3 Bright Spots of the Jazz Roster Despite 4-8 Start to NBA Season

After an extremely narrow loss against the Phoenix Suns on Friday night, the Utah Jazz dropped to a 4-8 record on the season and finally suffered their first loss of the In-Season Tournament. Seeing some increased success in the wins column is ideal, but there are still some positive takeaways on the roster to move forward with.

Utah has had a brutal schedule to start, so it’s not exactly a shock to see the standings shake out the way they have up to this point. Still, even with some early losses to start, some players have managed to come out of the gates hot on an individual basis.

We’ll also remove Lauri Markkanen from this conversation, considering he’s pretty much a given. He was an All-Star starter last season. Everyone’s well aware he has been and will continue to be a bright spot on this roster. However, there are a bunch of names down the board that have also been showing out.

So with that, here are three other players that have stood out for the Jazz this season despite collecting a disheartening 4-8 record to start:

Jordan Clarkson

Starting this season, things were looking bleak with Jordan Clarkson. His shooting splits had taken a drastic dip, his shot selection seemed forceful and disorganized, and turnovers remained a persistent issue. However, Keyonte George’s recent emergence in the starting lineup has resulted in a total 180.

Clarkson is coming off a season-best 37 points against the Phoenix Suns on Friday, averaging 31.5 points across his last four games. His ball control has also seen a drastic recent improvement, as he’s limited himself to one turnover over his last two games.

A lot of the success of this Jazz team this season will be highly dependent on what version of Clarkson we’re getting. When Clarkson has the hot hand and persistently creates his shot on demand, Utah can be competitive on a nightly basis. However, it all comes down to consistency.

Keyonte George

Once Keyonte George quickly found his way into the starting lineup less than 15 games into the season, eyes quickly began to be put on notice for what this offense could soon develop into. Now, as quickly as four games into the season, the Jazz have been flowing better than ever.

Since the Jazz started Keyonte George they have the #5 offense in the league
— James Hansen (@hansenjames) November 18, 2023

Through the first four starts of his career, he’s averaged 11 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 8.3 assists while draining at least one three in each contest. It’s all of the qualities you’d want to see in a young guard: an innate scoring ability and a playmaking sense beyond what his experience would tell you.

Things only project to keep getting better for Keyonte as he continues to adjust to the NBA game and mesh into this Jazz system. He’s only 19 years old and less than 25% through his rookie campaign. Initial signs show that the Jazz could have a future star on their hands.

John Collins

If there’s one thing John Collins has proven through his first few games in Salt Lake City, it’s that the price of Rudy Gay and a second-round pick was a steal for what we’re seeing in return. Whether it be in lineups with Walker Kessler or without, Collins has continued to show massive strides from his previous showing with the Atlanta Hawks a season ago.

His impact when it comes to rebounding the ball and being a threat as an interior scorer has been the key points in what’s led to such a successful start for Collins. He’s gotten a double-double in half of the Jazz’s first 12 games, scoring over 11 points each night. His three-point shooting has also taken a stark increase, as he’s managed to drill at least one three a night on a career-high 42.9% clip.

While the loss of Kessler and what he brings should not be understated, the way Collins has been able to step up in his absence has been extremely positive to see. After questions surrounded his productivity and consistency the entire offseason, he’s now effectively put those doubts to rest.

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