Not long ago, the Utah Jazz were the 1-seed in the Western Conference with Donovan Mitchell, Mike Conley Jr., Bojan Bogdanovic, and Rudy Gobert running the show. With Mitchell, Gobert, and Bogdanovic all being traded before the start of the 2022-23 season, the Jazz were viewed as a younger, inexperienced team that would finish near the bottom of the league standings.
This was not the case, as the Jazz came within a few games of reaching the play-in tournament in the Western Conference. Led by 2022-23 Most Improved Player and first-time All-Star Lauri Markkanen, the Jazz were one of the most dynamic and versatile teams last season. Utah may be young, but head coach Will Hardy and his staff have done an excellent job of tapping into their team's full potential, working with each player individually to make sure they fit into this team's system.
Heading into the 2023-24 season, the goal for the Jazz is simple: Make it back to the playoffs in order to prove to the rest of the league that they are going to be a problem for many years to come.
From one year to the next, the Jazz basically have the same roster. Jordan Clarkson and Markkanen remain the focal points offensively, as Walker Kessler is the defensive anchor in the paint. Kelly Olynyk, Talen Horton-Tucker, and Ochai Agbaji are all back as well for Utah, giving this team the secondary depth they need.
The Jazz also went out and added a significant contributor to their roster, as John Collins comes to Salt Lake City after spending the first six seasons of his career with the Atlanta Hawks. An athletic power forward who can play perimeter-to-post, Collins is the perfect complimentary forward for the Jazz to have alongside Markkanen. Better yet, the former Hawk is thrilled to be with Utah, a team he can relate to.
“I'd say the one thing that has surprised me is the lack of ego here,” Collins said during media day. “It's refreshing, you know what I mean, to have a group of guys that truly emphasize playing team basketball and that want to do so. It's nice for me to see and exciting for me to be around. That helps me wake up in the morning motivated to go play.”
What's interesting about Collins is that he's an experienced veteran in this league that's still only 26 years old. Collins fits the timeline of this team perfectly and will be playing with a chip on his shoulder, looking to prove all of his doubters wrong.
The Jazz are only going to get better as time goes on. Not only did they add Collins in order to continue growing in the West, but Utah also brought in quite a few high-potential rookies, one of which has high Rookie of the Year aspirations.
Jazz offseason additions and departures
Additions: F John Collins (trade – ATL), G Keyonte George (draft), C Omer Yurtseven (free agency – MIA), F Taylor Hendricks (draft), F Brice Sensabaugh (draft)
Departures: F Rudy Gay (trade – ATL), C Damian Jones (free agency – CLE)
It is very clear to see that the Jazz have a vision for building their team of the future. As much as they want to find success right now, their focus is on constructing a core group that can compete in the Western Conference and grow amongst one another. That is why they utilized all three of their first-round picks on versatile, intriguing players.
Taylor Hendricks was the team's first draft pick this offseason at ninth overall. Just 19 years old and possessing a lot of length as a combo forward, Hendricks has a chance to fill a role similar to that held by Lauri Markkanen. Viewed as a power forward by many due to his shot blocking abilities and skill in the low-post, Hendricks may wind up seeing some time at small forward as well since he can stretch the floor and shoot from the wing.
Still a very unpolished and raw talent, Hendricks will likely spend most of the 2023-24 season working on his craft. It would not come as a shock if he spends some time in the G League if there are not minutes to be had right away behind Kelly Olynyk and Markkanen.
A handful of picks later, the Jazz were able to grab Keyonte George with the 16th overall selection. George was a player Utah had their eyes on all throughout the pre-draft process and that is because they viewed him as a successor to Donovan Mitchell at the shooting guard/point guard positions. While he did not necessarily show it a whole lot at Baylor, George is an all-around playmaker and one of the better score-first players from this 2023 draft class.
A confident, young, and dynamic guard who can play with or without the ball in his hands, George stood out amongst all rookies at Summer League this offseason, averaging 21.7 points and 6.3 assists per game while shooting 52.3 percent from the floor and 44.4 percent from three-point range in three games. All the spotlight this season is on Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren in the race for Rookie of the Year, but George believes he will be the one who ends up with this illustrious honor.
“For myself, I set really high goals,” George told reporters at media day. “I want to be Rookie of the Year. As far as the season, I want to get better each and every day… Just try to not only be the best version of myself, but try to bring the best version out of this team.”
Aside from Hendricks and George, the Jazz also drafted Brice Sensabaugh, an offensive-minded wing who is currently recovering from a knee injury. Like Hendricks, Sensabaugh will probably spend most of his rookie year working on his craft and getting adjusted to the NBA game.
Both Collins and George have a chance to make an impact from Day 1 with their new team, especially given that they can provide the Jazz with a sense of comfortability on the offensive side of things. One of the biggest struggles Utah faced last season was their lack of productivity when either Markkanen or Clarkson were out of the game.
With two capable secondary scorers, one of which is a rookie who could grow into a primary scoring option in the backcourt, the Jazz will have a lot of ways to break down their opponents entering the 2023-24 season.
2023-24 season outlook
The Jazz have a chance to be a complete wild card this season. With how talented the Western Conference is, it would not come as a shock to see them remain the same as they were last season in terms of record. Then again, this team is young and only going to get better, so nobody should be shocked if they take that next step now and make the playoffs.
John Collins seems to be a perfect fit at the power forward spot for this franchise, plus there is a lot to like about the size and length this team possesses. At the end of the day, all it takes for young teams to find their stride in this league is time. The Jazz know this, which is why they are going to do everything they can to develop the youth on their roster while also utilizing their experienced veterans to push everyone every single day.
“Our goal as a staff is to figure out how this group fits together,” Hardy stated this offseason, via The Athletic's Tony Jones. “We have new pieces and new roles, and we are going to try and take this team at face value. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t going to go out there and try and win every night. We know this team will play hard and fight hard and compete.”
Utah knows that they are not in a position to contend for the 1-seed in the conference like they were just a couple of years ago. However, that doesn't mean they cannot be a competitive team and that is what Hardy was talking about.
This organization learned a lot about themselves during the 2022-23 season, which is why they are poised for growth. It's going to be tough to make the postseason in the West this year. The Jazz are going to need to get off to a fast start if they are to emerge as a team to be taken seriously during the 2023-24 season.
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