Jazz Lineup SHAKEUP | Filipowski to Start? Hendricks Benched? | Ace Bailey: The Next Superstar?

Jazz Lineup SHAKEUP | Filipowski to Start? Hendricks Benched? | Ace Bailey: The Next Superstar?

The Jazz have two locks to start, but the rest is wide open. Who will start and who should start? Find out next on Locked on Jazz. You are Locked on Jazz, your daily podcast on the Utah Jazz, part of the Locked On Network. Your team every day. Hello and welcome in to locked on jazz. My name’s Leaf Tulene. I’m excited to be back with you filling in for David Lock for most of August. And it’s always a blast being on locked on jazz and thank you guys for making it that way. As you guys know by now, I’m a lifelong Jazz fan, credentialed NBA draft analyst, attendee of the 2023 and 2024 NBA combines, jazz broadcast assistant, statistitian each of the past four seasons, and lover of college hoops. So, I’ll make sure you know what you need to know about your beloved Utah Jazz. And today, I’m gonna give you my opinion on who should start, what I think will happen, and much, much more. Thanks for making Locked on Jazz your first listen each and every day. Remember, Locked on Jazz is free and available on all platforms, including YouTube at Locked on Jazz, where the best way to help us grow is to comment anything below. Today’s question is a simple one. Who do you think will start? And then, who do you think will uh who do you think will start? And who do you want to start? So, answer both those and I’m going to try to engage with you on those comments. And today’s episode’s brought to you by Game Time. So download the Game Time app, create an account, and use the code locked on NBA for $20 off your first purchase. As I outlined above, I think I’m going to tell you who what I think is the most likely opening day lineup, who I think should start, and then lastly, I’m going to address who the wild cards are that can change things depending on their development and rate of development for what could be the most ideal Utah Jazz lineup and what could be the most ideal in the long run. So without further ado, let’s dive right in. And as I said in that opening, there are only two locks for who’s going to start for the Utah Jazz. It’s obvious. It’s Walker Kesler and of course Lowry Markin. Lowry I’ve been critical of plenty of times, more so than many Jazz pundits and fans have been. I’ve said he’s not the star that can be the top option for the Jazz, even when he was an all-star. And I said I’m dubious of second option while he’s an all-star. And many that know me have heard me say my whole piece and my whole spiel about I was pro trade Lowry at numerous junctions junctures. I I think that Lowry for younger pieces uh was a good idea a couple seasons ago. I thought it was good in the offseason. Uh I thought we could explore looking to trade the Spurs even though that would give Lowry and Victor Winyama a potent duo. I I’d been pro- Trey Lowry and the guy that I love, Gordy Chiaza, heard me telling him non-stop, I want Lowry for Jaylen Williams during Jayen Williams’ rookie season and Lowry’s all-star season. I that is not to slight Lowry marketing at all. So, I’ve I’ve gotten comments, the reason I’m saying this is I’ve gotten comments of people saying, “Oh, like you don’t like Lowry.” Not true at all. I think Lowry is really good. So with all that said that I I have been pro- Trey Lowry and I will admit that I think Lowry has now become undervalued because of the poor team and the injuries. He isn’t getting fair market value right now. So don’t confuse my love for the Jazz and saying he can be dealt for not appreciating what Lowry does well and he does a lot very well. I also think something that’s going under the radar except by Jazz pundits because they they’re going to be positive. I’m going to give you the real spiel here though. He has professionalism are rare traits that factor into the Jazz growth a lot because not many people want to be in Utah in the NBA and though because he’s European it makes him him more prone to liking Utah because it’s more similar to Finland than many cities in uh the NBA that that are offered in the NBA. Right? So the reason he’s vital to helping the Jazz grow is not because of his stardom. It’s not his superstardom or even his Robin to Batman, but it’s in mentoring what will become the stars for Utah Jazz. And I think he’s a tertiary option. I think he’s in his prime. So therefore, he’s got maybe two year two years left of the prime and then it’ll be the backside of the prime by the time the Jazz are hopefully in contention because the Jazz are not close to contention right now. So I wanted to address that and then we’ll get into the the further point. Lowry had 48 in Euro basket the other day. Uh only a spectacular player can do that. So, I’m a believer in Lowry Market and being a very good player. He’ll start as will Walker Kesler. And the third starter that I