The Utah Jazz defeated the Los Angeles Clippers in the first preseason game of their 2023-24 NBA campaign.
Guard Kris Dunn led the Jazz with 15 points and five assists in 16 minutes of play off the bench. The former Providence guard hit every one of his seven shot attempts during the victory at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. Guard Keyonte George added 10 points and five assists of his own, while guard Talen Horton-Tucker and forward Lauri Markkanen tacked on 13 and 10 points, respectively. Clippers guard Bones Hyland scored 18 points and blocked two shots in 24 minutes of play for Los Angeles.
The Jazz will face the Clippers again at 8 p.m. MDT on Tuesday in Climate Pledge Arena. The Seattle matchup will be followed by games against the Portland Trail Blazers, the New Zealand Breakers of Australia's National Basketball League and the Sacramento Kings. Utah went 1-3 in its 2022-23 preseason schedule, defeating the Trail Blazers at Moda Center while losing to the Toronto Raptors, San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks.
Which Jazz players will have the most to prove to solidify their spot in Utah's rotation during the 2023-24 NBA season?
Kris Dunn
Kris Dunn, the former No. 5 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, played in 22 games and started in three for the Jazz during the 2022-23 regular season. He finished last year with averages of 13.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.1 steals per game. The former Minnesota Timberwolves and Chicago Bulls guard scored 11 points and grabbed two steals during his Jazz debut last season, hitting five of his 10 shot attempts as Utah took a 1-point win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“It's hard to do what he just did,” Jazz head coach Will Hardy said in February, via Salt Lake Tribune Jazz reporter Eric Walden. “He doesn't really know the guys. … It speaks to his ability to be a pro and go out there and adapt.”
Guards Collin Sexton and Jordan Clarkson will be under contract for the Jazz during the 2023-24 season, according to sports salaries and contracts website Spotrac. The duo played in a combined 32 minutes during last Sunday's win over the Clippers. Sexton, who the Jazz acquired from the Cleveland Cavaliers in the blockbuster trade involving guard Donovan Mitchell, started in 15 of the 48 games he played for Utah last season.
The Jazz selected George with the No. 16 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. The former Baylor guard was named to the All-Summer League First Team in July, joining Houston Rockets forward Cam Whitmore, Denver Nuggets forward Hunter Tyson, Miami Heat center Orlando Robinson and Cavaliers guard Sam Merrill. George was a part of a Utah draft class that featured UCF forward Taylor Hendricks and Ohio State forward Brice Sensabaugh.
“The three of them are incredibly high character,” Hardy said last week, via The Spectrum. “They go at it. They have not backed down for one second out here playing with our veteran guys. Training camp is going to show us a lot. I think there is a world where each of them play could play themselves into minutes.”
Kris Dunn will have to continue carving out his place in Utah's rotation in the preseason after an impressive performance against the Clippers. If he can, he may have a chance to solidify his spot on a Utah squad looking for its first spot in the NBA playoffs since the 2021-22 season.
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