Lauri Markkanen blossoming into a star and Walker Kessler putting together a strong rookie season helped the Jazz be more competitive than expected. Utah still missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016. Climbing the ladder in a deep and talented Western Conference will be challenging. The Jazz have plenty of scoring threats, but they will need to shore up a weak defense and get consistent performances from a relatively inexperienced second unit to take a significant step forward.
They also extended Jordan Clarkson’s contract after he averaged career highs in points , assists and rebounds and fully guaranteed the final season of Kelly Olynyk’s deal to give their young roster some veteran leadership. Point guard is one position that remains in flux. First-year guard Keyonte George could be the point guard of the future, but Hardy plans to run the offense by committee to start the season.