The Utah Jazz rebuild is taking its time to coalesce into something real, tangible, or faith-supporting. Now in the third season removed from the era of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, Utah remains without a clear identity -- without form.
The first thoughts when assessing the tone of the Jazz have to be directed to their current roster. Utah is years removed from a real shot at competitive basketball. Positive progress will follow strong players, and at the moment, most of Utah's valuable pieces are either on rookie contracts, or were unmoved at the trade deadline.
Those stragglers include John Collins, Jordan Clarkson, Collin Sexton, and yes, even Lauri Markkanen. Each is a player whose future in the Beehive State is in danger when considering the state of the franchise.
At the rate Utah's moving, does their timeline include any of these players in a starting capacity? Likely not.
Does this mean their inclusion on the depth chart is nothing but insulation for coach Will Hardy? Not necessarily. Veteran direction is a valuable asset for young players, and Utah has more than their fair share of youngsters.
Do these veterans project to contribute to winning basketball while under contract with the Jazz? Objectively, the chances of that are slim to none, and Utah's front office understands that.
The key to a successful roster cleansing includes singling out the good, and purging the greater body of the bad. Utah's third-worst record league-wide -- while still maintaining the planned trajectory -- doesn't inspire faith that this squad's bones are strong enough to simply tweak.
A proper assessment requires compartmentalization, and Utah is overdue for a proper assessment. Tracking the youth revolution, which of the Jazz's young hoopers have a bright future in the league, and which are likely to fall to the back of the bench when big boy basketball is back on the itinerary?
Foundational Pieces
Walker Kessler
Utah's shot-blocking big is a rebounding revolutionary and a rim-protecting savant. He still has a ways to go offensively, but he's no Gobert. Unfortunately, Kessler is the only sure-thing prospect on Utah's current roster, and that's not great news for those exhausted from non-competitive play.
Promising Contributors
Keyonte George, Isaiah Collier, Kyle Filipowski
A terrific backcourt offensively in the month of February, both players are dynamic and possess NBA-level skills -- George as a scorer and Collier a playmaker -- but are burdened by serious weaknesses that could lower their professional ceilings. Filipowski is off to a strong start, but may not improve much beyond what he's shown to this point.
As fantastic as these players have been at times for the Jazz, Collier will likely never be much of a scoring threat and George will never be a net-positive defender.
Perhaps, Given Time
Taylor Hendricks, Cody Williams
In complete honesty, neither of these players has gotten off to a strong start. Hendricks' injuries are a real concern, and his failure to improve noticeably from his rookie to sophomore seasons leads to the question of how much better the three-and-D wing can really become.
For Williams, he's still too thin, too weak, and too timid to make a significant impact on an NBA floor. The highs of his Summer League play were revelatory, as he scored over 20 points with high-flying poster jams and a reliable jump shot. In the NBA, it's been a different story.
Still, both players flash untapped potential, and quitting on their development at this moment would be premature. Potential can only take a player so far, though, and the floor for these players could be spine-chilling.
Not Looking Good
Brice Sensabaugh
With apologies, Sensabaugh is a good, not great, player who occasionally struggles to gather consistent minutes on a weakened depth chart. A smooth scorer who doesn't project to become much more, Sensabaugh may not make the cut when it comes to winning time.
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This story was originally published March 8, 2025 at 3:28 PM.