3 Key Storylines for Jazz Fans to Watch During the 2023-24 NBA Season
On Thursday night, the Utah Jazz wrapped preseason play up with a loss against the Sacramento Kings. With the regular season starting Wednesday, let’s talk about the three storylines worth monitoring throughout the upcoming season.
Player Development
The most important thing that can happen for the Jazz this year is the development of their young core. For a team in the early stages of a rebuild, they are in a unique situation thanks to the ascension of F Lauri Markkanen. The 26-year-old unexpectedly transformed into one of the better players in the world last year. Because of his unique combination of elite size, athleticism, and shooting ability, the Jazz struck gold and are trying to capitalize on that.
The Jazz have a young roster that got even younger as a result of bringing three 19-year-old rookies into the fold this year. The development of those three and the continued growth of C Walker Kessler and F Ochai Agbaji will be paramount to building a sustainable winner around Markkanen.
G Keyonte George, in particular, looks like a player who is going to have a large say in what the next iteration of the Jazz will ultimately look like. The most encouraging development has been the point guard skills that Keyonte is already flashing.
One of the most prominent question marks for George before the draft was if he could run an offense or if he was going to be another score-first guard, similar to a handful of his current teammates. The Jazz need George to develop and develop quickly, luckily, the early returns have been very positive.
The preseason eye test was not as kind to F Taylor Hendricks. The Jazz's highest draft pick in nearly a decade just did not look ready for NBA minutes. The bright side is that he looked more comfortable each minute on the court. Taylor will spend time in the G-League, and hopefully, he will be able to acclimate quickly. It would be very encouraging to see Taylor getting consistent minutes by New Year’s.
Throw in the continued development of Markkanen, John Collins, Collin Sexton, Brice Sensabaugh, and others and we should be in for an exciting year. If the Jazz can have a couple of players burst onto the scene the future will get increasingly bright.
Star Discontent
Whether you like it or not, this is where we’re at. With extra first-round picks from the Minnesota Timberwolves, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Los Angeles Lakers, as well as expiring contracts, the Jazz are well-positioned to strike when the next star becomes available. Who the front office deems worthy of trading for is to be determined, but as the Jrue Holiday rumors taught us, the Jazz will be active.
Because the NBA changes so quickly, it is hard to speculate exactly who could be available and when. Just note that it’s worth tracking which teams sputter throughout the year and how that could impact the Jazz.
Pick Protection
The last storyline I’ll be keeping an eye on is the top-10-protected pick that the Jazz owe to the Oklahoma City Thunder. While all indications are that the Jazz want to be competitive, if they sputter out of the gate, that mindset could be fluid.
The 2024 Draft is perceived to have a weak class. Regardless, top-10 picks are still valuable. If the Jazz are unable to qualify for the playoffs or play-in tournament, I have a hard time believing they’d also want to convey a lottery pick to a division rival with the war chest that Oklahoma City has.
The Jazz have a wide range of reasonable outcomes for this season. I can’t say I have any clue where they end up this year, but I can say there will be plenty of things to watch as we progress through another season.
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