3 Biggest Adjustments Utah Jazz Must Make This Offseason

The Utah Jazz head into this offseason looking to make some major shifts from how they finished last season to make their long-awaited jump into postseason contention for the first time since 2022, and put an official end to what's been a long-spanning rebuild process since.

Though to make that leap, the Jazz will have to key in on a few key adkustments on the floor to put the pieces together.

A lot of those tweaks will likely center upon internal development, but as with any NBA offseason, a few roster additions from outside the building could be the finishing touches needed that helps Utah finally turn the page on a dreary past four seasons, and a possible playoff berth for 2027.

Here's three of the Jazz's biggest adjustments to make for the summer that could define their success for the season ahead:

1. Strengthening the Defense All-Around

Mar 27, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Utah Jazz guard Ace Bailey (19) celebrates with guard Elijah Harkless (16) during the second half against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images | Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

Will Hardy said it himself: the premier focus of this offseason for some of the team's top players––particularly Keyonte George and Ace Bailey––is on refining and working on their individual defense.

The 2025-26 season was the third-straight year the Jazz ranked dead-last in the NBA for defensive rating.

It's obviously tough to have any consistency defensively without top names on that end like Walker Kessler, or even Jaren Jackson Jr. healthy or in the rotation. But for those that haven't been quite reliant on their defense early in their career, rounding out their games on both ends of the floor will only be beneficial for everybody involved.

It's not often you see a team with a bottom-tier defense break out onto the scene in the NBA as top-tier title contenders. That is, unless you're in a rare category like the Denver Nuggets, who have a generational superstar like Nikola Jokic.

Right now, the Jazz don't have that on their roster. So that means they'll have to bank on some real defensive improvement across this summer and across all of next season to take that next step in a challenging Western Conference.

2. Continue to Improve Turnover Numbers

Mar 15, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy and Isaiah Collier (8) discuss a play against the Sacramento Kings during the first quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images | Dennis Lee-Imagn Images

Similarly to the Jazz's brutal defensive stats, their turnover numbers were once again a bit uninspiring for another year of their extensive rebuild process.

Utah was bottom-three in the NBA for turnovers a night (15.0), and sat bottom 10 in the league for turnover differential (+1.0).

For perspective, eight of the league's bottom 10 teams in turnover differential wound up missing the playoffs, with the only exceptions being the Houston Rockets and the Portland Trail Blazers.

It's tough to be a good team when turning the ball over in bunches. When paired with an inability to get stops on the other end, the math usually doesn't tend to average out into a successful basketball situation.

Expect the Jazz's coaching staff to hold a high focus on ball security and decision-making to get those numbers in the right direction next season, which again should be easier with a healthy roster.

3. Return to Being a Top Rebounding Team

Oct 22, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (23) rebounds against the Los Angeles Clippers during the second half at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

This past season marked the first time in a while the Jazz weren't notably effective in team rebounding. Utah ranked 16th in the league for rebounds per game (43.8)––the first time since 2020 that the franchise didn't finish a season ranked within the top 10 for total rebounding average.

A lot of that is due to persisting health and availability reasons, but there's no doubt that the Jazz's outstanding size will be a huge advantage over multiple smaller rotations next season when it comes to having an edge on the glass.

That size will be a massive part of what makes the Jazz and their lineup on both ends of the floor extremely unique on paper next season. But with that size also comes an expectation to be a high-ranking team on the glass.

A trio in the frontcourt of Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson, and Walker Kessler, plus Kyle Filipowski and potentially Jusuf Nurkic on the bench, has enough size to return to that top 10 spot once again, along with good-sized names for their position in Keyonte George and Ace Bailey to add onto that rebounding upside.

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