feel the most confident in is going to be Isaiah Collier. But, as stated last week, he was awful, beyond awful in summer league. And that concerns me greatly. So, now who will start next to the pair of sevenfooters in Walk Walker Kler and Lowry Markin? In my opinion, the opening day lineup, if healthy, will be Isaiah Collier at the one, Ace Bailey at the two, Lowry at the three, Taylor Hendrickx at the four, and Walker Kesler at the five. Now, so some of you are going to be like, “Wait a minute. Okay, Ace is the starting two. Like, he’s a three for sure, maybe closer to a four.” And if you look at just the listed size, that’s possible. But if you watch him play basketball, he plays basketball as a score first guy who is slight of build and what he does well is maximizing his size traits. And then the NBA there’s stronger guys. So might as well put him against players that are, you know, of similar uh stature in terms of full fully developed weight for a grown man versus a kid that Ace Bailey is and he’s going to get stronger and play him at the two guard. I’ll explain more about Ace. The other one that I think needs more uh explanation of why he starts because I’ll get to Ace in a little bit is Taylor Hendrickx. Hendrickx in an ideal world, if healthy, provides a great mix of athleticism, movement, and potential shooting to pair between the height of Lowry and Walker. But he figures in at the four and Lowry at the three. And I mean, those are fairly interchangeable. But the part that makes Lowry so difficult to guard is that you have a sevenfooter with supreme athleticism playing against smaller players. So Hendricks’s size is ideal to have. That’s an enormous lineup and you keep Ace at the two in that lineup and it makes Ace and Lowry have great advantages on offense. I really like that. And Taylor Hendricks doesn’t compromise size. Now let’s get back to Taylor Hendricks, though. Hendrickx, I believe, will start if he’s back to himself healthwise because of his defensive versatility, not because of his uh shooting, because I think there’s other guys that have shooting or similar defensive um ability at one position, but Hendrickx has multiple positions he can guard. It’s his defensive versatility that makes him coveted. It’s the defensive versatility that the Jazz are saying, you know what, if he shoots it, okay, but he defends well like we believe he can. like before he got hurt. The idea was for him to emulate Jaden McDaniels and the Jazz desperately needed Jaden McDaniels. Not necessarily that player though that would have been very nice. It’s the defensive ability to guard multiple players. He was guarding Luca Donuch at times and in the next round he guarded Shay Gilis Alexander and he was guarding bigger players as well. He can he can bump against LeBron even though he’s very slender and he’s going to block shots at the rim and push the pace and knock down a fair amount of threes. Hendrickx probably shoots a better percentage than McDaniels does in his career, but it’s the defensive versatility and athleticism that the Jazz have lacked for so long that makes Taylor Hendricks’s role the most vital. And so I think he starts if he’s back to healthy because the Jazz have been hurting for and and hurting for a guy like this and they’ve been hunting a guy like this that meshes well with Lowry’s offensive ability and rare traits at his size coupled with Walker Kesler’s anchoring of the middle but he provides no space. So his shooting is necessary is important but it’s the defensive versatility that is of the utmost importance. And that’s why I think the Jazz, if he’s healthy, will prioritize starting Taylor Hendrickx to give great balance. In theory, Taylor can guard the opposing best wings and help on offense too by hitting open threes, spacing the court for Isaiah Collier, who is not a very good shooter yet, and Walker Kesler, who isn’t a shooter. I also may be old school. This is this is gonna show and not that I’m old so I’m not gonna say aging me but this is when I started really caring about basketball in like 2004 and I was three turning four. Uh but if you look at the player that starts typically at a position and then look at the next guy in those teams and if it was like hey these guys are similar level players it’s typically defensive player that starts and the spark plug that comes off the bench right so like think of Bruce Bowen over Manu Ginobi. Gino was obviously better and that was a that’s an example. I’m doing these off the top head. Ronnie Brewer over Kyle Corver for the Utah Jazz. Raja Bell over Leandro Barbosa. I could give tons of these but my point is the defensive player gives balance to a lineup because the other stars that have the ball in the case of the Spurs was Timmy D and Tony Parker. So Ginobi comes in, he supplements it. Bowen helps them defensively. Ronnie Brewer complimented what Darren Williams and Carlos Boozer did. Raja Bell complimented