What do you think the starting lineup will be on opening night?<\/p>\n
\u2014 kennyachter.bsky.social (@kennyachter.bsky.social<\/a>) July 23, 2025 at 5:08 PM<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n More than any other season, I think training camp is going to play a big part in who gets the opening night nod. But, I definitely have my suspicions and opinions. Right now, it\u2019s easy to say Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler will be starters, and I think there\u2019s a good chance that Kyle Filipowski could start at the four on opening night. If I had to make a prediction today on the backcourt, I\u2019d probably say Isaiah Collier and Brice Sensabaugh.<\/p>\n But, there are a lot of things that could change between now and opening night. And there are even more things that could change after opening night. I\u2019m going to be very, very interested in how Walter Clayton Jr. fares, especially as it pertains to the point guard position, which is in no way spoken for in any permanent way. And, I wouldn\u2019t be shocked if there was some experimentation with Ace Bailey at point, which I would be in favor of seeing.<\/p>\n I\u2019m also interested to see how Keyonte George is used and whether Jazz coach Will Hardy tries to use him as a starter or wants to see how he operates in more of a solidified sixth-man role.<\/p>\n Then, as the season progresses, where does Taylor Hendricks fit<\/a> into all of this. I expect the Jazz are going to bring him along slowly and give him time to really get his sea legs under him again, but he\u2019ll be competing for minutes with Filipowski, who has had an incredible offseason. And where does Bailey fit in best? Is he a combo guard? Is he a three? How versatile is he? How ready is he?<\/p>\n A lot of questions for a lot of players and a lot of time between now and opening night.<\/p>\n Another question I\u2019ve been asked a lot lately pertains to Walker Kessler, who is extension eligible this summer, but the Jazz could also wait and deal with his contract next summer when he is a restricted free agent.<\/p>\n What’s the deal on Kessler? They still looking to move him or they playing the restricted free agency game?<\/p>\n \u2014 Cavs: the Blog (@cavstheblog.bsky.social<\/a>) July 23, 2025 at 4:20 PM<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n I fully anticipate the Jazz waiting to make a decision here. I don\u2019t think we\u2019ll be getting news that the Jazz have signed him to a big, long extension before the 2025-26 season starts. I think they want to see more from him through the year before they commit to a number. And since it\u2019s a restricted free agency situation, they can do that without much risk.<\/p>\n Of course, the biggest risk from a team perspective is that Kessler has an incredible season and will have a much larger price tag than he would now, but, that\u2019s probably a risk that the team is willing to take. Meanwhile, the option to trade will always be on the table (as it is with every player on this roster).<\/p>\n What are your current probabilities on Cody and Brice getting their 3rd and 4th year options picked up?<\/p>\n \u2014 Samus is Here (@samusishere.bsky.social<\/a>) July 23, 2025 at 4:25 PM<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n On these rookie scale contracts, the decisions for picking up team options have to be made a year in advance. So by this Halloween, the Jazz have to decide if they want to guarantee the 2026-27 salaries for players like Brice Sensabaugh<\/a> and Cody Williams<\/a>. <\/p>\n I think in both cases the Jazz are going to pick up the options without much hesitation. Hendricks missed nearly the entirety of last year and there is a lot of hope that he can still pop and be a really valuable player. That will probably be the easy swing.<\/p>\n Williams will probably come with a tiny bit more hesitation considering his early struggles, but he\u2019s still so young, so raw and has a ton of room to grow and prove doubters wrong. While the contract is still on the small side, you might as well get a good and informed look at what the player can become. So even if there is minor hesitation, I still expect the Jazz to pick up the option.<\/p>\n Hoop Venue did an awesome breakdown on 5 players who could have breakout years and how they could make it happen\u2014 2 of his 5 were Jazz players Filipowski and Sensabaugh. Curious of your take (if you get a chance to watch it).<\/p>\n \u2014 nba-draftnerd.bsky.social (@nba-draftnerd.bsky.social<\/a>) July 22, 2025 at 3:00 PM<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n I took the time to watch the video mentioned<\/a> above, appreciated the thought that went into making it and certainly am willing to give my opinion on the two Jazz players \u2014 Kyle Filipowski<\/a> and Brice Sensabaugh \u2014 that were noted as having potential for a breakout season. <\/p>\n The video\u2019s creator, Tyler Britton, outlines three criteria necessary for someone to be considered in his list of players that could have a breakout season \u2014 opportunity to improve, a standout skill or superpower and potential swing skills.<\/p>\n Without even watching the parts of the video pertaining to Filipowski and Sensabaugh, it was clear how both players would fit the bill.