Welcome to IAI Sports! And welcome to the 2022-23 NBA Season!
To begin the season, we will be running through each NBA team and analysing what they’ve done throughout the off-season. Each article will start off with an introduction, telling a story of how this team is where they are at today. We quickly delve into the results of the 2021-2022 NBA season, before diving into the off-season in’s and out’s.
From there, we go into depth discussing some of the important rotation pieces for the upcoming season, before finishing with a quick analysis of a team’s win totals and a full conclusion of why this team has completed these moves, what their win total will be, and my own predictions of breakout players and what to expect from this team. It’s a season preview series with the purpose of getting you up-to-date with what has happened throughout the league.
A season preview of each of the 30 teams will be released, leading up to the beginning of the NBA season. All data and information included in these articles have been gathered from Basketball Reference, NBA.com and ESPN.
Today’s team is the Utah Jazz – a franchise that had a very busy off-season.
Introduction
The Utah Jazz have had many successful eras, all contributing to 31 playoff appearances in 49 seasons. The late 1980s and 1990s were dominated by the dynamic duo of Karl Malone and John Stockton, while the late 2000s squad consisting of Deron Williams, Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap were good enough to make the playoffs in a time where the Western Conference was stacked with talented franchises. But one thing has alluded the Jazz – an NBA championship.
This current Jazz roster was constructed through the draft, after the franchise went on a 4-year playoff drought between 2013 and 2016. Throughout that time, they couldn’t seem to get their 1st round pick right, drafting Trey Burke (9th overall in 2013), Dante Exum (5th overall in 2014) and Trey Lyles (12th overall in 2015). But they were able to acquire the draft rights to a 7’1” raw big man out of France, Rudy Gobert.
By the time he developed into a starting calibre Centre, he partnered with Gordon Hayward to get the Jazz back into the playoffs, and a 2nd round appearance in 2017. After that season, Hayward left the team in free agency. During the 2017 draft, the Jazz traded Lyles and their 1st round pick to acquire the draft rights to the 13th overall selection, Donovan Mitchell.
Donovan Mitchell was an instant hit. He came into the league and averaged 20.5 points as a rookie, forming a young duo with Gobert that allowed the Jazz to have an offensive and defensive focal point. The duo, alongside Joe Ingles, Bojan Bogdanovic (signed as a free agent in 2019), Mike Conley (acquired via trade from the Memphis Grizzlies during the 2019 off-season) and Jordan Clarkson (acquired from the Cleveland Cavaliers via trade in December 2019) would all help the Jazz reach another four consecutive playoff appearances.
The Jazz made two 2nd round appearances during this four year stretch; the first being in Mitchell’s rookie season in 2018. The Jazz got past the Russell Westbrook and Paul George-led Oklahoma City Thunder squad in 5 games, before losing to the Houston Rockets in the 2nd round. The other 2nd round appearance was in 2021, when the Jazz finished 1st in the Western Conference with a 52-30 record. Many were predicting this team to be the Western Conference representatives in the NBA Finals, but got outplayed and outcoached by an LA Clippers squad, all while missing Kawhi Leonard. They lost the series in 6 games and got knocked out of the playoffs.
Last Season
This marked a disappointing end to what was a promising regular season for the Jazz. External expectations were not met, so they used the 2021 off-season to retool and get the right pieces to put alongside Mitchell and Gobert. They re-signed Mike Conley, while Rudy Gay and Hassan Whiteside were brought in to provide veteran experience off the bench.
The Jazz started the 2022 season strongly, getting to a 28-10 record by the midway point of the season, thanks to 8-game and 6-game winning streaks. However, they still sat in 3rd in the Western Conference, due to excellent starts from the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors. The team couldn’t maintain this run, finishing as the 5th seed in the Western Conference, with a record of 49-33 (they ended the season under .500, with a record of 21-23).
