URGENT: Jazz’s Future Needs 2 of 7 to CLICK | Will Taylor Hendricks become the NEXT Aaron Gordon?
David Locke, radio voice of the Utah Jazz and Jazz NBA Insider, breaks down the Utah Jazz’s path to competitiveness, focusing on the critical need for two out of seven young players to become viable NBA rotation pieces. He analyzes the potential of Keyonte George, Brice Sensabaugh, Taylor Hendricks, Cody Williams, Isaiah Collier, Kyle Filipowski, and Walter Clayton Jr., highlighting their unique skills and development areas.
Locke emphasizes the importance of Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler as established players, while pinpointing Keyonte George as the most likely to break through. He explores each player’s path to success, from Sensabaugh’s elite shooting to Hendricks’ physical potential, and discusses how their development could shape the Jazz’s future roster construction and trade possibilities. The episode offers an in-depth look at the Jazz’s young core and their potential impact on the team’s competitive timeline.
0:00 Intro: Utah Jazz need two players to break through
5:21 Analyzing the seven potential breakout players
10:30 Sponsor: Monarch Money for personal finance
15:37 Keyonte George most likely to succeed
20:47 Evaluating other players’ unique skills and potential
25:56 Paths for each player to become viable NBA contributors
30:00 Clippers salary cap circumvention story
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21 Comments
URGENT
WELCOME BACK, Leif held it down, but nice to have you back sir🎉
kyle, key.
I believe in Taylor and ace the most. I think walt and Cody become solid 20 mins guys.
I think the most likely 2 of 7 players you would actually have on the floor in a playoff series is Taylor Hendricks and Cody Williams. Cody made me nervous with real lack of confidence but they were picked the highest for a reason they have positional size and plus athleticism and both have defensive upside. The others all have unique skills but glaring weaknesses that make them all have a really hard path. Brice, Keyonte Flip and Walt are all horrible defensively and Collier can't shoot. If you are that bad defensively you better be one of the top 30 offensive players in the world and I dont think any of those guys have that kind of upside think like Trae Young, Luka Doncic, Donovan Mitchell offensive talent.
Hope you enjoyed your time off, but glad to have you back!
Hope you enjoyed your vacation! Glad to have you back! I agree that Keyonte is the most skilled, but I'm not sold that he improves his shot selection and shooting %. Brice I actually think becomes a rotation player, along with Flip. Hendricks we'll have to see. I hope he expands on the flashes defensively from his rookie year. Collier I think will be out of the league in a few years sadly
Shooting wasnt just good in summer league for kyle, he was also shooting well last season ever since he adjusted his release. (Dont forget that)
Ace and Kyle. Talent only goes so far and they seem to have the grit and enough of a chip on their shoulder to excel them above the others
Isaiah Collier should lean into the defensive pest like Pat Bev.
Welcome back. At the end of the day with NBA revenue sharing, winning doesn't effect profitability much. Playoffs do offer more opportunities to sell Jazz merch. Plus, the franchise has about doubled in value over the past 5 years despite its W-L record. I think the business imperative is to keep contract costs low. SEG accountants have to be pleased that Jazz costs were 30/30 in 24-25 while being 23rd in profitability. Seems like an efficient model. And it's why I suspect that Lauri will be traded this year after his numbers recover over last year's low performance. Lauri in a multi team deal for a fistful of low risk, comparatively inexpensive draft picks and a vet minimum throw-in or two (to mentor) is a trade that makes business sense.
The one that I see that has impressed me most from his play….granted I see potential to grow…is the point guard Walter Clayton Jr. Give him play time please!… and not only IF he excels the player or two he passes the ball to could also excel at a faster rate.
when Aaron Gordon came into the league he couldn't shoot. Taylor could be better
Why do the Jazz have such a hard time teaching shooting? Collier and Kessler need lots of work.
Filipowski is tracking to be better than Naz Reid. If Flip is on a floor with other big bodies eating up space, the cumulative size on the floor covers some of his defensive deficiencies.
Brice Sensabaugh can be like Aaron Nesmith (or better) offensively. He just needs to survive on defense.
Keyonte is at a crossroads. I think there are some comparisons to Tyler Herro and Reggie Jackson. How he develops from here matters a great deal.
I don't see Aaron Gordon as an outcome for Taylor Hendricks. Gordon had real ball skills coming into the league. I think Hendricks is still the Dorian Finney-Smith archetype with a bit more size and interior defense. Maybe Hendricks becomes an interesting slasher and play finisher.
If kessler is important piece, why we r not renew his contract??
Sensei, Collier, Hendricks, Cody, Walter, keynote, Flip all are solid already. Jazz just need to be healthy and star power. Finding solid role players has never been the Jazz issue
We should’ve traded Walker. We would’ve gotten way more than we got for Rudy Gobert🎉
Jk😂
If Collier could become an average shooter, he is probably a starting level pg. Question is, why hasn't he improved?
2/7? WTF man. Thats the expectation? Why even draft them then? I’m so sick of this garbage. The vision and roster management ranges from pathetic to non existent. Never any decent free agents, horrible draft picks, and not keeping your talent. Not to mention losing on purpose, and they couldn’t even get that right. Hooray!!!
This season, keep your eyes on Cody Williams and Walter Clayton Jr.
🔹 Clayton gives me VanVleet vibes — smart, tough, and a sniper from deep. What really stands out? In interviews, he talks about taking care of his bigs. That’s leadership. That’s culture.
🔹 Cody Williams is entering his transformation phase. Last year, his frame held him back. This year, weight training will show. The Jazz have a history of turning raw talent into stars — Gobert, Hayward, Malone, Stockton. Cody’s next.
📈 The Jazz’s biggest strength isn’t just talent — it’s development. And this year, we’re about to see it pay off.