Jazz's First Preseason Game Revealed Plenty About Starting Five Plans

The Utah Jazz made their long-awaited return to the NBA floor this weekend as they kicked off their first of four preseason games on a road trip against the Denver Nuggets— inevitably claiming a 109-97 victory by the end.

And of course, when it comes to NBA preseason, you can only learn so much about any given team.

In this one for the Jazz, 15 players appeared on the floor for at least 10 minutes, only two players played more than 20, and acted as more or less a warm-up for both sides to shake the rust off in their first outing back on the hardwood in over five months.

With that in mind, there's still a ton to discover about how this Jazz roster and their lineup could inevitably look once arriving to the regular season towards the end of October.

However, at the same time, Utah did give us a glimpse at their first starting five of the new season this weekend against Denver, which tends to give us a bit of an indication about where head coach Will Hardy is leaning for his rotation decisions to start the new year.

What the Jazz's Starting Five Looked Like vs. Nuggets

Throughout the past several weeks of the Jazz's offseason leading into their preseason debut, their starting lineup was all but determined outside of one key spot: their two-guard.

Keyonte George, Lauri Markkanen, and Jaren Jackson Jr. were locks at the one, three, and four, respectively, while Jusuf Nurkic has remained the favorite to claim the Jazz's center role ever since the front office traded Walker Kessler to the LA Lakers this summer.

But that shooting guard spot has remained more of a toss-up. When Hardy was asked about that final starting spot during Jazz media day last week, even he wasn't too sure about how things would play out.

Will Hardy went in depth yesterday about what the Jazz are looking for in their final starting spot.

Says he's not quite sure who it'll be yet, but he'll be looking for "competitors" and players who are "looking to give themselves to the group." pic.twitter.com/YYdoPtVsAM
— Utah Jazz On SI (@JazzOnSI) September 29, 2026

But the Jazz have really been faced with two paths for that final starting five spot: do they decide to go with their prized No. 2 rookie, Darryn Peterson, and let him hit the ground running to start the year? Or will they lean on their experience and size in second-year wing, Ace Bailey?

In Denver, the Jazz went with Peterson as their starting shooting guard––a bit different from how they've operated with their incoming rookies in recent history––perhaps with the mindset of him building chemistry with the starters before the season starts, or as a hint that he's due to be starting in the backcourt next to George.

Oct 4, 2026; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Julian Strawther (1) defends on Utah Jazz guard Darryn Peterson (22) din the first half at CU Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In that preseason debut for Peterson, he had a relatively quiet night: he played in 22 minutes, where he had three points, shooting 1-5 from the field, pairing that with six rebounds, two assists, and a steal.

As for Ace Bailey, he was able to take advantage of more opportunities on the offensive end in the 20 minutes he played, contributing for 10 points shooting 50% from the field, also with five rebounds alongside a steal and a block.

What to Make of Jazz's Starting Five Decisions

Although the Jazz have three more preseason games on tap to truly work out their rotations and lineups how they'd like––one of those being a rematch against the Nuggets––the decision between Peterson and Bailey within the starting lineup makes sense if it holds.

Peterson can be a complementary two-guard who can score and handle the ball next to George as a starter, while Bailey can be a more involved option offensively as a focal point of the second unit.

Of course, the Jazz have more than enough time before the season to pivot if Hardy and the staff feel as if Bailey could be a better fit as a bigger wing in that two-guard spot. After all, Bailey does provide some quality shot-making and offensive upside of his own, while also pairing that with the chance of being a high-end defender.

But as of right now, the plan might just be for Peterson to immediately slot his way into being a starter from day one. And if true, it tends to be a good sign for how his rookie season in Utah could eventually unravel.

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