In the playoffs, the Jazz came up against the Dallas Mavericks – a young team with little playoff experience, and missing their best, Luka Doncic, for the first 3 games of the series. Despite this, the Jazz couldn’t do anything to stop Jalen Brunson and his scoring prowess. The Jazz got the series 2-2, but couldn’t do anything to stop the Brunson-Doncic duo, losing in 6 games and getting knocked out of the playoffs. The Jazz had the #1 ranked offence and the 10th best defence, but this playoff exit would ultimately spell the end of the Mitchell-Gobert era of Jazz basketball.
Off-Season
Ins:
Malik Beasley (trade with Minnesota Timberwolves)
Leandro Bolmaro (trade with Minnesota Timberwolves)
Jarred Vanderbilt (trade with Minnesota Timberwolves)
Walker Kessler (trade with Minnesota Timberwolves)
Simone Fontecchio (free agent, originally in the EuroLeague)
Talen Horton-Tucker (trade with LA Lakers)
Collin Sexton (sign-and-trade with Cleveland Cavaliers)
Lauri Markkanen (trade with Cleveland Cavaliers)
Ochai Agbaji (trade with Cleveland Cavaliers)
Kelly Olynyk (trade with Detroit Pistons)
Outs:
Donovan Mitchell (trade to Cleveland Cavaliers)
Rudy Gobert (trade to Minnesota Timberwolves)
Bojan Bogdanovic (trade to Detroit Pistons)
Royce O’Neale (trade to Brooklyn Nets)
Juancho Hernangomez (waived, picked up by Toronto Raptors)
Hassan Whiteside (free agent)
Eric Paschall (free agent)
Trent Forest (free agent)
Jared Butler (waived)
Well, here we are. The Jazz officially blew it up. And they went out with a bang! The first big domino to fall was sending Royce O’Neale to the Brooklyn Nets for a 2023 1st round pick. While he wasn’t a superstar, O’Neale was a very important wing player in the Jazz rotation.
Then – the biggest trade of the off-season. Rudy Gobert was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Leandro Bolmaro, Patrick Beverley, Walker Kessler and five (5!) future unprotected 1st round picks/pick swaps. It was a trade that changed the way teams valued their superstars, as many thought the Jazz got a king’s ransom for the offensively-challenged Gobert.
It was only a matter of time before the Jazz found a partner for Donovan Mitchell. And despite the New York Knick’s immense interest, the Jazz ultimately decided to ship him to the Cleveland Cavaliers, for Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen, Ochai Agbaji, and five more 1st round picks/pick swaps.
The Jazz on-traded Patrick Beverley to the LA Lakers for Talen Horton-Tucker and Stanley Johnson. And finally (at the time of writing), Bojan Bogdanovic was dealt to the Detroit Pistons for Kelly Olynyk and Saben Lee.
2022-23 Roster
Starting Five
PG – Mike Conley
| H: 6’1″ | W: 175lbs | Age: 34 |
| Contract: 2 yr/$47.1m | Years Pro: 15 |
Career Averages:
14.8 pts, 3.0 reb, 5.6 asts, 1.4 stls, 0.2 blks, 2.0 to, 43.9%/38.2%/82.0%, 32.0 mins
Averages Last Season:
13.7 pts, 3.0 reb, 5.3 asts, 1.3 stls, 0.3 blks, 1.7 to, 43.5%/40.8%/79.6%, 28.6 mins
2022-23 Projections:
14.8 pts, 3.4 reb, 5.5 asts, 1.3 stls, 0.3 blks, 1.9 to, 43.0%/39.8%/80.8%
Mike Conley has provided solid PG minutes throughout his career with Memphis and Utah. He, alongside Marc Gasol, were key contributors to the Grit ‘n Grind era of Grizzlies basketball, where Conley was a borderline All-Star and All-Defensive Second team selection in 2013. In his first season with the Jazz, he was finally selected to his first All-Star game. Conley will provide veteran leadership with great 3-point shooting and perimeter defence.
