4 Biggest Takeaways From Jazz 2022-23 Season

The Utah Jazz wrapped up their season on Easter Sunday in a 128-117 defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers. Despite needing to lose the game to maximize their draft position, Utah’s backups gave L.A. all it could handle and forced its opponent to play starters late in the game.

The Jazz players and coaching staff fought tooth and nail until the last whistle. Now that the 2022-23 season is in the books, let’s take a look at the top storylines of the year.

Emergence of Lauri Markkanen

When Markkanen came over in the Donovan Mitchell trade it appeared the Jazz were getting a solid rotation piece that had some room to grow. What they got was a 7-footer with a shooting-guard skill set that averaged 25.6 ppg while hauling in 8.6 rebounds.

In order to be a championship contender, a franchise needs at least two rostered All-Stars, and the Jazz got their first in Year 1 of a rebuild. Markkanen will be under club control for two more seasons, which buys the Jazz brain trust enough time to paint a picture to their first-year All-Star that there’s championship potential here in Salt Lake City.

2022-23 Rookies Thrive Post-All-Star Break

If Markkanen landing in Salt Lake City was the biggest story of the year, then the emergence of Walker Kessler and Ochai Agbaji was a close second.

Although he’ll fall short of receiving the award, Kessler entered the Rookie of the Year conversation late in the season. The 7-footer out of Auburn finished the month of March averaging 13.8 ppg while grabbing 10rebounds.

After just one year in the league, Kessler has become a top-tier rim protector and a force in the paint. Agbaji also came on strong in the end.

In the month of April, the first-rounder out of Kansas had a 20-point performance against the Lakers, followed by a career-high of 28 points versus the Denver Nuggets. Agbaji made huge strides, considering he started the year spending time in the G League.

The Jazz have a tough decision on whether to re-sign Jordan Clarkson, but the development of Agbaji lessens the blow if the former Sixth Man of the Year is in a different uniform next season.

A Home Run with Will Hardy

Hardy has always had a reputation for a high basketball IQ, but what stood out this year was the Jazz players leaving it all out on the court, night in and night out. The first-year head coach dealt with more roster turnover (23 players) than Jazz fans may ever see again.

Remarkably, Utah wasn’t mathematically eliminated from playoff contention until two games left in the season. Imagine what Hardy can do when the front office is actually helping him win in the present.

Danny Ainge Fleeces the NBA

This year wouldn’t have been possible if not for 'Trader Danny' getting the upper hand on the Minnesota Timberwolves and Cleveland Cavaliers. The net result for Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert are:

Markkanen
Kessler
Agbaji
Collin Sexton
Talen Horton-Tucker
Six unprotected first-round picks
Two protected first-round picks
Three pick swaps

Ainge took over a team that had limited draft capital with salary cap problems, and in just one year, flipped it to a franchise that’s set up with one of the most promising futures in the league.

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