Predicting the Utah Jazz starting lineup for 2025-26

Predicting the Utah Jazz starting lineup for 2025-26

All right, it’s time to start thinking about that starting unit for the Utah Jazz. This may change based off of potential moves that may happen. But as of right now, we’re getting a clearer picture of who may be starting, who may be sitting. It’s a little more difficult than you think. Let’s talk about it after the intro. All right, like always, like the video, subscribe to the channel if you haven’t already. Okay, so the Jazz have made some moves already. They they waved Jordan Clarkson, they traded Colin Ston, they traded John Collins, and they had an extremely productive draft from what we’ve seen so far, getting Ace Bailey and Walter Clayton Jr., it was time to really start thinking about this. Now, things may change. We’ve got a full summer ahead of us and there may be some moves that are coming. Who knows? But as of right now, this is who I think will be the the rotation for the Utah Jazz. Now, I put a list out there on Twitter. Honestly, after I looked at that, that felt a little bit more like a wish list, and you can go look at that list if you want, and you can see what I’m thinking. But this is what I actually think is going to happen. I it’s sometimes difficult when we look at these things we think what do I want to happen and what do I think will actually happen and sometimes that’s pretty hard to differentiate whatever you’re thinking about or talking about right so what I think and we’re just going to go through it and why I think this is what it’s going to be at the one well I guess this could be interchangeable we’ll talk about it we’ll have two guards the first guard Walter Clayton Jr. I think he’s going to start and I actually legitimately think this because I one thing you can bet with coaches is they are always going to default to the players that can score. You know, Walter Clayton Jr. in summer league has looked better and better each game. He’s looking more and more comfortable. He is doing things both in the half court, in transition, honestly on the defensive end. He had like six rebounds last game. He is doing everything and he’s acting like a player that you want on the floor. Did you know that Walter Clayton Jr., 22, is the same age as Kee George? If the idea is that he’s not seasoned enough to be on the floor, I would argue that he might be more prepared, more ready in some ways. Obviously, he doesn’t have the actual NBA experience that Keonte George and Isaiah Collier already have, but from what we’re seeing in summer league, I think he’s going to find his way into that starting unit right away because he’s the best option. That’s what the Jazz are going to do this year. They’re going to put the players on the floor that give him the best chance to win. Whether they win a lot of games or not, that is that is another thing. But they are going to put the players that give them the best shot. And that first player in that guard spot is Walter Clayton Jr. So I think he is the first guard when the Jazz talk about who they want to play. The other thing to consider is and we’ve seen this from reporters online there are only two untouchable players on the Utah Jazz because this is a new regime with Austin A and that is Walter Clayton Jr. and Ace Bailey. Everyone else not untouchable and all the rumors and reports out there support that. Now, whether that actually happens, that certain players get moved is another thing. You know, it’s going to take specific offers for those things to happen and offers that fit within the goals of the team. Now, one thing I do love about Austin Angel, and I probably got to do a video about him later, another night. But I do love that when it’s clear that a move needs to be made that fits the timeline and fits the goals of the team, he is not afraid to make it. He makes the move. It’s great. I really love it. I really appreciate it. So, Walter Clayton. Now, this next one was a little tough and I was going between Keonte George and Isaiah Kier on this and I think I think it’s going Isaiah Collier. I that I could be wrong. I would not be surprised if Keonte George starts, but just based off of what Utah did last season and who they were playing and who they weren’t playing, Isaiah Kier got the nod and got more playing time. And so that’s just what I’m basing it on. Collier has had some moments this this summer league where it’s been a little frustrating. Hasn’t been moving the ball. Although his first game in Las Vegas summer league looked a lot more like what we saw the best of Isaiah Kier last season with the moving the ball, not playing selfish, helping other players. He even hit like two three-pointers in his last game. So, you know, I don’t know. I don’t trust it yet that that three-point shot is falling