The Jazz enter this season with a roster that finally looks built to chase a playoff spot in the Western Conference, and a big part of that shift comes from the moves they’ve made over the last couple of years. Last season’s midseason acquisition of Jaren Jackson Jr. and the back-to-back draft picks of Ace Bailey and Darryn Peterson changed Utah’s direction, and now the season turns on how those three players perform on the floor.
Ace Bailey’s rookie year gave Utah a preview of why he went fifth overall in the 2025 NBA Draft. He needed some time to settle in, but once he found his rhythm, he flashed the scoring talent that made him such a high pick.
Bailey appeared in 71 games and made 61 starts, putting up 13.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. His best scoring night came on March 23, when he poured in a career-high 37 points against the Raptors.
Bailey wasn’t just a bucket-getter, either. He also showed real value on the defensive end, putting together games with multiple blocks and steals.
Utah is going to need that full package again this season. His athleticism and frame give him the ability to guard virtually every position, which makes him a valuable piece in today’s NBA.
If his three-point shot comes along, Will Hardy could end up using him in a lot of different ways.
Jackson gives Utah a different kind of weapon, and his fit with Lauri Markkanen already looked promising in the small sample they got last season. The two played together in just two games, but the pairing looked clean right away. After a full offseason and training camp together, they should be even more comfortable sharing the floor when the season begins.
Jackson’s importance only grows because Jusuf Nurkic is sidelined with an injury for the foreseeable future. The original idea was for Jackson and Nurkic to complement each other, with Nurkic bringing rebounding and Jackson bringing the rim protection.
Jackson has never been a great rebounder, but his defensive impact is exactly why he won Defensive Player of the Year in the 2022-23 season. With Nurkic out, the Jazz will use a committee of centers, and Hardy could even lean on Jackson at the five in certain lineups.
Even after Nurkic returns, Jackson should remain central to what Utah is trying to do. His defense and his three-point shooting give the Jazz something they’ve been missing from the power forward spot in recent years.
Then there’s Peterson, the second overall pick in this past summer’s draft, who brings a different kind of pressure with him. Calling him a rookie is almost underselling it - he’s one of the most NBA-ready prospects to come through in recent years, and that’s why so much of Utah’s outlook depends on him. If the hype is real, his season could shape the team’s trajectory in a major way.
The preseason has shown a little of both sides. Peterson has averaged 13.3 points in four preseason games, but he also had a 23-point outing against the Nuggets. At Kansas, he showed the kind of traits that led to comparisons with some of the best players ever, including Kobe Bryant.
How fast Peterson adjusts to the speed of the NBA could tell the story of Utah’s start. If he makes an early impact and starts looking like the player plenty of people expect him to become, the Jazz’s ceiling rises fast.
In Other News...
Jazz May Be Better Prepared For Life After Walker Kessler Than Expected
Walker Kesslers departure to the Lakers could have left a glaring hole in the middle of Utahs defense, but the early signs suggest the Jazz may have done more homework than expected. Jaxson Hayes and Mo Bamba were brought in to help cover the rim, and the preseason numbers hinted at a group that was already keeping opponents away from the basket more often than a lot of teams do.
The harder part is still hanging over the frontcourt. Utah can piece together minutes and body types at center, but replacing Kesslers rebounding presence is a different challenge altogether, especially with Jusuf Nurkic dealing with a toe injury. For now, it looks like the Jazz are leaning into a center-by-committee plan and hoping the depth chart can hold up where the box score tends to expose teams the quickest. [Read more 🡒]
Jazz Opening Night Lineup Suddenly Has One Big New Question
Utahs 2026-27 opening-night picture has mostly come into focus, with the roster set enough that the attention now shifts from who is making the team to how the rotation will actually look when the season begins. The Jazz have been dealing with preseason injury adjustments, and that has already nudged the frontcourt mix as the staff sorts through its first five, second unit and the rest of the depth chart.
The biggest question sits right in the middle of the floor, where the team suddenly has to lean on a different presence than planned. With the rest of the starting group expected to include Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Darryn Peterson, the center spot has become the one unresolved piece that shapes everything else, from early rotations to how the reserves are used behind it. [Read more 🡒]
Jazz Face One Roster Question That Could Decide Their Ceiling
The Jazz are heading into the 2026-27 season with a roster that invites as much projection as certainty. A young core, Will Hardy on the bench and the arrival of Darryn Peterson have created a lot of optimism around how far the group can push its offense, with the kind of upside that could carry a team into the leagues top 10 if everything clicks.
The bigger question may be what happens down the middle, where Jusuf Nurkic is the veteran placeholder for now. He is expected to miss the first couple of weeks with a foot injury from preseason, and the front office could eventually be forced to address the spot in a bigger way as the season unfolds, including the possibility of using the trade flexibility created in the Walker Kessler deal. [Read more 🡒]