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Jazz trade talk 2024-25

Someone on the team needs to set picks, grab the other team's jerseys and occasionally hit a shot. It might as well be Kessler.
 
The same. Preseason really should not change much, but it's fun.

I agree and disagree. Final scores and team results mean nothing, but we are currently getting way more information about our young guys than we had before. It's still too small of a sample size to say much, but much more information than we had before
 
I agree and disagree. Final scores and team results mean nothing, but we are currently getting way more information about our young guys than we had before. It's still too small of a sample size to say much, but much more information than we had before

Most of my takeaways from the young guys don't necessarily mean more wins. Young guys can look good and still be losing players, Key's rookie year was a good example of that. On paper he was one of the more tanktastic players in the league despite having what most would consider a good rookie season.

I guess the biggest takeaway have that relates to W's and L's is the rotation. Right from the jump it's flooded with younger players and that is obviously the focus of this season. I think a guy like Juzang would probably start if we were trying to win, but because we're not he probably won't even be in the rotation. We're definitely not going out there to maximize wins...but that's what I suspected all along. Everyone from top to bottom has been vocal about it.
 
Most of my takeaways from the young guys don't necessarily mean more wins. Young guys can look good and still be losing players, Key's rookie year was a good example of that. On paper he was one of the more tanktastic players in the league despite having what most would consider a good rookie season.

I guess the biggest takeaway have that relates to W's and L's is the rotation. Right from the jump it's flooded with younger players and that is obviously the focus of this season. I think a guy like Juzang would probably start if we were trying to win, but because we're not he probably won't even be in the rotation. We're definitely not going out there to maximize wins...but that's what I suspected all along. Everyone from top to bottom has been vocal about it.
Juzang may be too good to keep on the bench. If he is collecting DNP - CDs then we know Hardy is 100% in on the tank.

It all seems really loose... JCs and Hardy are laughing on the sideline and seem generally content.

I need to see a couple more games to decide if the start against Houston is something we will see frequently. Maybe not to that extreme shooting wise but just the issues getting an advantage off the dribble to create something. I am still basically where I was though none of the young players look tragic in a way that will lead us to the bottom 3 range. They all seem fairly functional. Adding a Scoot level commander might have had me knock us down a notch or two.
 
How are feeling about the tank after two preseason games?

It depends on what Will Hardy does with rotations. A group with Lauri, Collins, Sexton, Clarkson/Keyonte and, say, Hendricks could win some games. Jazz could also try to replicate their 3-big lineup that was fairly successful last year if they played Walker, Lauri and Flip together.
 
Juzang may be too good to keep on the bench. If he is collecting DNP - CDs then we know Hardy is 100% in on the tank.

It all seems really loose... JCs and Hardy are laughing on the sideline and seem generally content.

I need to see a couple more games to decide if the start against Houston is something we will see frequently. Maybe not to that extreme shooting wise but just the issues getting an advantage off the dribble to create something. I am still basically where I was though none of the young players look tragic in a way that will lead us to the bottom 3 range. They all seem fairly functional. Adding a Scoot level commander might have had me knock us down a notch or two.

Yeah JC was pretty open about this at media day. He went out and said that he knows this year is about the young guys.

Agreed on Juzang...and it's not just a preseason overreaction. It's the way he played at the end of last season as well. Something related to that is Hardy hasn't staggered Key and Sexton. One may think that when Key is out of the game, Sexton would take over as the PG. This would be a natural way to get Juzang minutes instead of Collier/Mills, but he's not doing this. Whatever Hardy's reasoning is, it limits the amount those three can play to some degree. 10-15 minutes a night are going to Collier/Mills when they could go to Juzang or simply more minutes for Key/Sexton/Clarkson. Hardy is very much finding ways to get the pups into the rotation. Another related note, zero Collins+Kessler or Collins+Eubanks minutes. We probably already knew that Hardy will not play two bigs, but this confirms it. There is a maximum of 48 minutes these guys can play on any given night which has a tanking impact.

About that start....I swear half of our possessions in the first 6 minutes were trying to get Lauri in isolation. It didn't go well....that's fine. What it tells me is there is a willingness from Lauri and the coaching staff to try and see him expand his game there. Either it goes well and we have a mega star, or it doesn't and we lose more games because of it. He can always go back to his bread and butter, which is what we saw in the second half. Now is the time to experiment with Lauri.

For me, the number one thing to take into consideration when it comes to the tank is how Hardy and the FO will approach this season. If preseason+camp quotes+vibes are any indication, we ain't trying to win.
 
I also wonder if at some point this year we move off of one of the 1st or 2nd year guys... 3 picks in the upcoming draft on top of what we have is kinda scary, but might be a way to be a Loozer for Boozer or something clever that rhythms with AJ Dybantsa
 
There's 0 reason to trade Kessler. He might not be a top 15 center, and Lord knows I dont enjoy watching him play, but he still has great backup potential and I dont think he's going to get any crazy offers in RFA.
But are you sure he is OK being "a great backup" ? I am afraid that the accolades he received during his rookie season really went to his head and that he truly sees himself being a career starting center. And that he would sulk if he permanently relegated to the bench.

On the other hand, if he is content being a long-term backup I am all for keeping him, as he is cheap.
 
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