Steve Nash and Amari Starttomire as opposed to and he would do more for them than what Leandro Barbosa would do if he were in the starting lineup. So, the reason I bring that up is I think Flip is a more dynamic player than Taylor Hendricks, but it’s not it’s not easy to form a balanced lineup with him uh as much as it is with Taylor Hendricks if Taylor Hendrickx is right. And I think that’s why it’s more likely Taylor Hendrickx starts. His style of play is more coveted in today’s NBA. Um, and I’ve stated time and time again that the Jazz haven’t had a wing lock down defender since Andre Kleo. And the ball in hand flip doesn’t mesh as well with a guy who’s going to be ball in hand like Lowry, who could be ball in hand like Ace in time. So, I think it’s more likely that Hrix and what he offers is the most likely starter at that front court in between the two locks of starting. I also think for those of you who are saying, “Oh, you’re really critical of Collier.” I think Collier will start over Clayton. barring a disaster in training camp from Collier. Uh because I didn’t think Clayton was great, it was just Collier was terrible. And I see Kee George, I have not forgotten him coming off the bench because I see that as his NBA specialty. That’s what’s going to be his money maker, being a score. Ace of the two might get some push back. That’s always kind of where I’ve imagined him. Frankly, the desire for a positional size uh predates he and Cody Williams, but that’s become more apparent in recent years when seeing Keon and Collier or seeing Collier and Sexton or Stexon and Keon. Like any of those combinations, they’re not big. The Jazz need positional size in the back court and that’s what Ace Bailey provides in spades. And we knew that from Don and Mike. Donovan and Mike were fantastic offensive players, but their defense left so much to be desired that the Jazz though they were so good on offense, became food on defense. There’s only one plus defender and that was Rudy Go Bear. And I could go on and on about that, but that’s why I’m prioritizing size. And if you’re going to go to other stuff, Bryce will maybe have a claim uh to start, but we’re going to talk about that a little bit later. Uh, I I think there’s a world where Bryce Eneloth could start, but I think there’s no world where you can start him over Ace Bailey because there’s a world in which Ace Bailey can be the Utah Jazz’s star. And that’s why you got to prioritize him. And the Jazz can end tanking if Ace Bailey is as good as we think he can be. And there’s no reason to stunt that growth by not starting him. Up next, I’ll tell you who should start for the Utah Jazz because I gave you my most likely some rationale behind it, but I’ll tell you who should start for the Jazz to start the season and I give you a few hot takes as well. All that and more coming up straight ahead on Locked on Jazz. We’ve all been there, logging on early and waiting forever for concert tickets to go on sale, only to lose your spot for a show you’ve been dying to see. Live music should be about making memories, not dealing with the stress of ticket shopping. That’s where game time comes in. 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Terms apply. Again, create an account and redeem code L O C K D O NA for $20 off. Download the Game Time app today. Last minute tickets, lowest price guaranteed. Welcome back to Locked on Jazz. Leaf Teen with you here. I gave the lineup that I think if Taylor Hendricks is healthy will be the one employed on opening day. I’m going to give you a lineup that I think the Jazz should employ or at least should tinker uh with what I think will happen because the Jazz aren’t going to be very good this year. you might as well try to see what you have in a player that is more rare in terms of archetype than others. And this is why I would start the following. The lineup I listed last time, and I’ll get to the following, is the most balanced and most likely. And that’s because of the balance. And I also think balance implies that you know what’s coming up next because the Jazz’s bench has players that I think are, you know, better offensively than defensively with the with the exception of Cody Williams. So I think you play the guy who fits the spot that was vacant in Taylor Hendricks and you make the team offensively competent with Lowry Markin and you have the defensive presence of Taylor Hendricks and Walker Kesler and then the the second unit you find a way to get production out of the best lineup you can find. You’re going to have some veterans and Nang and Anderson but really the question to me is do you start Philipski or do you start Taylor Hendricks? So, the lineup that I suggest trying at the very least and seeing if they have more punch for what’s going to be a bad team anyway, but maybe they instead of being, you know, 25th through 30th defensively and 25th through 30th offensively, which I