SG – Collin Sexton
| H: 6’1″ | W: 190lbs | Age: 23 |
| Contract: 4 yr/$71m | Years Pro: 4 |
Career Averages:
20.0 pts, 3.0 reb, 3.3 asts, 0.8 stls, 0.1 blks, 2.5 to, 45.8%/37.8%/82.7%, 32.9 mins
Averages Last Season:
16.0 pts, 3.3 reb, 2.1 asts, 0.9 stls, 0.0 blks, 2.8 to, 45.0%/24.4%/74.4%, 28.7 mins
2022-23 Projections:
19.9 pts, 3.2 reb, 3.3 asts, 0.9 stls, 0.2 blks, 2.4 to, 47.8%/35.6%/81.3%
For his first three seasons, Collin Sexton has been the go-to scoring option throughout the Cavaliers’ rebuild. He has developed into a shot-creating guard, despite being undersized for a SG. Sexton struggled in the first 11 games of last season before rupturing his ACL and missing the rest of the season. Now in a fresh situation with the Jazz, he will be the go-to scoring option once again.
SF - Malik Beasley
| H: 6’4″ | W: 187lbs | Age: 25 |
| Contract: 1 yr/$15.5m | Years Pro: 5 |
Career Averages:
10.4 pts, 2.5 reb, 1.2 asts, 0.6 stls, 0.1 blks, 0.7 to, 43.0%/38.6%/81.6%, 20.9 mins
Averages Last Season:
12.1 pts, 2.9 reb, 1.5 asts, 0.5 stls, 0.2 blks, 0.5 to, 39.1%/37.7%/81.7%, 25.0 mins
2022-23 Projections:
11.7 pts, 2.9 reb, 1.5 asts, 0.6 stls, 0.1 blks, 0.7 to, 41.2%/38.5%/82.3%
Malik Beasley has developed into a 3-point specialist in his time in the league. He showed a capacity to score 20+ points per game with the rebuilding Timberwolves, before moving to a 6th man role upon Anthony Edwards arrival. Now with the rebuilding Jazz, Beasley will either revert back to a high-volume scorer, or join Jordan Clarkson to form a 1-2 scoring punch off the bench.
PF - Lauri Markkanen
| H: 7’0″ | W: 240lbs | Age: 25 |
| Contract: 3 yrs/$51.8m | Years Pro: 5 |
Career Averages:
15.4 pts, 6.8 reb, 1.3 asts, 0.7 stls, 0.5 blks, 1.3 to, 44.1%/36.4%/85.0%, 29.7 mins
Averages Last Season:
14.8 pts, 5.7 reb, 1.3 asts, 0.7 stls, 0.5 blks, 0.9 to, 44.5%/35.8%/86.8%, 30.8 mins
2022-23 Projections:
15.0 pts, 5.8 reb, 1.3 asts, 0.8 stls, 0.5 blks, 1.0 to, 45.8%/37.3%/85.3%
Coming across from the Chicago Bulls in free agency, Lauri Markkanen played an unfamiliar role with the Cavaliers. He started and played every game last season as a SF rather than his usual PF/C. Markkanen was able to exploit smaller matchups on offence, while defending the opposing big men as Evan Mobley was able to guard quicker opposition forwards. Markkanen is also a good 3-point shooter and helps space the floor for Garland and Allen to run their pick-and-roll sets. He is adaptable at either forward position and will start with the Jazz.
C - Jarrad Vanderbilt
| H: 6’9″ | W: 214lbs | Age: 23 |
| Contract: 2 yr/$8.9m | Years Pro: 4 |
Career Averages:
5.4 pts, 6.2 reb, 1.1 asts, 1.0 stls, 0.6 blks, 0.8 to, 59.1%/14.3%/61.6%, 18.9 mins
Averages Last Season:
6.9 pts, 8.4 reb, 1.3 asts, 1.3 stls, 0.6 blks, 1.0 to, 58.7%/14.3%/65.6%, 25.4 mins
2022-23 Projections:
6.6 pts, 7.3 reb, 1.3 asts, 1.2 stls, 0.6 blks, 0.9 to, 58.7%/27.9%/65.0%
Jarred Vanderbilt does one thing really well: rebound. He was able to play meaningful minutes as the starting PF for the Timberwolves in their drought-breaking playoff run, alongside Karl-Anthony Towns in the front court. His presence as a rebounder on both ends (2.9 offensive and 5.5 defensive rebounds per game last season) allowed Towns to focus on spacing the floor. He was included in the Gobert trade and will continue to develop his game in Utah.
