It was a tale of two halves for the Utah Jazz during the 2022-23 season. They began last season on fire, surprising pundits in the process after many believed that they'd be one of the frontrunners in the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes. But come February, after they dealt away their quality veterans, the Jazz struggled immensely, continuing their descent down the Western Conference standings, and in doing so, carrying over that level of play into the beginning of the 2023-24 season.
At the very least, Lauri Markkanen has shown that he is no fluke; after a breakout 2022-23 campaign, he remains one of the best scoring forwards in the NBA, a bonafide three-level scorer in an unstoppable 7'0 frame. He remains a walking mismatch, a foundational piece for the Jazz amid their rebuild.
But other Jazz players haven't followed suit, as some of their most important players have gotten off to a putrid start to the 2023-24 season. These are some of the Jazz's biggest disappointments through their first eight games.
Walker Kessler, lost in the shuffle?
Walker Kessler, one of the main pieces the Jazz received in the Rudy Gobert trade, didn't have the best of starts to his rookie campaign. He was a situational big who backed up Kelly Olynyk, but once the Jazz prioritized giving minutes to its youngsters, Kessler flourished. He became a nightly double-double threat, emerging as one of the best young rim protectors in the league.
In fact, Kessler had such a promising rookie season that he received a call-up to the Team USA team that failed to win a medal in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, and he also single-handedly swung the Gobert trade in the Jazz's favor. After all, many analysts saw Kessler and Gobert's impact as something similar, while the former was still on his rookie deal and had a ton of room for improvement.
Thus, entering the 2023-24 season, many believed that Walker Kessler will be one of the league's breakout stars, a force to be reckoned with in the paint who, much like Rudy Gobert was in the past, can single-handedly guarantee a top-half finish in terms of defensive rating. But that hasn't materialized yet for Kessler and the Jazz through seven games.
The Jazz coaching staff has been inconsistent with Kessler's role to begin the season, and it hasn't been a surprise as to why. For starters, the Jazz's starting five to begin the year, which includes Lauri Markkanen, John Collins, Jordan Clarkson, and Talen Horton-Tucker alongside Kessler, has been abysmal. That lineup has posted a dreadful -22.4 net rating in 84 minutes of action thus far, allowing an unsightly 123.8 points per 100 possessions all the while mustering zilch on the offensive end.
Some of the most heavily-used five-man lineups for the Jazz including Kessler have been particularly dreadful on both ends of the court; the second most-utilized five-man unit including Kessler has posted a must be seen to be believed -58.6 net rating in 13 minutes of action.
Kessler has become more of a situational big for the Jazz, which has been quite disappointing in the aftermath of how he ended last season. Against more perimeter-oriented teams, head coach Will Hardy has opted to roll with Kelly Olynyk in crucial minutes; with Olynyk in place of Kessler in the Jazz's most-utilized five-man unit, they have outscored opponents by 35.4 points per 100 possessions, as Olynyk provides more spacing and playmaking nous than Kessler does.
Walker Kessler will have to improve his feel on the offensive end for the Jazz to lean on him more heavily, as he doesn't quite know what to do with the ball if he isn't slamming it down near the hoop. But it's important to remember that he's only 22 years old, so that should improve in time especially when he's learning from Olynyk and Markkanen, two of the most versatile offensive big men in today's NBA.
Jazz guards playing a sour note
The Jazz interestingly opted to go with Talen Horton-Tucker as the team's starting point guard to begin the year. At this point, it's looking like Horton-Tucker is mostly the player that he is. He's a bit of an inefficient shot-chucker who doesn't space the floor well and he has troubles sometimes when it comes to playing within the offense. To begin the year, he's shooting 38.8 percent from the field, which isn't ideal.
Collin Sexton has been better as of late, but ever since returning from injury, it's clear that the guard out of Alabama hasn't been the same player. His defensive metrics have been lackluster, and most of his scoring this season have come with the game out of reach.
It's only a matter of time before the Jazz decide to see what they have in rookie Keyonte George, someone who, in his brief NBA career, has shown better feel for the game than both Horton-Tucker and Sexton.
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