think is very possible. I know it’s going to be a pain to see. I think the Jazz should try to maximize one side of the basketball. And that’s why I would suggest the lineup of Isaiah Collier, Ace Bailey, Lowry Markin, Kyle Filipowski, and Walker Kesler. The logic of this while it is less balanced both in terms of what starters do well because all of those guys are offensively oriented except for Walker Kesler and also with it with it in mind of what the bench would look like uh with Taylor Hendricks in that bench and Kyle Filpowski who would have factored into an enormous role off the bench. I I think you just try to see if you can produce an offensive jug or not and see how rare of a player Kyle Filiposki is and how much of those flashes from summer league are real in the NBA. So, I think flip in some is a bigger matchup issue on the offensive side of the ball and the Jazz would be enormous enough to compensate for for some of their clear-cut uh defensive issues that they would absolutely have. Uh flip I I likened to Kelly Oolen before the draft. I likened him to Kelly last season. I even mentioned it a couple episodes ago, but he’s more dynamic as an athlete than Kelly Oolen was. And that opening that opens up more creation for him to drive downhill with more force and not just guile. Like Kelly Oolen drove downhill off pump fakes where he’d get someone soaring in the air and it was just a like a wide open alleyway for him to drive. Like the Red Sea parted for Oolen and yet he’d still pump fake as he got to the rim and try to draw a foul. incredible intangibles from Kelly Olen. But Philipki, though he’s not a spectacular athlete, he’s rarely coordinated for a guy of that size and stature to be rumbling down the lane, he can put someone on his hip and drive. I also think there’s a very real world where Philipowsk is a better shooter than Taylor Hendricks when it’s all said and done, which makes teams like the Utah Jazz more difficult to guard because it makes the even bigger teams that that can match up the front court size uh less well equipped to guard the Jazz because they’re not as well equipped to guard a matchup problem in Lowry Markin or a matchup problem in Palpowski because if you help off of him and try to load up with a big guy to block shots, he can make you pay. Lowry can make you pay and Walker is going to dunk all over you. So they need size on Lowry, Flip, and Walker. That makes it diff difficult to guard. They should clean up the glass. Flip’s biggest flaw is defense. And I don’t know. I want to preface this. I think on a winning team, if the Jazz had the guards to propel them to the playoffs, I would not suggest this. But because I anticipate the Jazz are going to win fewer than 20 games and probably fewer than 17, I I think that the Jazz should try to prioritize strengths as opposed to minimize weaknesses. And Flip’s biggest flaw clearly clearly is defense and he plays next to an eraser in Walker Kesler in this lineup. Lowry, though he’s not a great defender, is a fantastic athlete functionally and dynamically for his size. So the Jazz should commit to cleaning the glass and have four guys around 6’9. This includes Ace Bailey, complicating the game for players driving. and Hardy will have a field day with Flip and Lowry playing off one another, giving another person who can create offense for Lowry’s greatest strength, which is offthe-ball movement, shooting and slashing, creating with matchup problems, and Collier will have more space to drive. My only slight concern about Isaiah Collier in this lineup, though he would still start, I’m not saying that he should get benched for this, is the Jazz play best with Isaiah Collier pushing tempo. These guys are lumbering bigs at some extent. you’re just not going to fly up and down the court as fast when you have Filipowski and and uh Kesler as you would though Kesler runs like a freaking deer. Um though I just don’t think you play as fast as you would if you had played maybe Cody Williams in this spot or if it’s Taylor Hendricks at full strength. U as for Ace Bailey, I promised you I’d talk about Ace Bailey. I’m very very excited for Ace Bailey. So without further ado, here’s the Ace Bailey talk. As I pull up my notes, I I I referred to last week. I was scrolling through to find you last week. I talked about Ace Bailey playing a Tobias Harris role. I think this lineup makes his ISO usage drop, but it would help Ace Bailey develop a uh develop as a perimeter defender and he would be very efficient in a spacing role. Allah, the one I likened for him to Tobias Harris on a loaded team. The Jazz are not loaded. But my point being is if they played a heavy offensive artillery lineup with big guys, people that draw primary defenders away from him, he can knock down open shots. I have no doubts of that. And the last thing is in terms of in terms of Ace Bailey and how the lineup construction shines through, Ace Bailey, I