The Utah Jazz have spent years rebuilding in plain sight, and now they look ready to become a real problem in the Western Conference.
Danny Ainge has been steering that reset for a while, and even after the Jazz drafted Ace Bailey and kept Lauri Markkanen on the roster, they were still tanking last season. That part is over. With their big guard now in place, Utah suddenly has the kind of roster that can make life tougher for the Spurs next season.
What makes the Jazz dangerous is the way the pieces fit together. Their depth chart includes Keyonte George, Darryn Peterson, Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr., Walker Kessler, Ace Bailey, Brice Sensabaugh, Kyle Filipowski, Jusuf Nurkic, and Cody Williams. That’s a mix of drafted talent, development, and smart trades, and it gives Utah a lot more than just one or two threats.
Jaren Jackson Jr. and Walker Kessler bring the kind of size and defense that can clog the paint. Bailey, George, and Peterson can all add scoring with shooting and ball-handling.
And because the Jazz have so many options, Markkanen won’t be easy to isolate the way teams often try to do with a star. There are too many weapons around him now.
That’s what makes Utah look like a genuine Western Conference contender.
The Spurs have already shown how quickly a team can jump forward by making the right additions. De’Aaron Fox and Harrison Barnes helped San Antonio, and the team has already made a trip to the NBA Finals.
Oklahoma City followed a similar path, with the trade for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander long ago and later moves for Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein helping push them over the top last year. For Utah, Markkanen was the key acquisition a few years ago, and the Jazz have spent time turning him into a star.
Now he finally has the support around him.
San Antonio won 62 games last season, and even if the Spurs go past that number next year, it sounds like it will come with a lot less breathing room. The blowouts should be harder to come by.
A lot will still hinge on coaching and health, but if those boxes are checked, the Jazz can’t be treated like a second-tier team. They’d be right there with clubs like the Timberwolves and Rockets, and they could even profile as a top-four seed alongside the Nuggets. Denver still has Nikola Jokic, and that separates them from everyone else, but Utah is no longer a team opponents can brush aside.
With the new anti-tanking rules, more teams are supposed to show more fight. The Jazz now look built for that reality, and the Spurs will have to deal with another Western Conference team trying to stand in the way of their push to end the 12-year title drought.
In Other News...
Spurs Linked To Veteran Frontcourt Move That Would Change Everything Around Wemby
San Antonios offseason watch already has a familiar shape: the Spurs are looking for ways to keep building around Victor Wembanyama, and any frontcourt addition will be judged through that lens. With cap flexibility on their side, the team has room to explore a move that could add more size, athleticism and experience to a young core that is still taking form.
One name that keeps surfacing in that conversation is John Collins, with Chicago also frequently mentioned as a potential landing spot. The appeal is obvious on paper, since Collins could offer a different kind of presence next to Wembanyama, but the fit is not without questions because of his inconsistent shooting and only average rim protection. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Have A Sneaky Chance To Add Another Defensive Menace
The Spurs have spent plenty of time looking for ways to sharpen the edge of a defense built around Victor Wembanyama, and Jonathan Isaac fits the kind of low-risk swing that can be easy to picture from afar. Waived by Orlando and now on the market, he brings the sort of defensive reputation that has kept him on radars even as his value has been dulled by injuries and uneven availability.
The appeal is obvious on paper, because Isaac has long flashed the ability to change the tone of a game when he is healthy and engaged on that end. The hesitation is just as clear, since his offense has never come close to matching his defensive upside, which leaves any pursuit feeling speculative rather than certain for a Spurs team that is still weighing how much it wants to gamble on another high-upside, high-variance piece. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Suddenly Have A Franchise-Changing Path To Speed Up Wembanyamas Timeline
For a franchise still trying to compress Victor Wembanyamas ascent into something more immediate, the idea of adding a proven star has a certain logic. That is why the chatter around a possible LeBron James sign-and-trade has landed with such force, especially with Bill Simmons and others floating the notion that a veteran of his stature could bring both on-court stability and the kind of locker-room gravity young teams usually have to wait years to find.
The financial side would be delicate, and the roster fit would have to make sense for both sides, but the appeal is obvious from San Antonios perspective. A lineup built around DeAaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell, LeBron and Wembanyama would instantly change the temperature around the Spurs, while the Lakers would only consider such a move if they believed the return helped them elsewhere. The question now is whether this is just offseason noise or something the Spurs can seriously treat as a path worth exploring. [Read more 🡒]