for him. Obviously, if it if it does, it’s great. And honestly, between Clayton Jr., Isaiah Collier, and Keiante George, I don’t think that lineup is finalized. Those two guards that is two smaller guards. Isaiah Collier is a little bigger than Clayton Jr., so that helps him out too with getting that nod at the guard spot. Still not big. Still not huge. It’s why it it’ll be interesting come draft time next year if Utah wins the draft and they got to pick between if Ace Bailey hits this year and they’re picking between Peterson Debonsa and Boozer, it may be hard to pass on someone like Darren Peterson because he looks so awesome. And I mean if Walter Clayton Jr. is as good as he looks in summer league and that translates to the regular season, I’m getting ahead of myself on this video. I think that you’ve got yourself a really special backhord if that’s how things are going. Anyways, Isaiah Collier gets the nod at the guard. All right, next. And we’re into the forwards now. And both the guards and the forwards I think are pretty interchangeable for the Jazz in this. I think that it’s pretty clear that the Utah Jazz are going to start Lowry Markin if he’s on this team. He is going to play, but I think he’s playing at the four. He’s going to play at the four. He’s going to do what Larry Markin does, and that’s catch the ball and shoot threes. That’s what he does, and that’s what he’s going to do on this team. The other forward spot is Ace Bailey. He is going to play. I think Utah is going to make sure that Walter Clayton Jr., Ace Bailey play because what you’re doing right now is getting them on the floor and you are working towards getting that chemistry for them for the future. and just getting them reps. Ace Bailey needs them as much as, you know, Walter Clayton needs them, but I think he’s going to be a little more NBA ready. Ace Bailey needs every rep he can get to to just get to that level that Utah hopes he can. He certainly has shown a lot of physical tools that make him exciting. And then Lowry Markin, you know what Lowry Markin brings? He can shoot the ball. He’s got a lot of different ways. I mean, I say catch and shoot. He does catch and shoot in a lot of different ways, but that is what he is. He’s an offball player that can cut to the basket and things like that. So, those two are going to be fun to watch together. If they’re both on the team next season, I don’t think that’s debatable. If you think Lowry Markin and an Ace Bailey aren’t starting, I guess that’s an that’s an argument you could have. If if both them did not start next season, I would be honestly shocked. Shocked. They want Ace Bailey on the floor. He is the future of the franchise. The new chapter of Jazz basketball has started. Um, I did wonder about Taylor Hendris, but with the injury, he’s going to Well, I’m getting ahead of myself here. And then at center, Walker Kesler. Not a surprise. I think that if you were betting on who was starting, I mean, I think Walker Kesler and Lowry Markin starting are is very much not a surprise. No one is going to question that. There’s not a real threat to Kesler at center on this Jazz team. I think the Jazz have kind of flirted with Kyle Filipki playing that. It’s not gone well defensively at all. Offensively, really good, but defensively it’s so bad. And Kesler is incredible defense and I incredible I would say extreme. I would say really good. Really good defensively. Really good rim protector. There’s some limitations there in some ways. And I still have some questions of if the rim protection is actually translating to good defense because Utah has had the worst defense in the NBA the last two years. And so I got some questions. We’ll see. This this season’s a big season for him. Well, as well by the way, just speaking of Walker Kesler, something to watch. He is eligible for an extension right now and the Jazz have not given it to him. Uh, I think that’s the right move because I think before you give someone like Larry Markin who is kind of in the same mold as Rudy Gobear, obviously they’re different players and have different strengths, but they are similar arc types. Giving that kind of player a lot of money is not something you want to do unless you are sure that player is going to be high impact after he gets the contract. And for Walker Kesler in year two, who did not look very good, it’s a little scary. So, I’m not surprised what the Jazz are doing with Walker Kesler and his contract, but he is eligible contractwise right now, and they haven’t given it to him. And I think that’s the smart play because then they can give him a contract after the season, see how he plays, and then you can give him good money if that if he earns it, right? But he’s got to earn it and he’s got to play at a high level every night. Not just when it’s convenient, not