don’t care what his use is in terms of whatever lineup it is, he needs to be in the starting lineup. Ace can play off the ball. He can play on the ball, but he’s gonna play off the ball a lot in this lineup I just drew up. He’ll have a true two guard on him due to the size of the front court with three sevenfooters. And he gets to shoot over guys that look like him or are far smaller. And then he’ll also hit open threes, get out and run, be the beneficiary of back cuts because there’s going to be a lot of attention on Philippowski and Markin, the pace of Collier getting downhill using the screens of Kesler, the vertical lob threat of Kesler, and now wide open for an open three in the right corner is Ace Bailey. And he’s going to drain them. So, he’s going to look good in that role. Then, I think you play him and stagger those minutes and he plays in the second unit and has more of the ball in his hands potentially, but he has to start and get be given every opportunity to gain usage and thus confidence throughout the season as the Jazz continue to lose games. Ace Bailey 6’9, can shoot the heck out of the ball, and I believe his confidence will hold up just fine. He’s got bravado unlike many players, but especially unlike what we saw from Cody Williams who had confidence issues and skill question marks, but Ace has bravado that’s rare. And to sit him would be criminal to stunt his growth rate and more importantly and even that his belief. This is about him. He holds the keys more than anyone on the roster because let’s face it, we’re in a small we’re in a small market. We’re a small market team. We need to retain a star. Most of our best players have left shortly after their career began. And the way I see it, he’s the most capable to make us good again of anyone on the team, including Lowry Market. So, lastly, coming up next, I’ll go through some fun lineup ideas I think could thrive and answer some questions of who could be curveballs and change the calculus of who should start. But, Ace Bailey absolutely should start. And I’ll tell you who could contend for starting spots in unconventional ways coming your way next. I just want to tell you about my friends at Murdoch Chevy. The Murdochs have been in Utah for over 80 years. Chevys is they’re as American as it can get. They’re located in Woodscross and Logan. And there’s a great lineup of Chevy trucks, the Colorado and the Silverado. And you can go to the website to see the latest deals, the late all they’ve got in their inventory. It’s up todate, stocked beautifully. They tell you what’s there, the prices, and what is there to see, who you can talk to to see said car. And they also, though, you think of the Chevy truck as the classic American truck, they also have an amazing lineup of SUVs with the Tahoe, the Suburban, the Blazer, the Equinox, and the Tracks. And all of them are beautiful, up to up to-date, and most importantly, available to be seen. And you can get go through the specs on the website. So, go check out Murdoch. They’ll take great care of you. And that’s in Logan and in Woodscross. Welcome back to Locked on Jazz. Leaf Tan with you here. And I’ve given you an impassioned spiel on why I think Ace Bailey has to start. I told you my reasoning for why I would start Kyle Filipowski. Partially out of sheer curiosity, but I think he makes the Jazz more dynamic. But now I’m going to tell you about some guys that I have not spoken of yet that could form interesting lineups that I would be excited to see, but also influence how the Jazz uh create their their lineups because it’s not it’s not platooning. The Jazz aren’t going to go, “Okay, here’s the five starters. Here comes the next five.” That’s what platooning is. It’s not a hockey shift. You’re rarely going to see four guys come in at once and one guy stay. The Jazz are going to integrate and stagnate. You’re going to see players that come in, excuse me, integrate and stagger who’s going to play. You’re going to see Lowry Markin play two shifts back to back. And I I think there’s going to be stuff like that happening. So, I’m going to tell you some weird players that don’t factor in as perfectly and if it were platooning, but will factor in because it is not platooning. So, the fun lineup that I could see being employed is Walter Clayton Jr., Cody Williams, George or J. George Nyang or Kyle Anderson. Let’s just say one of the two. Kyle Filipowski and Yousef Nerkach. I think that would be a defensive like that would be a nightmare. They’d be awful defensively. But I’d love to see what it does for Walter Clayton’s confidence. what he can do with thoughtful veterans who can help him distribute the ball and he can go to more of the scoring role that Pton Pritchard, which is the comparison that I have for him in terms of Austin Ames drafted him to be like Pton Pritchard and show his shooting ability, his leadership and then toughness and winning. And I think guys