The Utah Jazz are just about set for opening night, and the roster picture is coming into focus after the final cuts.
After an offseason defined by a few tweaks around the margins, two major trades that moved out some important pieces, and the addition of prized draft prospect Darryn Peterson, Utah is heading into 2026-27 with a group that looks very different than it did a year ago. The front office has built a deeper chart at several spots, and now the main question is how that all translates when the regular season begins.
At full strength, the Jazz’s starting five would feature Darryn Peterson, Keyonte George, Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Jusuf Nurkic. That’s the cleanest version of the lineup, but it won’t be the opening-night version. Nurkic is dealing with a foot injury suffered in preseason, and he’s expected to miss time until November.
With Nurkic out, Jaxson Hayes steps into the starting center role for now. That still leaves Utah with plenty of size in the frontcourt thanks to Markkanen and Jackson Jr., while Peterson looks set to jump right into the starting mix alongside George from day one.
The second unit also has a shape to it now, and it revolves around a group that should see regular run throughout the season. The expected bench core includes Ace Bailey, Isaiah Collier, Brice Sensabaugh, Kyle Filipowski, and Jaxson Hayes.
Even with minute totals likely to shift from night to night, that group looks positioned to carry real responsibility. Bailey will have the ball in his hands plenty as a scoring option, while also working on his defensive growth.
Collier and Sensabaugh should provide steadiness on the perimeter, and Filipowski and Hayes add more size behind the starters.
Utah’s reserve list is rounded out by Svi Mykhailiuk, Josh Okogie, Josh Green, Mo Bamba, and Tony Bradley. That doesn’t mean they’re out of the picture.
Mykhailiuk and Okogie, in particular, have shown enough in preseason to suggest they can bring useful wing production. Bamba and Bradley could see extra minutes early because of Nurkic’s absence, and Green may chip in as a shooting option.
Still, those three are more likely to be used in specific spots than as regular focal points.
The Jazz also appear to have their three two-way players in place after a four-game preseason run. Those players are expected to spend most of their time with the Salt Lake City Stars, Utah’s G League affiliate, rather than in the regular-season rotation. Even so, Blake Hinson is a name worth watching as a possible traditional contract candidate as the season moves along.
In Other News...
Jazz Needed Frontcourt Help And Will Hardy Just Explained This Move
When the Jazz were looking to shore up their frontcourt, Tony Bradley became an easy fit on paper. Utah claimed the center off waivers after the Knicks let him go, and the move gives Will Hardy another big body to work with while the team waits on Jusuf Nurkic to get healthy. It is the kind of roster tweak that can matter more than it looks, especially for a club trying to patch together minutes inside.
Hardy made it clear why Bradley appealed to Utah in the first place, pointing to his size and basketball IQ as the traits that made the claim worthwhile. Bradley arrives on a non-guaranteed contract, so this is a low-risk addition with a very specific purpose: give the Jazz some frontcourt depth in the short term and hold down the position until Nurkic is back in the mix. [Read more 🡒]
Jazz May Be Better Prepared For Life After Walker Kessler Than Expected
The Jazz entered this season with a major interior reset after trading Walker Kessler to the Lakers, and the early signs suggest they may be farther along in replacing his defensive value than many expected. Utah has leaned on additions such as Jaxson Hayes and Mo Bamba to help shore up the paint, and the preseason numbers hinted the new look front line could hold up better than anticipated, at least when it comes to steering opponents away from the rim.
The tougher question is what happens when the ball comes off the glass. Kesslers rebounding was a huge part of what made him so valuable, and that burden is not as easily replaced, especially with Jusuf Nurkic sidelined by a toe injury. So the Jazz are looking at a center-by-committee approach, one that may work fine in stretches but will be tested once the games start carrying real stakes. [Read more 🡒]