3 Jazz Players Make List of Top-125 NBA Players
It's quite remarkable to think that less than one year removed from trading away two All-Stars, the Utah Jazz are set up with a very solid roster core. Evidence of this fact emerged via The Ringer's Top-125 list of NBA players, where three Jazzmen checked in.
Highest ranked was All-Star Lauri Markkanen at No. 27, followed by center Walker Kessler at 101, and shooting guard Jordan Clarkson at 102. Two of those three players are a lock to be on Utah's 2023-24 roster.
Clarkson's future is up in the air, as he has a player option on his contract this year. While the former Sixth Man of the Year is expected to decline the option and hit free agency, there's no guarantee that it shakes out that way.
"I don't know," Clarkson said on April 11. "Just kind of think that we'll all sit down—[agent] Rich [Paul] and my family and stuff and figure out what the best decision is for me. But that's probably where it ends for me on the comment because I kind of wasn't even thinking about that—looking at that throughout the whole year. So just a conversation we'll end up having, and figure it all out."
Meanwhile, Markkanen and Kessler are both set to reprise their roles in Utah's starting lineup. Markkanen, aka 'The Finnisher,' arrived via the Donovan Mitchell trade with Cleveland, and proceeded to make his presence felt. The Frozen Rope's James Lewis predicted shortly after the trade that Markkanen would be a Most Improved Player of the year candidate and sure enough, that's how it happened. Only, Markkanen brought home the MIP award, marking the first time ever in Jazz history.
Kessler arrived via the Rudy Gobert trade with Minnesota. The 2022 first-round pick out of Auburn took a little time to get up to speed, but he was a full-on rim-protecting menace out of the gates and finished the season as a bonafide force to be reckoned with.
With Markkanen and Kessler in the fold, Utah's core is strong. Throw in up-and-comers like Ochai Agbaji and Talen Horton-Tucker — the latter of whom also has a player option on his contract this year — and the Jazz have some intriguing talent entering the 2023 campaign.
Plus, the front office is armed with a war chest of first-round draft picks and plenty of salary-cap space. Utah was a nice story after defying the odds and starting hot last season. In 2023-24, expect the Jazz to be more than a cute NBA story.
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