Key Takeaways From Jazz's Pre-Camp Press Conference
Utah Jazz GM Justin Zanik and head coach Will Hardy held court with local reporters on Friday to discuss the upcoming season. The presser went for about 40 minutes and offered some great insights about what Jazz fans can expect in the franchise’s 50th season.
What did we learn? Here are eight takeaways from the Zanik/Hardy presser.
Rookies Have to Earn it
Hardy revealed that his focus is solely on maximizing this current Jazz roster. This is a theme that held true last year as, despite outside expectations of them diving deep into a rebuild, the Jazz rode a misfit roster to 37 wins.
While both Hardy and Zanik are excited about Utah's trio of first-round rookies, Hardy made it clear that if they’re going to see the floor this season, they’ll have to earn it.
Resilient Identity
Hardy has done an excellent job giving the Jazz an identity that all basketball fans would love to cheer for. He promised that the team would play hard and compete every single night. It was something the Jazz delivered on last year, regardless of who was on the court.
Expect more of the same from this group.
Expect a Flexible Lineup
The Jazz have a lot of rotation-level players on their roster — more than they’ll be able to play every night. Hardy showed us last year his willingness to adjust on a night-to-night basis. Expect a lot of flexibility with lineups, especially early in the season, as the Jazz try to find the right combination.
Hardy also mentioned being flexible with what he’s willing to try with each player. Even though there are a lot of familiar faces, the team has changed.
The example Coach Hardy gave was how both Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler spent a lot of time playing with Kelly Olynyk last year. With the addition of John Collins, Hardy is thinking of different ways to collectively maximize the new Jazz frontcourt.
No True Point Guard
The Jazz are changing their mindset when it comes to the backcourt. With Mike Conley in Minnesota, the Jazz will lean on different combinations of players to handle the ball-handling responsibilities.
Hardy mentioned that the Jazz will use training camp to discover which players are able to complement each other.
Guards Competing for Minutes
To piggyback on the previous two points, it’s going to be an intense training camp and preseason for the five or six guards competing for opening-day minutes. Collin Sexton, Jordan Clarkson, Keyonte George, Kris Dunn, and Talen Horton-Tucker will all be scrapping for a bite at the apple.
Sprinkle in Ochai Agbaji and Brice Sensabaugh, both of whom can play some minutes at the 3, and you’ve got a crowded backcourt.
Clarkson Back to the Bench?
The Jazz made Clarkson an every-night starter last season for the first time in his career since 2015-16. Hardy offered up an intriguing answer when asked whether Clarkson would stay in that role for the upcoming season.
While Hardy didn’t rule out Clarkson starting again, it was an interesting reply that teased just how fluid Utah's backcourt situation will be.
High Character Group
Zanik seems happy with the character of the guys he’s accumulated on the roster. From top to bottom, the Jazz feel like everyone they’ve brought in are high character guys who will work hard and contribute to the team.
Markkanen Will Lead
The Jazz are going to ask a lot of Markkanen and Collins, both on and off the court. The team is expecting Markkanen to step into a leadership role as the All-Star heads into his seventh season, which the brass believe he is ready for.
As for Collins, the Jazz are going to rely on his playoff experience as well as his unique perspective throughout the year. Both Hardy and Zanik seemed very excited to have Collins in the fold.
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