just when he’s motivated, but every night. Otherwise, why are you giving these players these big time contracts? All right, off the bench. First player off the bench for the Utah Jazz is Keonte George. Keiante George, who you could argue should start, although I think the Jazz look at him as a sixth man type, and that really fits what he does. He is a combo guard that scores the ball. What we need to see from Keonte George next year is two things. one, can you be at least average defensively? What he’s been is not very good. And he tried. There was some effort last year. He’s got to be better. And the efficiencyy’s got to go up. There is not a shot that Kee George isn’t afraid that is afraid to take. He is going to take a shot if it’s there. He’s got to learn which shots he shouldn’t take. He’s got to learn how to refine his offensive game to just be become to just become more efficient. Otherwise, you’re not doing things that lead to wins. And next year is a big year for Keonte George as well. He has got to prove what he is as a player. And right now, he is a player that’s really interesting. He can do a lot of different things. He’s just not doing them very efficiently on offense. And on defense, he’s just not showing up and he’s got to do better. And no one is a bigger fan of Keonte George than me. No one has been rooting him on and and you know wanting him to succeed more than me. But at a certain point the rubber has to hit the road and you’ve got to produce and you’ve got to show these things. It’s like year three coming up. Got to show it. Got to show it. All right. Next player off the bench. This is rotation player number seven. It is Taylor Hendris. And what is really fun about Taylor Hendricks, aside from the fact that when he gets on the floor, that cheer from Jazz fans is gonna be goosebumps, it’s gonna be fun. It’s going to be exciting. And he brings a ton of versatility to what the Jazz can do both on offense and defense. On offense, you can put him in for Walker Kesler and have him play next to Lowry Markin and you have a five out offense that spreads the floor. And how nice would that be for guys like Isaiah Collier who can just get to the rim super fast. Having Hrix be kind of a backup four five and spread the floor is exciting to think about. Kee George may come with Keonte George and Hendrickx on the floor. You’ve got yourself just a spread to score the ball. On defense, we know what Hrix can do. He can switch and do a lot of things. It’s a big year for Hendrickx to prove everything. We’ve seen how bulked up and strong he looks, which honestly has me wondering, is he a potential center for the Utah Jazz? I don’t know. We’ll see. It’s going to be an exciting year to watch Taylor Hendrickx and see what he can be, see what he can do and become and everything. How healthy is he? Is he completely recovered from what was an absolutely catastrophic leg injury? Hopefully, everything is good. Um, it’s going to be exciting though and I think he’s absolutely going to be off the bench because one of the things we know about this Jazz team, they are trying to focus on defense and Taylor Hendricks fix fits that defensive mantra, that defensive philosophy Utah has and has to have going forward in who they draft and pick up uh on this team. All right, next player, Kyle Filipowski. Versatility just like Taylor Hendricks brings. I think he’s more of just a four and maybe even a little bit of the three spot in case you know sitting Ace Bailey or something like that. But I think offensively Kyle Filipowski can play three, four or five. He really can. On offense he can do it. He’s just very gifted. He can pass the ball. He can shoot it. He can score inside. He can dribble to the basket and things like that. Dribble handoffs. Whatever you need him to do, he can do it. It’s the defensive end that’s a problem. And so I think really we’ve learned that him at the four is most likely where he’s going to be. So, you know, if Ace Bailey or Walker Kesler come off the floor, you’re probably seeing Taylor Hendricks come in and then uh Kyle Filipowski. Now, the the player that I don’t have on here that I think really could uh be interesting a little bit is Yousef Nerkach. I don’t know if he’s going to play much, if at all, for this Jazz team. I mean, they are going to play to win, but Nerkach is just not really proven to be that winning of a player. So, we shall see. But Utah likely goes with Hrix, Philipki, and Kesler. If they really really want size and they need someone down low to to kind of help recover, if you’ve got some big centers doing some things, then maybe you can situationally bring in Nerkage. But I think Philipowski gets the nod. Offensively, he’s just more gifted and he’s also a part of the Jazz future, at least for now. Uh, next, Bryce Sensah. He has