The Utah Jazz are 3-0. Yes, you read that correctly. Easily the NBA's biggest surprise after the first week, the Salt Lake City franchise finds themselves undefeated after trading away two stars, Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, for a boatload of draft picks.

Despite looking primed for a shot at 18 year-old Victor Wembanyama, the Jazz have turned the tank around. It remains to be seen how much rope General Manager Danny Ainge is willing to give this young group before ultimately deciding that his squad needs a lottery pick in the upcoming draft.

But, if Ainge lets this squad play out their games without influence, how far can they go? Here are our three Jazz takeaways from their epic first week of the 2022-23 season.

1. Lauri Markkanen – 2023 NBA All Star

Lauri Markkanen is not the same player he was on the Chicago Bulls, or even in his short stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers. This is a guy who many shut the door on as he exited Chicago, always leaving fans and coaches needing more production. But this is a different Markkanen, not the stretch-four Markkanen that hangs around the perimeter waiting for his teammates to make a play. This year, he's the playmaker, and the 25-year old has spearheaded this 3-0 start.

Markkanen is averaging 24.0 points per game to start the season, and you might think a majority of those buckets would be from beyond the arc, where he has made most of his money in the pros. However, Markkanen has been ice-cold from three, connecting on just 30,4 percent of his looks, a number that will likely see some positive regression.

Instead, Markkanen has approached this season with a similar mindset to his FIBA run with Finland this summer. Despite standing at 7 feet, he has put the ball on the floor, getting to his spot in the mid-range or attacking the basket for left and right-handed finishes, including a monstrous dunk on former Jazz member Rudy Gobert.

If Markannen can keep up this level of aggression while maintaining the amount of touches in the half-court, he can potentially hang around the 25-point average this season—he is talented enough to do so. He could sneak his way into the star-studded Western Conference if the Jazz can continue to shine in the limelight.

2. Collin Sexton will win Sixth Man of the Year

Head coach Will Hardy has opted to bring the explosive Collin Sexton off the bench to start the year, most likely playing it cautiously with Sexton coming off a torn meniscus in his left knee last season.

Sexton likely wants to work up to a starting position, but his game is made for that sixth-man role. That's not a knock to Sexton—he's good enough to start on many teams in this league and will likely see a lot of the closing minutes for the Jazz this season. But, his energy and passion for the game is the perfect punch that can wake up the Jazz if the starters look slow out of the gates.

Sexton is an elite scorer at all three levels and can average 20 points per game in his sleep. Even as he ramps up to game speed and is fully healthy, Hardy might choose to keep him on the bench to start games, putting Sexton right in that conversation with Jordan Poole and Norman Powell for Sixth Man of the Year, and betting on “Young Bull” is never a bad option.

3. The Jazz will make the playoffs

Will Hardy has this team taking on every possession like it's life or death. They defend hard and smart, with veterans like Markkanen, Mike Conley and Kelly Olynyk taking the reigns offensively, with a sprinkle of fireworks in Jordan Clarkson. Barring a trade that will likely ship their veterans out of town, the Jazz could creep into the play-in tournament and win a crucial game to slip into the playoffs.

The Jazz have the veterans to steady the ship, and the young guns to elevate their ceiling. While adding Victor Wembanyama in the draft is a dream come true for any team in the league, it might be time for Danny Ainge to shift his focus from who they could have, to who they actually have. Some playoff experience for this group could change the trajectory of this franchise.