The Utah Jazz are back in the conversation for an All-Star spot, and this time the picture looks a little different.
Utah hasn’t had an All-Star on the roster since 2023, when the game was in Salt Lake City. That honor went to Lauri Markkanen, who later capped that season by winning the league’s Most Improved Player award. Since then, the Jazz have gone through more losing than celebrating, but the roster now has enough talent that multiple players could be in the mix for the 2026-27 season.
If Utah is going to break back into the West’s 12-man All-Star group in Phoenix, AZ, the most likely candidates are clear: Lauri Markkanen, Keyonte George, and Jaren Jackson Jr. Here’s how their chances stack up.
Jaren Jackson Jr. brings the kind of defensive weight the Jazz have been missing. Utah has sat near the bottom of the league in defensive rating for the past three seasons, and adding a former Defensive Player of the Year should matter a lot on that end. The question is whether that kind of impact is enough to carry him into All-Star territory.
The answer looks shaky. Jackson won’t be the main scoring option in Utah, especially with the number of other choices the Jazz have on offense, so his counting numbers could dip compared with what he posted for the Memphis Grizzlies.
And with the West packed with talent, Utah may not be a team that lands multiple All-Stars. Jackson Jr. might actually have a better shot at another Defensive Player of the Year run than at a third All-Star appearance.
George is a different kind of case. He may not even be the second-best player on the roster by the time the 2026-27 season opens, but there’s real room for a breakout. If he repeats anything close to the season he just put together, the All-Star conversation gets interesting fast.
Last season, George had the kind of production that usually gets guards noticed, even if Utah’s place in the standings kept him from getting much All-Star traction. Before the break, he was putting up 23.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game with a true shooting percentage of 61.2%. If the Jazz win more and George takes another step in his development in what could be a contract year, he has a legitimate path to that first All-Star nod.
Still, the safest bet is the same one it’s been before: Markkanen.
Since becoming an All-Star-caliber player in 2022-23, Markkanen has been Utah’s best player, and there isn’t much mystery there. He has had some uneven stretches, but he’s coming off one of the stronger seasons of his career in 2025-26, when he averaged nearly 27 points per game and shot 47.7% from the field in 42 games.
Health is the biggest piece of the puzzle. Markkanen has played fewer than 60 games in each of the last three seasons and has never reached 70 in a season. Some of that can be tied to Utah’s tanking, but his availability will matter a lot this year, both for the Jazz and for his own All-Star case.
If he stays on the floor and Utah starts winning, Markkanen has a strong chance to earn his second All-Star selection in what would be his 10th season in the league.
In Other News...
Jazz Suddenly Have A Defensive Reunion To Think About
Kris Dunns name is suddenly in the mix again for a Utah team that has spent plenty of time looking for ways to shore up its defense. The Clippers recent roster changes have opened the door to speculation about whether Dunn could become available, and that immediately brings the Jazz back into the conversation as a possible landing spot for a familiar defender.
Utah has the kind of roster and salary cap flexibility that can make a reunion plausible if the opportunity really does emerge. For now, though, it remains exactly that, an opportunity, with no official confirmation or concrete plan yet tying Dunn back to the Jazz beyond the idea that he could fit a need they have not fully solved. [Read more 🡒]