been shooting lights out. He was shooting lights out last year. He’s looking like a potential game-changing shooter. The question for Sensiba is, can he do anything else? We know he can score and specifically shoot the three, but what else can he do? And that’s the problem with Sensibis. He loses minutes a lot of the time. For a player that doesn’t really play with the ball in his hands a ton, he’s getting the ball in scoring situations. He turns the ball over at an incredibly high rate. It’s too much. And if he can improve on that and find ways to be effective and not turn the ball over, on top of that, play good defense. There were moments in Salt Lake City summer league I felt like his defense was pretty solid. That first game of the Jazz in Salt Lake City summer league was pretty cool to watch just because of the defensive effort. You can tell that the Jazz coaches, that’s what they’re talking about. So, that was really nice to see. But, I think he’s play played pretty well last year, shooting the ball at least and proven that he can be a rotation player for this Jazz. That’s that’s rotation player number nine. I did 10 rotation players because I just felt like, you know, you saw the Indiana Pacers do that and they’re a team that’s playing to win. Uh Utah, they’re also playing to win and I think you can have 10 players on the floor and it’s a long season. Utah has a lot of guys to get on the floor to test and see who they are and so I think they’re going to have 10 rotation players. And so who is that 10th rotation player? It is Cody Williams. We’re seeing some things in the summer league that I like. He’s improving. He didn’t play the last month because of sickness. I think, you know, I don’t want to. There were rumors about what it was. I don’t know if it was reported or not, so I’m not going to dive into it, but he had some sort of sickness that kept him out the last part of the season. And who knows, maybe there was even more going on. We don’t really know. But Cody Williams struggled last year. You can tell he has improved in the summer league. He is handling the ball, driving to the basket, doing some nice things. Has it been perfect? No. But it has been an improvement. And if he can continue to improve and Utah can get him on the floor, you know, 10 minutes a night and he can go out and do some things and start improving and build on his confidence when he has the ball. If he’s got the ability to drive, we’re seeing in summer league that he’s driving to the basket, which is nice to see. If he can start consistently hitting threes, then there’s not a lot of of reason to not have him on the floor. and it his defense at times and his impact defensively was one of the better players on the Jazz last year. Now, the Jazz had the worst defensive in the in the NBA. So, that’s not saying much, but he was much better than players like Lowry Markin and Keonte George and Jordan Clarkson. He just was. So, his defense, if he can improve defensively on what was already something to kind of hang his hat on a little bit, and then also shoot the ball well, drive to the basket, make good plays, not turn the ball over, and just be overall more confident and aggressive, I think Cody Williams can absolutely become a rotation player. Why not? 6’6, 6’7 with with a wingspan and can shoot the ball and defend and he can handle and drive. I mean, come on. That’s a player that you can get on the floor. Now, can he develop is the question. It really is up to him and it’s in here. Can he get there with his confidence, mentality, and everything else, guys? This may change as the season goes on. We may see some trades. In fact, I’m kind of wondering if we do, something may come along for Utah that maybe they didn’t expect and we may see a change. If we do, we might do another video of this. Uh, let me know what kind of videos you want down below. I’d love to hear like what do you want me to talk about a specific thing. Let me know in the comments. Thank you so much to the members and everyone who subscribes to the channel, but especially the members. If you’d like to join and support the channel, I would truly appreciate it. And then for all the allstars out there, you know who you are. Thank you for your support. I really appreciate it. Guys, Ace Bailey plays tomorrow. Let’s talk about that after the game postgame show. That was a bad ending. Talk to you later.

There’s a lot of offseason yet to come, but the Utah Jazz have some tough choices for who starts. It’s clear that Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler are sure to be starting. I think Ace Bailey is for sure at forward, but who starts after that?

Subscribe to the Hoops Nerd channel for Utah Jazz News, Utah Jazz Post Game Shows, Utah Jazz Rumors, Utah Jazz Film Break Downs, and more!

#utahjazz #basketball #nba