Jazz Find Markkanen, Kessler, Sexton & More Placed in ESPN NBA Top 100

Looking back to just last season, the Utah Jazz entered the year as one of the most underappreciated and disrespected teams in the entire NBA. After shipping off All-Star talents like G Donovan Mitchell and C Rudy Gobert, the wide expectation was for this roster to be take a massive step back.

We know that wasn’t exactly the case, as this roster muscled its way to a 37-45 record, good enough for 12th in the Western Conference. It wasn’t exactly enough to reach the coveted postseason, but it blew any initial tanking expectations for this team out of the water.

Such a season has allowed the Jazz to gain some increased consideration on the national radar, specifically within ESPN’s top 100 NBA players for the 2023-24 season. In total, Utah managed to find a total of five names, with three guys vaulting into the list after being non-ranked a season ago:

Lauri Markkanen: 28th

Walker Kessler: 70th

Jordan Clarkson: 77th

John Collins: 90th

Collin Sexton: 98th

Seeing all five of these players finding a higher rank than a season ago should be a welcome sight for Jazz fans, further enforcing the growth this team has taken on within the past year.

The player who saw the biggest jump was All-Star F Lauri Markkanen, who went from an unranked player in 2022 to a top-30 placement one season later. Setting career highs in various stat categories and taking on a lead role paved the way for a Most Improved Player win and some newfound respect amongst the association.

ESPN’s Tim MacMahon had some praise to give Markkanen from last year’s campaign in the rankings:

Markkanen emerged as an All-Star and earned the NBA's Most Improved Player award in his first season in Utah. His scoring average soared to 25.6 PPG, an increase of 10.8, which was the biggest jump in the league last season. His 16 30-point outings were one more than he had in his first five seasons combined... Markkanen proved last season that he's an all-around scorer, not just a 3-point threat, but that's still his best skill. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, Markkanen became the first 7-footer ever to make at least 200 3s in a season, and he did so while shooting 39.2% from beyond the arc.

This roster still has a solid amount of production further down the line that didn’t manage to get a spot in the top 100 this year. Whether it be rising G Talen Horton-Tucker, veteran F Kelly Olynyk, or even newly-selected rookie G Keyonte George, this collection of talent runs deep with this squad.

Established with a growing, competitive, young core, the stage is set for another season of destroying expectations and preconceived notions.

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