<\/p>\n Filipowski\u2019s overall offensive game is his superpower. He\u2019s a 6-foot-11 guy who can help space the offense with shooting, can put the ball on the floor, is a great passer and is a threat at all three levels. Sensabaugh\u2019s super power is his shooting, without question. As for opportunity, there\u2019s no better place than with the Utah Jazz for opportunity to prove your mettle as a basketball player right now. All of the young players have an open runway.<\/p>\n With both players, it\u2019s their defense that needs desperate improvement. Currently, they aren\u2019t just in need of a bit of a boost on defense. They\u2019re bad on that side of the ball \u2014 not good at all. And Britton\u2019s video was correct in the assessment of their defensive shortcomings.<\/p>\n I disagree slightly with some of the more hyperbolic language in the video (I\u2019m not ready to say that some defense and free throws could make Sensabaugh a 30-minute player on a playoff team and put him at an All-Star level) but mostly agree with the conclusion that both players have the necessary tools for a breakout season.<\/p>\n Where I think some nuance is deserved is in describing the path for both players to improve. So, here\u2019s the nuance:<\/p>\n Filipowski is in desperate need of strength across the board. I think that lower body and core strength will give him way more confidence using his body hedging and when he\u2019s playing against switches or angles on screens. Upper and lower body strength would give him more confidence against the stronger players who currently post him and back him down with ease.<\/p>\n Even with improved strength, I think the most likely path of success for Filipowski is at the four rather than playing center. He will probably still swing between the two a little bit, but I expect he\u2019ll play more four this coming season, and in that position it\u2019s going to require more speed from him. So we\u2019re talking about speed, strength and dexterity. That\u2019s what he needs to focus on.<\/p>\n With Sensabaugh, I definitely think that continuing to improve his conditioning will help, but he might need to focus more on the mental side of training. He\u2019s not a fast player in any area of the game \u2014 his shot, his drives, his defense are all on the slow side. But that\u2019s OK! There are plenty of players who learn to impact the game efficiently without being nimble and quick. You all remember Joe Ingles, right?<\/p>\n Sensabaugh has great feel for the game and when he does make defensive moves you can see that he does so because of his IQ rather than his athleticism. He should lean into that as a strength. It probably will require more film work than the other players and a real dedication to knowing personnel, but that\u2019s a way that he can learn to have a passable or positive impact on defense.<\/p>\n From my buddy Dan: \u2014 Olman Feelyus (@walkerp.bsky.social<\/a>) July 22, 2025 at 1:58 PM<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n The Jazz got a huge trade exception when they sent John Collins to the Clippers and I think the most important aspect of this is not only the size (north of $26 million) but the timing.<\/p>\n Trade exceptions are good for exactly one calendar year. But, since Collins was traded after the draft and after the opening of free agency, that gives the Jazz a really nice window to work in if they wanted to use it.<\/p>\n When a team has a trade exception it allows them to take on a player or players whose salaries fit into the exception amount, even if that means going above the cap. Now, some teams will let exceptions expire, and it\u2019s an easy way to get money off the books. But some teams, who are looking to make a big push for players that would normally be out of their price range, can use the exception to make significant changes.<\/p>\n\n
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\n“How will the Jazz use their $26 mil trade exception from the John Collins trade?”<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1753508774_805_W33VSSMDAJA73E4CPWRMGYG4FI.jpg\")
Utah Jazz CEO Danny Ainge and Taylor Hendricks talk as they and Keyonte George watch the Utah Jazz summer league game against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Huntsman Center at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, July 8, 2025. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"We\u2019re nearing the quietest part of the NBA offseason. But just because the league gets quiet, doesn\u2019t mean…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":93323,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[1260,1680,62,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-93322","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nba","8":"tag-nba","9":"tag-news-feed-local","10":"tag-sports","11":"tag-united-states","12":"tag-unitedstates","13":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114917958316756256","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93322","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93322"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93322\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/93323"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93322"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93322"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93322"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}