NBA 2K27 has dropped, and with it comes the first look at how the Utah Jazz stack up in this year’s ratings. For a few Jazz players, the numbers feel a little stingy.
Svi Mykhailiuk is one of the clearest examples. He may not be the flashiest name on the roster, but he was one of Utah’s more useful players during the stretch when he was getting regular minutes last season. The Jazz staff clearly trusted him, and he had plenty of chances to make that count before the All-Star break.
In 50 games, Mykhailiuk averaged 9.4 points on 47.8% shooting from the field and more than 40% from three, while adding 2.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists. That’s the profile of a dependable off-ball veteran two-guard who can give you about 20 minutes a night. A 73 overall puts him tied for 12th on the Jazz’s roster, and that seems a touch low for what he brought.
Jusuf Nurkic also has a strong argument. Like Mykhailiuk, he was thrust into a bigger role in the first half of last season because of Walker Kessler’s season-ending injury, and he held up well before going down for the year himself with nose surgery at the All-Star break.
Nurkic gives Utah real value as a rebounder, screener, and passer. He may not finish at the rim like Kessler or protect the paint the same way, but those strengths made him a serviceable starter for the second straight season in Utah. A 76 overall looks light for that kind of production and experience, and it sits close to the line of being an 80.
Then there’s Cody Bailey, whose rookie year started slowly. Injury cost him games early, and he wasn’t fully settled on offense right away. But the progression was there almost every month after that.
Bailey ended the season at 13.8 points per game on 44.3% shooting, with 4.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists, and that was enough to earn All-Rookie Second-Team honors. Every player on last season’s All-Rookie Second-Team has at least a 79 overall in NBA 2K27, and four of the five First-Team selections are at 83 or better. That makes Bailey’s rating look low for a player who finished the year trending upward, with a case to be in the lower 80s rather than the high 70s.
In Other News...
Jazz May Have Helped A Contender More Than Fans Expected
When the Jazz moved John Konchar on to Minnesota, it looked like the kind of smaller transaction that barely registers beyond the transaction log. But the ripple effect has been a little more interesting than that, because Konchar was later waived and stretched by the Timberwolves, putting him on the market again as a free agent and creating a fresh opening for a contender looking for low-cost depth.
Now the Knicks are reportedly weighing a move for him as they head toward training camp, which gives Utahs original trade an oddly indirect sort of relevance. Konchars appeal is straightforward enough: hes viewed as a versatile role player who can help on defense and the glass, and New York sees enough value there to keep him in the conversation. For the Jazz, its a reminder that even a modest roster move can end up feeding a contenders plans down the line. [Read more 🡒]
Jazz Still Have One Obvious Hole In Their New Center Rotation
The Jazz moved on from Walker Kessler and have been trying to patch the middle with a center-by-committee look, leaning on Jusuf Nurkic and Jaxson Hayes to hold things together. It has kept the position occupied, but it has also left Utah searching for the kind of anchor that can steady a defense and give the frontcourt some real structure.
Brook Lopez is the name that keeps surfacing as a possible fit because he brings rim protection and enough floor spacing to matter in todays game. Even so, he would not fully replace what Kessler gave the Jazz on the glass, which is why the market around him is worth watching closely. The Clippers have their own reasons to listen if the right offer comes along, and Utahs need for a cleaner answer in the paint makes this one of the more interesting roster threads to follow. [Read more 🡒]
Jazz Finally Landed The Frontcourt Fit They Chased For Years
For years, the Jazz had been searching for the kind of frontcourt piece that could change the geometry of their roster, a big man who could stretch the floor without sacrificing the rim protection that so often defines winning basketball. That pursuit once pointed them toward Kristaps Porzingis, a player who later became a major part of Bostons championship run and, in hindsight, helped underscore exactly why Utah kept chasing that type of fit. John Collins never fully filled the role the Jazz had in mind, but the front office kept circling the same idea: a stretch big with real defensive impact.
Jaren Jackson Jr. represented the clearest attempt yet to answer that need, and for a brief stretch he gave Utah a glimpse of what the long search was about. He appeared in three games before season-ending surgery shut the door on what might have been a defining addition to the rotation. Even so, the move fit the Jazzs larger roster logic, and it left the team still trying to solve the frontcourt puzzle that has been hanging over these decisions for years. [Read more 🡒]