and field goal percentage since the 2017-18 season as the on-court fit alongside Karl-Anthony Towns was very awkward. Not to mention, Gobert has also been an awkward fit in the locker room and he [URL="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrmi1D6qTvU"]punched[/URL] teammate Kyle Anderson in a high-magnitude regular season finale versus the Pelicans.

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I saw a lot of potential with him and Towns before he got hurt

[QUOTE]Representing France in the FIBA World Cup this Summer should help Gobert stay in shape and enter the upcoming season with momentum. He is poised to bounce back in 2023.

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getting older. He may never improve the numbers but the Wolves have to get better

[url]https://thejnotes.com/2023/08/08/jazz-regret-trading-donovan-mitchell/[/url]

[QUOTE][h=1]Should the Jazz regret trading Donovan Mitchell?[/h][/QUOTE]

God no! They got 3 players I'd rather have and the picks. One of the biggest heists ever!

[QUOTE]Many wondered if Ainge moved Gobert due to Mitchell and the French center’s previous conflict, but not long after, Mitchell found himself on the market as well. The All-Star found himself in rumors and, at one point, believed he was [URL="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10048996-donovan-mitchell-thought-he-was-headed-to-knicks-before-trade-to-cavaliers"]destined to be a New York Knick[/URL]. Up until the Cleveland Cavaliers swooped in and enticed Ainge, there was a package that would send [URL="https://www.nba.com/news/donovan-mitchell-traded-to-cavs"]Mitchell to the Cavaliers[/URL], ending his era in Utah. In 345 games with the Jazz, Mitchell averaged 23.9 points, 4.5 assists, and 4.2 rebounds.

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I'd say he had little choice in moving Gobert. The package was too great to turn down even for a statue

[QUOTE]Now, moving forward, it’s fair to look at Utah’s current situation after Mitchell’s career-year in Cleveland, where he averaged 28.3 points per game, and wonder if the Jazz made the right decision. Would the team be closer to contention? How would the roster look today if Mitchell was on it? These are questions we will never know the answer to, but one thing is for certain: Utah landed on its feet a lot sooner than many expected.

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Probably better than The Bum though the Bum actually tries on D

[url]https://sircharlesincharge.com/2023/08/06/nba-trade-rumors-early-2024-deadline-candidate/29/[/url]

I'd be surprised if he's here past the deadline along with a few others

[URL]https://sircharlesincharge.com/2023/07/30/nba-trade-rumors-jazz-target-upgrade-russell/[/URL]

[QUOTE]Sexton didn’t struggle during his first season in Utah but wasn’t as productive as he was during his previous two full seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Maybe the Jazz is looking to move on and upgrade the position with this type of move. If so, it makes sense.

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both cancers

[url]https://thejnotes.com/2023/08/07/utah-jazz-reporter-believes-the-team-are-done-making-moves-for-the-time-being/[/url]

still have a camp roster to fill