The Utah Jazz hired Austin Ainge as their new president of basketball operations in June, and he sent out a clear message during his introductory press conference. Ainge stated the Jazz’s tanking ways were behind them under his leadership and that they won’t be doing it in the upcoming 2025-26 season.
While that is an admirable statement, the Jazz’s roster does not inspire confidence. On Monday, the front office further weakened it by trading away John Collins in a three-team deal. They only got Kevin Love, Kyle Anderson, and a second-round pick as part of the deal, and here’s what the Jazz’s active roster now looks like.
Roster
Point Guards: Isaiah Collier (20Y), Walter Clayton Jr. (22Y)
Shooting Guards: Keyonte George (21Y), Brice Sensabaugh (21Y), Svi Mykhailiuk (28Y), Jaden Springer (22Y), Elijah Harkless (25Y), John Tonje (24Y)
Small Forwards: Ace Bailey (18Y), Kyle Anderson (31Y), Cody Williams (20Y), KJ Martin (24Y)
Power Forwards: Lauri Markkanen (28Y), Taylor Hendricks (21Y), Kyle Filipowski (21Y), Kevin Love (36Y)
Centers: Walker Kessler (23), Jusuf Nurkic (30Y)
This is an incredibly young team, with Kevin Love, Kyle Anderson, and Jusuf Nurkic being the only players aged 30 or higher. Love is likely to be bought out as well, which would bring the average age down even further.
Lauri Markkanen will once again be the primary option for the Jazz, but he is coming off a difficult 2024-25 season. Markkanen averaged 19.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game while shooting 42.3% from the field.
Markkanen had put up 24.5 points on 49% shooting from the field in the two seasons prior to that one. Time will tell if what we saw last season was just a blip or a sign of things to come.
While Markkanen struggled in 2024-25, Walker Kessler did not. Kessler averaged 11.1 points, 12.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.6 steals, and 2.4 blocks per game. He bounced back in some style from what was a disappointing sophomore season and is cementing his status as one of the best young centers in the NBA.
It will be interesting to see if any of the other young players for the Jazz would accomplish the same in their respective positions by the end of next season. None of them has really shown they have the potential to be a star one day with their play on the court thus far, though.
Keyonte George has shown he can be a pretty good scorer, averaging 16.8 points per game as a sophomore in 2024-25, but you don’t see star potential there. Kyle Filipowski and Isaiah Collier had solid rookie seasons, too, but neither made the All-Rookie Teams.
In fact, only two players on this roster have made the All-Rookie team in recent years. Kessler made the First Team in 2023, while George made the Second Team in 2024. That’s not a good sign.
Ace Bailey, the 5th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, is someone who could join them, and he is regarded as having the potential to be a star. Bailey shrugged off a disappointing outing in his first Summer League game by recording 18 points, seven rebounds, and three assists in a 112-111 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday.
Even if Bailey is destined to be a star, the chances of him stamping his authority on games from the get-go are low. He, along with his other young teammates, will need a lot of time to develop, which doesn’t bode well for the present.
The Jazz finished with the worst record in the NBA at 17-65 in 2024-25. Even if the intention isn’t to tank, the chances of them finishing at the bottom of the standings once again are fairly high with this roster.
