The Utah Jazz might be sitting on a top-eight protected pick that would otherwise head to Oklahoma City, but don’t mistake that for a team ready to hit the tank button again in 2025-26. Around the league, front offices are starting to get the sense that Utah’s mindset is shifting - not toward another rebuild, but toward building something competitive around their rising star, Lauri Markkanen.
According to league chatter, the Jazz - under new head of basketball operations Austin Ainge - are more interested in adding to their core than subtracting from it. That includes Markkanen, who’s not just playing well - he’s putting up the best numbers of his career, averaging 27.9 points per game.
There’s been some speculation about whether Utah might eventually move him, especially given his long-term contract that runs through 2028-29. But most of the buzz now suggests the Jazz are leaning in the other direction: finding a way to build around their All-Star forward rather than shipping him out.
The Jazz’s desire to compete sooner rather than later is also reflected in how their young guard Keyonte George has taken a leap this season. After a rough outing against Houston on Sunday - where he battled through illness and finished scoreless with eight turnovers - George bounced back in a big way the very next night.
He dropped 28 points on 8-of-14 shooting, dished out eight assists, and grabbed four boards in 37 minutes. It was the kind of performance that showcased just how far he’s come in year three.
George credits a brutally honest exit interview with head coach Will Hardy at the end of last season for helping him elevate his game - and his mindset. “Will shot it to me straight,” George told Andscape.
“Our relationship is on a whole other level now. He calls me late at night and tells me little things like, ‘Play defense,’ and then he hangs up.”
That kind of tough-love communication has turned into something deeper - a real partnership. As George put it, “I’m a second him on the floor.
He can’t play. So, I’m thinking for the group trying to execute what he wants every single possession.”
That kind of player-coach synergy is vital, especially for a young team trying to turn the corner. And George isn’t just talking the talk - his numbers back it up: 22.5 points, 6.8 assists, and 3.9 rebounds per game, with shooting splits of .440/.325/.898 over 19 games. He’s playing big minutes (33.9 per game), and he’s earning every one of them.
Meanwhile in Oklahoma City, second-year guard Ajay Mitchell is quietly becoming one of the better under-the-radar stories in the Western Conference. A 2024 second-round pick, Mitchell got thrown into the mix early last season on a two-way deal with the Thunder. A toe injury sidelined him for a good chunk of his rookie year, but he was promoted to a standard contract in February and then secured a multiyear deal this past summer.
Now healthy, Mitchell is showing why OKC kept the faith. His feel for the game stands out, and he’s made strides on both ends of the floor.
“He’s just a really good basketball player,” said reigning MVP and Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. “His feel for the game is what jumps out right away.
He just understands how to play. It’s almost like when you’re playing with him, it’s like a pickup game.
He doesn’t need a play called for him. He just goes out there and figures it out.”
That kind of instinctual, high-IQ basketball is exactly what the Thunder value - and it’s made life easier for Gilgeous-Alexander and the rest of the roster.
Up in Minnesota, the Timberwolves continue to find winning combinations - sometimes in unexpected places. Down four heading into the fourth quarter on Sunday, head coach Chris Finch rolled out a lineup featuring Mike Conley, Donte DiVincenzo, Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle and Naz Reid. That group had seen just 15 minutes of floor time together all season, but in six minutes against the Spurs, they flipped the game on its head.
Minnesota outscored San Antonio by 20 points during that stretch, with Reid playing a key role. He poured in eight of his 15 points in the final frame and brought the kind of energy that’s becoming a trademark of this Wolves team.
“We’re a hard team to beat when we’re all involved, and it shows,” Reid said. “If we could do that more consistently, we’re going to be a really, really hard team to beat.
It’s fun, especially when you’re doing it at home, getting the crowd involved and all that good stuff. It’s fun basketball.”
That’s the kind of depth and versatility that makes Minnesota dangerous. When your fifth option on the floor can swing a game like that, you’re doing something right.
So while the narrative in the Northwest Division might have started with draft picks and long-term plans, what we’re seeing now is something different: teams that are ready to compete, young players stepping up, and front offices looking to build - not break down. Whether it’s Utah’s belief in its core, OKC’s development pipeline, or Minnesota’s late-game chemistry, there’s a quiet intensity building out West. And it’s only December.