NBA Insider Predicts Bold Day One Starter at Point Guard for Jazz

In light of the uncertainty facing the Utah Jazz’s guard rotation for next season at this point in this offseason, predicting who the starters will be on opening night is near impossible. Despite this, a Jazz insider gave an interesting early perspective on how he sees the team beginning next season.

In a recent thread on Twitter from Ben Anderson of KSL Sports describing several topics surrounding the Jazz next season, he mentioned how he’d “bet that Kris Dunn is the Jazz’s opening night starter at PG playing in more of a structured system” for 2023-24.

It’s also why I’d bet that Kris Dunn is the Jazz’s opening night starter at PG playing in more of a structured system with Walker Kessler on the floor.
— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) June 26, 2023

There isn't anything saying we won't see the Jazz make a more significant addition at the one this summer. As the roster currently stands though, Anderson predicts Kris Dunn to be the likely starter. In his 22 games played for the Jazz last season, he averaged a promising line of 13.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.6 assists. While a small sample size, these numbers show somewhat of a career resurgence for the 29-year-old.

While starting Kris over more prominent names like Collin Sexton and Keyonte George may be an unpopular decision, Ben sees it as a better fit for the team’s success on-court. A more traditional, less ball-dominant guard like Dunn paired next to scorers like Lauri Markkanen and John Collins could be the best course of action to capitalize on this team’s talent.

Benching Sexton and Keyonte George to start the season could allow both to command the second unit, as opposed to taking a backseat in the starting lineup. Of course, starting George and Hendricks off-rip would be exciting to watch. However, it might not be the best decision for the development of these prospects long-term.

Patience is crucial to any NBA rebuild, and the Jazz seem to be practicing just that. We will see how Utah can attack free agency next week to bolster some success for next season.

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