After seven months of buildup, Utah Jazz fans are finally almost there.
This is the first season in a long time that comes with real anticipation around what the Jazz can be, even if nobody is handing them a title favorite label. That shift has made the waiting especially rough.
The end of the tank was always supposed to arrive last season, and once Utah got through the loaded draft class while also avoiding the possibility of owing Oklahoma City a major asset, the plan pointed toward the fall of 2026. The rebuild was supposed to turn the corner then.
But the wait got even more intense when the Jaren Jackson Jr. trade happened before the tank officially ended. There has been little to gripe about with that move, because JJJ brings a level of versatility that changes what Utah can do on the floor.
It also changed the mood around the franchise. What had looked like a team preparing to start trying became a group that could do more damage than plenty of people expected.
The only problem was time. Once Jackson was in place, fans were left looking at an eight-month stretch before they could actually see the vision.
Now that stretch is nearly over. The 2026-27 season is just days away, and the payoff could be substantial.
Utah may not be headed for a deep playoff run - never say never - but this team has a chance to be one of the most distinctive in franchise history. More than anything, Jazz fans want to watch a group that can finally pile up wins again.
There is plenty to watch. JJJ and Darryn Peterson will be woven into the mix, Lauri Markkanen gets a real team around him, and Keyonte George enters the year wanting to prove last season’s breakout was the real thing. That gives Utah a lot to work with right away.
There will be rough patches. That comes with the territory. But this is only the first step toward what could become a bright era for Jazz basketball, and after months of waiting, that kind of promise is exactly why the buildup has been both agonizing and worth it.
In Other News...
Jazz Suddenly Face An Early Problem They Built Around Nurkic
The early days of the 2026-27 season were always going to tell Utah a lot about its new shape, but now the Jazz are already adjusting to life without one of the players they expected to anchor the middle. Jusuf Nurkic, brought in to give the group size, physicality and stability, is set to miss the opening stretch after a preseason foot injury, leaving the frontcourt without the veteran presence the staff had built around.
Will Hardy said the first concern is on the glass, where Nurkic was supposed to make an immediate difference and where Utah now has to find production by committee. The Jazz will need multiple players to pick up the slack until he returns, because there is no direct one-man substitute for the rebounding and interior work they were counting on from him. [Read more 🡒]