like Philipowski takes pressure off of him. Nang knocks down open shots. If it’s Kyle Anderson, he’s a tremendous passer. Nerkach is a guy who’s known for his offensive skill and the defense will be terrible, but I’d love to see what Walter Clayton can do in that lineup. And so now you’re gonna say, “Wait a minute, you’re missing two key guys that are definitely going to be ahead in the, you know, the one through 12 that I haven’t mentioned. I know Bryce Sensah and Keonte George are key omissions here, but that was intentional because this was to think of which players could expand their roles and how the presence of established vets such as Nerkage, such as Niang, such as Anderson could help them, help them um ingratiate themselves to Jazz fans. As you know, Walter Clayton’s going to have a few games with a lot of turns. You’re going to be like, “Oh my goodness, he’s terrible.” Or you’re going to say, “Cody Williams can’t shoot the ball because he has one bad game.” I think these veterans are crucial to helping these players build confidence and that’s why I’m interested. Now, confidence is the name of the game for Bryce Sensible and Keant George. Those guys are not bashful whatsoever. So, I think there’s a world I want to say this real quickly before before I talk about Kee and Bryce. Uh I I think there’s a world where Taylor Hendricks is not ready to play right away. And I think that’s fairly likely. And thus that opens us up a spot in my projected lineup that starts and I don’t think Kee George starts. So is it Bryce or is it Cody who steps up rather than Flip who would be my choice but Flip could have an enormous ball handling facilitation role in the second unit that may be more uh important to his career that may show look this is what he can do if you give him the reigns. So part of me wonders if Cody or Bryce slot in at the two and that bumps Ace to the three if Taylor Hendricks is not ready. So I want to say that. Now, I’ll give you the rationale. Bryce can really shoot the ball. He cannot guard. I’m not telling you anything you don’t know. He needs to do something else. Well, I’ve mentioned I think that can be rebounding. Now, for Cody, he can guard and I think he’s going to get better at that and I think he’s going to shoot better because it’s hard not to because he was seventh percentile in shooting catch and shoot open threes. But that puts more of the ball in the hands of Ace, which is a good thing, but also makes the expectation higher and it makes it harder for Ace Bailey. I think the Jazz are going to, you know, give him the opportunity to have the ball in his hands some, but it’s going to be in that Tobias Harris role that I’ve I’ve drawn out for you guys. And Collier and Lowry are going to have the ball. And if Cody plays, I think it makes it harder for Ace. And if if Bryce plays, Ace has to be a very good defender. So I what I what I’m saying in this is I don’t love that fit. And that’s why I prefer the idea of flip unless Ace Bailey comes out really defensively motivated. next to Cody Williams. I don’t think Ace and Bryce really work well together and they did not in summer league. Uh I also don’t mind Cody showing I don’t mind the idea of Cody starting. I think a lot of Jazz fans will. But I I think showing those defensive strides as a big guard against the you know the world’s best wings is going to be such a huge thing to win over Jazz fans. But it wouldn’t be my first choice. But I can see that as a distinct possibility should Hendrickx be out. Now, the second curveball would be if Bryce starts in that situation. What does that say about Kee George and his role for the Utah Jazz going forward? I think Keonte George is a six-man type of player. I’ve always felt that he could be a starting guard, but you need a special type of guy who demands the ball defensively is very good. Like, you need a guy like Amen Thompson or you need a Cade Cunningham type of scorer. You need someone with size first and foremost. But if you were to take an N Thompson, he’s a dry first guy who’s the other worldly defender. If you take a Kate Cunningham, he makes everything easier and he’s enormous, so he would guard twos anyway. So I I think it it begs the question if Keant is a six-man and I think he is the better player than Bryce Sens. They’re both in their third years. It’s not like these guys are on different trajectories. They’re both the same age. I I just think it makes more sense for Bryce to start than Kee, but I don’t think it makes sense at all because Bryce he does the same things Keonte does. He shoots the ball better than Keante and he’s bigger, but neither defend well and and he doesn’t pass. Kee was criticized for his, you know, unpredictability at the point guard. Like, was he going to have a good point guard game or was he just going to get shots and be inefficient? Bryce does not pass and does not defend. Keonte has not defended and has at least