3 Jazz Players With Rising Stock Following the All-Star Break
With the mostly underwhelming 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend finally coming to a close, the focus around the league can now be directed toward the final 30 or so games of the regular season and what will come along with it. Among the teams around the association, the Utah Jazz will be among the more intriguing squads to watch following their trade deadline shakeup.
The team decided to send off three rather productive rotational pieces of Kelly Olynyk, Ochai Agbaji, and Simone Fontecchio on deadline day, which inevitably changed the course of the rest of their season ahead. While it may call for some increasing adjustments and new rotations going down for Will Hardy, the door is also opened for some guys to see a rise in opportunity as well.
As the final third of the season kicks off later this week, there are a few contenders on the Jazz roster who could see a rise in production for the rest of the way. A newly implemented starting five and minutes distribution effectively does that, so it's critical to recognize who should be some candidates to keep a keen eye on for the next two and a half months of the season.
Here are three players on the Jazz that have rising stock to take note of as we move past the All-Star Break:
Jan 30, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George (3) drives to the basket against New York Knicks guard Miles McBride (2) during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden.
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Keyonte George
As it stands, the future of this backcourt's success heavily relies on the progression of Keyonte George. We've seen flashes of his ability as a playmaker and scorer early in his rookie season, but now presents a perfect time to see a bit more out of the Baylor product.
Keyonte found his place as a starter in December before being sidelined with an ankle injury for close to two weeks. Coach Hardy remained cautious in getting him back in the lineup, considering we didn't see him as a starter again until this past week vs. the Golden State Warriors.
Now that all signs point to the front office wanting to continue the development of his young players, it provides a ton of opportunity for George to shine. His playmaking sense can be extremely useful to a lineup with lob threats like Walker Kessler and John Collins on the roster, along with Markkanen benefiting from a guy to help him find open looks at all three levels.
Across these next 30 games, George should be a focal point of how this offense operates and will continue to grow in his role as the lead guard for Utah.
Feb 16, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Team Jalen center Walker Kessler (24) of the Utah Jazz blocks the shot of Team Tamika guard Keyonte George (3) of the Utah Jazz during a Rising Stars semifinal game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
© Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Walker Kessler
While his sophomore campaign tended to get off to a slow start due to a lingering elbow injury he suffered in the first game of the season, things are beginning to get back on track for Walker Kessler in the second half of this year.
With the team's recent trades, Kessler has now been placed back into the starting frontcourt alongside Lauri Markkanen and John Collins after being a part of the second unit for 31 of his initial 48 games. It allows for Walker to keep growing in lineups paired with this team's guard of the future in Keyonte (who's now back as the starting one) and generating more chemistry with the Jazz's best weapon in Markkanen.
For the prospective five for this team for the foreseeable future, building sustainable chemistry is critical to this team's development. The production on the defensive end is already present, so Kessler continuing to put it together offensively as a partner in the pick and roll and maybe even a floor spacer is what can potentially allow Kessler to be one of the better bigs the league has to offer.
The goal moving forward for the Jazz concerning Kessler should revolve around maximizing his opportunities. His minute average of 23.4 barely differs from his rookie average of 23.0. Finding an increase in nightly playing time is necessary to find his footing in becoming an elite NBA center.
Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports
Taylor Hendricks
When taking a step back to look at the Jazz roster, Taylor Hendricks stands out as one of the main benefactors of the team's deadline deals. By sending out Olynyk, Agbaji, and Fontecchio, it effectively frees up a load of minutes at either forward slot, which the 9th-overall pick can easily slide into. For a team still positioned well within their youth movement, his implementation into the starting lineup is a welcome addition to their rebuild.
After logging a DNP in his previous twelve games, Hendricks jolted back into the rotation at the Thursday deadline with 17 minutes off the bench vs. the Phoenix Suns. While his numbers since becoming a nightly member of the rotation have yet to jump off the page (3.8 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 0.5 APG, 35.3/27.3), the league experience alone is what's immensely valuable to his development.
Utah has made it clear with their deadline decisions that development is the priority over current success. Even if Hendricks isn't a contributor to winning basketball right away, it won't matter because it's not the current goal for the Jazz. Instead, getting first-round picks like Hendricks, George, and Brice Sensabaugh on the floor to grow as players is the key focus.
There may be an inevitable adjustment period coming with it, but expect to see a lot more of Taylor Hendricks in the Jazz lineup post-All-Star Break.
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