It wasn’t ESPN’s finest moment.
During a Utah Jazz’s summer league game last week, the Worldwide Leader in Sports put a projected depth chart on the screen, with some aspects that left a lot of Jazz fans scratching their heads.
It’s not exactly clear why the ESPN producers felt Lauri Markkanen was likely to play as a center next season, sending Walker Kessler to the bench, or why John Collins was instead the team’s starting three. Brice Sensabaugh as the team’s backup power forward would have been news to him, and the omission of free-agent signee Drew Eubanks was a glaring error as well.
Still, the chaos brought up some good questions about the team’s depth chart next season: Who really is likely to play in those spots? Of course, trades could throw this out the window at any point, but there’s a decent likelihood that the Jazz will go into this season with this as their roster, too. Let’s look at the big questions.
Do the Jazz start Markkanen, Collins, and Kessler together again next season?
That was the plan going into the 2023-24 season, but it was quickly scrapped due to results. Lineups with those three out on the court were outscored by a whopping 17 points per 100 possessions last season. The Jazz’s best lineups, meanwhile, saw Markkanen play at power forward, with either Collins or Kessler as the center, and a more traditional wing at small forward.
That being said, half of that negative Markkanen/Collins/Kessler sample size was with Talen Horton-Tucker at point guard; maybe his departure, and Collins’ growing familiarity, will lead to better results.
Benching Collins was just about the only rotational experimentation line Jazz coach Will Hardy wouldn’t cross last year. Will he give it a shot this year? We’ll see.
Which rookie will get the most playing time?
Isaiah Collier’s position as Utah’s fourth guard — behind Collin Sexton, Keyonte George, and Jordan Clarkson — seems relatively secure given the rest of the rotation. That usually means about 10 minutes per night, but that number might be additionally limited by the fact that George and Sexton can both play point guard.
For everyone else, though? There are real questions. The Jazz’s roster is still begging for a true small forward to play a significant role. Theoretically, any of Sensabaugh, Cody Williams, and Taylor Hendricks could be put in that spot, even starting. Sensabaugh’s the best shooter of the three, Hendricks probably the best defender, and Williams probably the best team offensive connector. Those minutes, however, could easily be squeezed by the Jazz choosing to play big.
There is also an obvious role for Kyle Filipowski to play as a combo 4/5 — it’s been notable just how many times assistant coach Sean Sheldon has said they see him as a Kelly Olynyk-esque hub out there. If he’s ready, he could get that role early. If not, the G League could be in the cards, too.
What to do with three sixth men?
The truth is that Sexton, George, and Clarkson are very similar archetypes of players right now. For all three, their best attribute is scoring, and all three are poor defenders thanks to their size and inconsistent effort. Their passing is very similar: Sexton averaged 6.6 assists per 36 minutes last year, while George and Clarkson both averaged 5.9 per 36 minutes. Sexton also was the most efficient of the three, but none of them are hyper-efficient. Their effective field goal percentages ranked 12th, 15th, and 17th among Jazz players who got minutes last year.
In an ideal world, these are classic NBA sixth men: high-usage players who can keep an NBA bench unit going but are not quite good enough at the other skills to be ball-in-hand starting stars.
Sexton was clearly the best of the three last year. But George, in just his second year, has more room for growth. It probably makes sense to start those two.
But which should be named point guard? George was that player for most of the year, but Jazz CEO Danny Ainge indicated that he wasn’t quite sure whether he was a point guard or shooting guard yet after the season, and summer league play raised those same questions.
Clarkson, meanwhile, needs a bounceback season after really struggling with his efficiency last year. As of now, there haven’t been any other interested NBA teams in trading for his services.
What I’d do
With the roster where it stands, here’s what I’d do:
Starters: Keyonte George, Collin Sexton, Cody Williams, Lauri Markkanen, Walker Kessler.
Rotational bench: Isaiah Collier, Jordan Clarkson, Taylor Hendricks, John Collins, Drew Eubanks.
Bit players: Johnny Juzang, Darius Bazley, Brice Sensabaugh, Kyle Filipowski, Kenneth Lofton, Jr.
Starting Cody Williams right out of the gate is a bold move — but one that reflects where the Jazz are as a team. Clearly, the team needs to gamble on upside, and Williams has that. He also seemingly has the skills to fit in as an offensive connector and slasher right away without taking too much off the page, whereas Hendricks and Sensabaugh can struggle with their ball movement and defensive focus.
Starting this lineup also gives George the best surrounding cast to grow with, Kessler multiple players to give him lobs, and rim protection and rebounding in the front court.
The bench, too, has a mix of youth and vets. Collier can try running the point guard role in the NBA, but can also give up the reigns to Clarkson when ball pressure gets too great. Eubanks, meanwhile, gives the bench lineup necessary toughness and rebounding that I’m not sure we’d see from Filipowski. To be sure, effective spacing is a concern with this lineup, with question marks on shooting prowess for all of them. Depending on who shoots well and who doesn’t, Juzang, Sensabaugh, or Filipowski could be called into the rotation.
Meanwhile, the bit players can push the bench for spots. I’d expect to see at least a couple of these guys in the G League to start the season, being called up in case of injury or excellent play to challenge the rotation for minutes.