Backups
G - Jordan Clarkson
| H: 6’4″ | W: 194lbs | Age: 30 |
| Contract: 1 yr/$13.3m | Years Pro: 8 |
Jordan Clarkson is one of the premiere 6th men in the competition. Since being drafted to the Lakers in 2015, Clarkson has been a high-volume scorer, averaging 15.4 points per game for his career. While he isn’t the most efficient shooter (43.9% from the field, 33.8% from 3-point range for his career), a breakout year in 2021 (18.4 pts and 4 reb per game; 34.7% from 3-point range on 8.8 attempts) saw him win 6th Man of the Year. Now, he looks to be the leader of this makeshift Jazz roster.
G - Nickeil Alexander-Walker
| H: 6’6″ | W: 205lbs | Age: 24 |
| Contract: 1 yr/$5.0m (RC) | Years Pro: 3 |
Nickeil Alexander-Walker was being developed in New Orleans as a high-volume shooter. In particular, he was coming on as the 6th man and occasionally starting, but really struggled with efficiency. When the Pelicans acquired CJ McCollum at last season’s trade deadline, Alexander-Walker was no longer needed and dumped to the Jazz. With the chaos of this off-season, Alexander Walker now has the opportunity to show the NBA he belongs in a larger role off the bench.
F - Rudy Gay
| H: 6’8″ | W: 250lbs | Age: 36 |
| Contract: 1 yr/$6.2m | Years Pro: 16 |
Rudy Gay has been an ultra-consistent 2nd/3rd option on good NBA teams for 16 seasons. A hybrid SF/PF with the ability in his prime to score 18+ points per game for over a decade, Gay never did anything at an elite level, but was solid and performed his role as starter with the Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings, while coming off the bench for the San Antonio Spurs and Utah Jazz.
F/C - Kelly Olynyk
| H: 6’11” | W: 240lbs | Age: 31 |
| Contract: 2 yr/$25m | Years Pro: 9 |
Kelly Olynyk has built his career around being a high-volume 3-point shooter, which opens up the floor on the offensive end for his teammates to attack the paint (36.5% from 3-point range for his career). Remarkably durable in the beginning of his career, he has struggled to stay on the court for the past 3 seasons (110 games total, 36 games a year). He was traded in the off-season from Detroit.
C - Walker Kessler
| H: 7’1″ | W: 245lbs | Age: 21 |
| Contract: 4 yr/$13.4m (RC) | Years Pro: 0 |
Walker Kessler was drafted to the Minnesota Timberwolves with the 22nd pick in the 2022 draft, before being sent to the Utah Jazz in the Rudy Gobert trade. Kessler led the NCAA in total blocks and averaged 4.6 blocks per game in his one season with Auburn. Using his 7’4” wingspan, he was also a presence on the boards (8.1 rebounds per game), reacted well to get steals (1.1 per game) and also shot very well from the field (60.8% and 70.2% from the field and 2-point range last season). He will be a key piece in the Jazz’s rebuild.
The Rest
11. Talen Horton-Tucker (SG)
12. Ochai Agbaji (SG/SF)
13. Udoka Azibuike (C)
14. Simone Fontecchio (SF)
15.
T-W. Johnny Juzang (SG/SF)
T-W. Micah Potter (C)
Season Projections
Sports betting agencies currently have the Utah Jazz win totals sitting at 25.5 wins, sitting 12th in the Western Conference. It’s clear that the Jazz are in the group of four teams in the West that are not good enough to make the playoffs. Their roster still has really good complementary talent, but right now, doesn’t make collective sense. Obviously, no one is expecting the Jazz to match last season’s win totals, especially without four starters. But it’s interesting to see punters expectation that the Jazz will outperform the Spurs, Thunder and Rockets.
