3 Reasons for Optimism Amid Jazz's Failure to Launch

It hasn't been pretty thus far for the Utah Jazz in Year 2 of the post-Donovan Mitchell/Rudy Gobert era. Utah has lost five out of its last six contests, each defeat being by double digits.

With the way the Jazz season is shaping up, the growing pains are real, and a bumpy ride can be expected moving forward. That said, Utah still has a bright future. 

It won’t happen overnight, but Utah could be back in the playoff conversation before too long. Let’s examine what the Jazz have in place as a reminder that it’s not all doom and gloom in Salt Lake City.

Up & Coming HC in Will Hardy

Despite Utah’s 7-16 start to the season, Jazz fans should be pleased with who’s running the show. Hardy has a reputation for being one of the brightest minds in the NBA, and he hasn’t done anything to disprove that. 

Hardy’s upside as a coach came up when ESPN NBA insider Tim McMahon joined ESPN 700’s The Drive with Spence Checketts.

“When Will Hardy has a roster that’s reasonably capable of competing, he can squeeze the most out of it. He can coach,” MacMahon said. “They [Jazz] know they’ve got a legitimate head coach in place and locked up long-term and a guy who I think can be the coach of the Utah Jazz for a long time to come.”

Treasure Chest of Draft Capital

The NBA draft is always going to be hit-and-miss, even in the lottery. However, with as many first-round picks that are in Utah’s possession, the odds are good that the Jazz will strike gold on something. 

Let’s take a peek at what lies ahead.

2024 draft picks:

• Utah’s own first-round pick (protected 1-10, if the pick falls outside of the top 10, Oklahoma City gets the pick instead)

2025 draft picks:

• Utah’s own first-round pick
• Cleveland’s first-round pick (unprotected)
• Minnesota’s first-round pick (unprotected)

2026 draft picks:

• Utah’s own first-round pick (can swap pick with Minnesota)
• Utah’s own second-round pick

2027 draft picks:

• Utah’s own first-round pick
• Cleveland’s first-round pick (unprotected)
• LA Lakers’ first-round pick (protected 1-4)
• Minnesota first-round pick

2028 draft picks:

• Utah’s own first-round pick (can swap pick with Cleveland)
• Minnesota’s own first-round pick (protected 1-4)
• Utah’s own second-round pick

Key Pieces Already in Place

Unlike some of the other cellar-dwellers of the NBA, Utah already has a respectable core to work around. Lauri Markkanen has an All-Star appearance under his belt and is just entering his prime.

Walker Kessler and Keyonte George have shown they have the potential to be a future force in this league, which MacMahon also touched on later in his conversation with Checketts.

“Markannen, they feel like he’s one of those guys,” MacMahon said. “Kessler, they feel like is one of those guys. Although, certainly, his sophomore season isn't going as good as his rookie year did. He’s banged up again now, too. They really like this Keyonte George kid, but again, you kind of have to look for silver linings.”

Let’s also not forget that lottery pick Taylor Hendricks and rookie first-rounder Brice Sensabaugh have shown some promise early on. Everything may feel bleak at the moment, but Utah is much better off than what’s being talked about at the water cooler.

Follow Inside The Jazz on Facebook and X.

Subscribe on YouTube for breaking Jazz news videos and live-stream!