LeBron James has put the Utah Jazz on his list of teams worth watching, and he didn’t do it quietly.
On his podcast “Mind the Game” with Steve Nash, James singled out the Jazz as one of the NBA’s most “intriguing” teams, pointing to the blend of talent, size and lineup flexibility he sees on the roster.
“You look at Keyonte George, you look at Darryn Peterson, you look at Ace Bailey, with (Jaren Jackson Jr.), and Lauri Markkanen. You look at that lineup.
You're like, 'This is a very, very intriguing team and a lot of skill and a lot of length too. Ace Bailey, super long wing and JJJ, obviously long, and Lauri, super long.
Keyonte plays bigger. Darryn Peterson plays bigger.
"There's a lot of high hopes for what their team can become, but it's also the Wild, Wild West too so how does that fit into the Western Conference... I see this team competing...
I love the coach, love the owner. Shout out to Ryan Smith, unbelievable.
There's no reason why these guys shouldn't be competing and going out to try to win ball games."
James’ praise carries weight on its own, but there’s also a personal angle here: his longtime close friend Dwyane Wade is part of the Jazz ownership group. Even so, the sentiment isn’t just empty flattery. The roster construction he highlighted is exactly the kind of group that can give teams problems if the pieces click.
The Jazz may not be being treated like championship favorites, but they’re in position to be much better than the league has seen from them in recent years. After four long seasons, they appear ready to have their best year in a while, and James clearly sees the outline of what they’re trying to build.
That blueprint has already shown up in preseason, even if it’s still early. There are still questions, especially after Jusuf Nurkic’s injury, but the shape of the plan is easy enough to spot when Utah’s best lineup is on the floor, even if that group won’t necessarily start together.
What stands out is that James isn’t just talking about talent in a vacuum. He’s talking about fit, about a roster where players can lift each other instead of simply stacking names together. That’s the part that gives the Jazz a chance to surprise people.
They’re not expected to chase a title. But they could absolutely end up being one of the season’s surprise teams.
And the fact that LeBron James was on that idea before plenty of others? That’s a pretty loud endorsement all by itself.
In Other News...
Jazz Get An Early Look At A Crucial Center Battle
Jusuf Nurkics absence is already forcing the Jazz to take a hard look at a spot that suddenly feels much thinner than it did a week ago. After the trade of Walker Kessler, Nurkic was the most proven center option on the roster, which made his toe injury especially costly as Utah tried to sort out the frontcourt rotation.
Jaren Jackson Jr., Jaxson Hayes and Mo Bamba are among the players who could be asked to cover the minutes, and the picture gets even tighter with Kyle Filipowski sidelined for the upcoming game because of a lower back injury. That leaves Hayes and Bamba with a clearer chance to grab some run, and perhaps a more meaningful opportunity to show where they fit while the Jazz wait for the front line to get healthy again. [Read more 🡒]
Jazz Get An Unusual Preseason Test Against A Short-Handed Spurs
The Jazz head into their third preseason game with a familiar wrinkle in the injury report, as three players have been ruled out for the meeting with San Antonio at the Delta Center. Kyle Filipowski and Jusuf Nurki are among the absences, leaving Utah to continue its preseason work without two frontcourt pieces who have already been unavailable since camp began. Tipoff is set for 7 PM MT, and even in October, availability is shaping the way the Jazz can evaluate their rotation.
San Antonio, meanwhile, is dealing with an even longer list of absences, with nine players sidelined and its entire starting five unavailable because of injuries and rest. That creates a preseason setting unlike the usual one, with both teams forced to lean on deeper parts of the roster and younger players who may get far more minutes than expected. For Utah, the matchup still offers a useful look at lineups and ball movement, but the real challenge may be getting a clean read on anything with so many key names missing on both sides. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Still Havent Given Fans The Lineup Theyre Waiting For
The preseason meeting between the Jazz and Spurs already had a different feel before tipoff, with San Antonio planning to sit a long list of players and Utah also dealing with notable absences. Kyle Filipowski will not go, and Jusuf Nurki is out with a foot injury, while Tobias Harris is set to miss the entire preseason because of a calf strain and Carter Bryant remains sidelined after an ankle injury.
For the Spurs, the bigger development is how much of the roster they are choosing to protect this early in camp. Even as the exhibition schedule is supposed to help teams sort out lineups and roles, San Antonio is holding out a group that includes Victor Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox, leaving the Jazz to navigate a matchup that is missing a lot of the names fans were hoping to see. [Read more 🡒]