attempted to pass, but the game got simple for him last year and his passing numbers improved. Like his assist numbers improved, his efficiency marginally improved. And I think that simplifying the game and simplifying a role for him, saying, “Yeah, you’re our six-man is great, but I do think starting Bryce Sensible over Kee George would send a really weird message to Keonte George.” and Keonte could be fully bought in to being sixman and that would be fantastic for the Jazz to have that buy in for the role and the role definition that I think actually is the best case scenario for Keant’s career. But Keonte’s a key juncture pun I guess pun let’s say critical juncture of his career and I think the most lucrative play for him is to be a six-man be committed to that and still believe that that’s his role to perfect at the NBA level for years to come and hopefully in Utah because I think he can really score the basketball. Say what you want. He’s had a a long leash. He can score the basketball. He’s had his warts. He’s not been good defensively. He’s turned the ball over some. He’s been a little inefficient. But the guy has come on to a team that’s been not very good, to put it lightly, and has had games where he’s been fantastic. Not many guys can come in and score 30 plus against the Warriors in their rookie year and knock down nine threes against the Warriors and their defensive intensity and say like, “Yeah, that guy hasn’t really worked out. Like, that guy’s lacking for talent.” That’s not the case. Kante has it and he has it in spades. So, the reason I brought this up is I don’t think Keant is going to start because I think the the belief is that Keonte got better as he came off the bench and Kee is small and the Jazz want to transition to size. So, I don’t think he’s going to start. If Hrix doesn’t start, I clearly would take Philipki because that’s my preference anyway. But I’d be curious and if it if it’s not Philipki and it’s not and it’s and it’s not Hendrickx starting next to Ace Bailey, I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s Cody Williams. And that’s where the curveball that I don’t think any of you guys saw coming is in my mind. So maybe it’s Kyle Anderson even and they just really go with a vet. But I think a lot of people be frustrated by that too because they want to see the youngsters. So let me know what you guys think. Please tell me if if I’m crazy for that curveball. Uh, which I think is a distinct possibility actually. And please tell me if you think I’m crazy or if I’m spot on for saying what I thought about Kyle Philpowski being a guy I think they should give a larger leash to. Or is it better for his career to come off the bench and Hendrickx should start because it’s the more classical fit in between the two locks, Kyle Philip, excuse me, Lowry Markin and Walker Kesler. Please let me know. Share below. I’ll try to engage with you. And thank you guys as always. is the everyday for making locked on jazz your first listen each and every day. For your second listen, find the locked on NBA podcast where there’s no offseason. Doug, Matt, and Hayes keep you up to date on contract negotiations, rumors, and everything you need to be the most informed NBA fan. Find Locked on NBA on YouTube or wherever you listen to your podcast. Part of the Locked On podcast network, your team every day.

Could the Utah Jazz’s starting lineup be the key to their success this season? Leif Thulin, filling in for David Locke, breaks down potential combinations that could propel the team forward.

Thulin analyzes a projected lineup featuring Isaiah Collier, Ace Bailey, Lauri Markkanen, Taylor Hendricks, and Walker Kessler. He explores Markkanen’s evolving role, the importance of Bailey’s development, and how young talents like Keyonte George and Kyle Filipowski might fit in. The discussion weighs offensive firepower against defensive stability, considering various player strengths and matchup advantages.

Discover why Thulin believes starting Ace Bailey is crucial for the Jazz’s future and how different lineup configurations could impact the team’s performance this season.

0:00 Jazz starting lineup speculation

13:17 Suggested alternative starting lineup

22:26 Unconventional lineup possibilities and wildcards

27:31 Keyonte George’s role and sixth man potential

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Utah Jazz starting lineup, Walker Kessler, Lauri Markkanen, Isaiah Collier, Ace Bailey, Taylor Hendricks, Kyle Filipowski, defensive versatility, offensive potential, NBA draft picks, Jazz roster analysis, Will Hardy coaching strategy, positional size, frontcourt options, backcourt competition, rookie development, David Locke, Locked On Jazz, Utah Jazz podcast, Utah Jazz news, NBA preseason predictions, team chemistry, defensive improvement, offensive firepower, player roles, lineup experimentation

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