Conclusion
The Utah Jazz had to do something after failing to live up to the expectations for yet another postseason. Fire head coach Quin Snyder? Sure. Bring in a new front office? Why not. Retool the roster and reload to go again? Nah, let’s blow the whole team up and start again.
The roster the Jazz currently have is completely different to the roster that lost to the Dallas Mavericks last season. The team could have definitely brought in a star wing player to complement Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, or at least find role players that could open the ceiling of what this duo could do. But when the Minnesota Timberwolves offered an unworldly number of 1st round pick and young prospects, the Jazz (for obvious reasons) couldn’t say no.
Murmurs had been circulating around the league about the tension between Mitchell and Gobert for much of last season. The pairing looked great from the get-go, but couldn’t be sustained due to the limitations both players offer. Mitchell hasn’t developed into a great defender, while Gobert can’t do anything outside the paint on both ends of the floor. That being said, it’s a shame this duo couldn’t break through and win the franchise’s first NBA championship. The line-up of Mike Conley, Donovan Mitchell, Joe Ingles, Bojan Bogdanovic and Rudy Gobert, with Jordan Clarkson coming off the bench, was made for today’s style of play.
The Gobert trade ultimately left the Jazz with a decision to make: retool around Mitchell or trade him as well. In the end, the Cavaliers also offered a deal the Jazz couldn’t refuse, more 1st round picks, two starters and another young prospect from this year’s draft. If there were a manual outlining how to completely change a franchise’s ambitions from contending to rebuilding, the Jazz just did it step-by-step, perfectly.
If there is anyone that knows how to do something like this, it’s new GM Danny Ainge. Ainge orchestrated the Kevin Garnett-Paul Pierce trade in his previous job with the Boston Celtics, to help acquire draft picks and build the Jayson Tatum-Jaylen Brown duo. Obviously, that will take many years to accomplish, but Ainge knows how to draft young prospects and put together a team. And because of those trades, the Jazz now hold the futures of both the Timberwolves and Cavaliers, which will be very interesting to see if those franchises fail to win and fall back into rebuilding. The Jazz could use the picks themselves, or throw them in a trade for a superstar when the time’s right. They’re in a great starting position for their rebuild.
To add, they’ve also got some pretty solid (albeit, unknown) prospects that they can give large minutes. Walker Kessler looked like a defensive monster in college, which should translate to the NBA really well. Jarrad Vanderbilt was crucial with the Minnesota Timberwolves and looks to be a big man with promise. Talen Horton-Tucker is out of the glitz and glamour of Los Angeles, and in a city where he can quietly develop into a 3-and-D wing, while the likes of Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Ochai Agbaji will get more opportunities for minutes with these trades. The Jazz can use this season to evaluate these prospects and see who is worthy of keeping around for the long haul.
But the roster is far from complete. The Jazz have a lot of veterans that could add value to contending playoff teams. As the season rolls along, the Jazz will definitely field offers for the likes of Mike Conley, Jordan Clarkson, Malik Beasley, Kelly Olynyk and potentially Lauri Markkanen and Rudy Gay – hoping that some team, in the midst of the race for playoff positions, will cough up a 1st round pick or a young prospect to help their team win now. Watch for the 8-9 Eastern Conference teams, trying to avoid the play-in tournament, come and pry some of these veterans out of Utah.
Looking at the roster as it stands, there’s no way they can match last season’s offensive and defensive rankings. They have a roster full of misfits, half of which are veterans waiting for a trade out, and the other half young prospects that may not be rotation-calibre. Just like every rebuild, the first season is going to be an awkward, with not much hope and plenty of moves to get as much young talent in as possible. That’s why I’m predicting the Jazz to win 20 games this season. Collin Sexton is going to have a rebound season for the ages, where he’ll be the only option on offence and score the lights out on high volume. Similarly, it could be a big season for Malik Beasley, who should become a starter again. While Walker Kessler may not be a starter to begin the season, but he certainly will by the end, showing off future All-Defensive team selection promise.