4 Utah Jazz Players Fighting for Rotation Spots This Preseason

The Utah Jazz's projected rotation heading into the 2026-27 season––for the most part––is largely settled.

With a combination of stars like Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Keyonte George leading the way, young pieces like Ace Bailey and Darryn Peterson brought on from the past several drafts, and a plug-and-play veteran big like Jusuf Nurkic likely to start at center, there are about nine spots in Utah's rotation pretty locked in for opening night.

So that likely leaves one to two spots in the rotation left up for grabs. And when looking around their roster, there's a handful of interesting candidates who could be worthy of that leftover playing time, yet will certainly need to earn their way to those opportunities through camp in preseason.

With that in mind, let's sort through four names on the Jazz's roster who have a few important weeks ahead of them to cling onto that rotation spot, as preseason officially gets rolling on Sunday:

Svi Mykhailiuk

Throughout half of last season, the Jazz really leaned on Svi Mykhailiuk as an integral piece of their wing rotation. He started over 40 games, averaged a career-high in both scoring and minutes played, and proved to be a productive veteran who can plug-and-play on the wing as an off-the-ball connector offensively.

So if there's anyone on this list locked into their spot in the rotation the most, it's Mykhailiuk. But at the same time, the Jazz made multiple additions on the wing throughout this offseason of players that offer a whole lot more talent defensively than he does. And for a team that's ranked in the bottom two defensively for the last three years, those skillsets come in handy.

Mykhailiuk feels like he could be in line for at least 15 to 20 minutes on opening night. Yet, if the Jazz really begin to struggle on the defensive side of the ball, don't be shocked if the coaching staff decides to make a pivot.

Josh Green

The newest addition to the Jazz's roster ahead of training camp, Josh Green, might be entering the mix as the odd man out for early opportunities in the rotation simply based on a lack of tenure.

However, he does tend to offer some of the necessary upside Utah could use as a three-and-D threat on the wing. He shot a career-best 42.0% from three with the Charlotte Hornets last season, and could provide an immediate impact to this rotation if those numbers carry over into this year, simply based on the fact that he's a high-level shooter.

The big question remains whether or not Green has the chops to outdo the many other wings on the roster who are competing for bench minutes. These next few games of preseason could be a perfect opportunity to prove he's worthy.

Josh Okogie

The Jazz put an emphasis on upgrading their wing depth and perimeter defense in free agency when they decided to sign Josh Okogie to a two-year deal; someone who has recent playoff experience from his time with the Houston Rockets, and might be able to provide exactly what this team needs on the wing within their second unit.

But again, the hurdle that Okogie faces is the fact that there's multiple players on the Jazz's roster competing for the same minutes as him. Mykhailiuk and Green both qualify, but the same can be said for other wings in the rotation like Ace Bailey and Brice Sensabaugh.

Of all three veterans competing for minutes off the bench, though, Okogie feels pretty likely to command a good share of work his way, only for the simple fact that he offers some of the best defensive upside that the Jazz certainly need more of in their rotation.

Jaxson Hayes

The move from the Jazz to sign Jaxson Hayes came pretty quickly after the front office opted to trade away Walker Kessler to the Los Angeles Lakers, essentially giving them a backup plan and extra depth for their center position that had just seen a major shakeup.

Based on the urgency the Jazz put into signing Hayes, he could be locked into a rotation spot more than we think. But with the big lineup that Utah has on hand with guys like Jaren Jackson Jr., Jusuf Nurkic, and Kyle Filipowski all with the ability to run the five on any given night, there's no guarantees that Hayes is involved on a nightly basis.

That's what makes preseason pretty important for him to capitalize on. If he can show that he's a strong force on the interior, and someone who can offer a bit more upside as a rebounder and defender from what he showcased in LA, then more minutes are bound to come his way.

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