THE Utah Jazz The Red Devils find themselves at an interesting crossroads for the upcoming NBA season, one that separates them from a team that prioritizes winning now and one that is fully invested in the rebuilding process. It’s a position they’ve been in for the past two seasons, but now we might have a clearer direction for this team heading into the 2024-25 season.
After an offseason that was relatively quiet for the Jazz, aside from adding a few new names to their youth core, Utah appears poised to invest more in their youth movement than they have in the first two seasons of their rebuild. Their recent roster construction could be a hint at what’s to come for this team in the upcoming season, and it could be a little different than what we’re used to.
In what could be a year where the Jazz leans heavily on its youth and development, Bleacher Report Dan Favale urges Utah to do just that: prioritize its young talent.
When outlining some of the roster changes around the league he’d like to see for next season, Favale pinned the Jazz as a key candidate to make some adjustments — including replacing Walker Kessler with John Collins, and even finding a run-scoring upgrade for rookie Cody Williams.
“Thirty-one different starting units graced the Utah Jazz floor last year. Similar experimentation could define this season… Utah has a ton of players entering their rookie and sophomore seasons, and Kessler is only in his third year. Playing a bunch of them together may not produce the best product. But it will provide a lot of information. Plus, the Jazz can still have the best of both worlds. Markkanen and Sexton can stick around in the new iteration, Kessler isn’t exactly inexperienced, and George spent a lot of time in core lineups as a rookie. Starting those four with Hendricks or Williams (a true wing!) does a nice job of juggling the future and the present and balancing offensive and defensive skill sets.”
– Dan Favale, Bleacher Report
This season, the Jazz will have nine players 25 or younger with a chance of earning a significant role in the rotation, giving Utah a great opportunity to capitalize on youth far more than they have been able to in the last two years of their rebuild. In Favale’s proposal, it’s a full investment in their future cornerstones, while also making time for their current cornerstone, Lauri Markkanen.
A lineup with Kessler, Markkanen, Williams, and Keyonte George and Collin Sexton doesn’t exactly look like it’s going to win, but it has a clear direction. After treading water the past two seasons, the Jazz could be on their way to a top pick in a deep draft class.
Expect the Jazz to remain flexible in their roster plans for next season, with the potential to see a variety of combinations added to the fold as the year progresses.
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