Inside The Jazz

Utah Jazz Quietly Rank Near NBA’s Best in Key Stat

The Utah Jazz are one of the NBA's best in one key metric.
Dec 20, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George (3) dribbles the ball as Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black (0) defends during the second quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images
Dec 20, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George (3) dribbles the ball as Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black (0) defends during the second quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

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The Utah Jazz have quietly soared to the top of the NBA in one key statistic.

And that metric lies on the offensive end, ultimately speaking to their efficiency on that side of the ball: assists per game.

Heading into the 2026 calendar year, the Jazz rank second in the NBA for total assists per game, being just one of two teams averaging 30 or more assists a night.

The only other team to rank higher than the Jazz with over 30 assists per game? The Atlanta Hawks, who sit at an average of 31.3 assists.

Utah Jazz Among NBA's Best at Generating Assists

That success in moving the ball around can be attributed to a variety of factors, but certainly proves that Will Hardy's system is one that consistently keeps the ball movement, and really gets everyone on the floor involved in doing so for one reason or another.

Keyonte George has gotten better and better at distributing the ball as a point guard after entering the league as a primary off-the-ball guard. Lauri Markkanen is a player who consistently finds success in scoring off-the-ball, giving those around him simple looks for easy assists. Jusuf Nurkic, in Hardy's system, becomes a noteworthy playmaker for those playing through him––with the veteran center averaging an eye-catching 4.3 assists, the third-best on the team.

Isaiah Collier, the Jazz's second-year guard off the bench, also can't be forgotten in the mix either, who's averaging the second-most assists on the team (6.6 APG) in just 22.9 minutes a night, gradually proving he can be a serviceable young point guard that can get to the rim at a high level and get the ball to his teammates.

Jan 1, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA;  Utah Jazz Head Coach Will Hardy (left) talks with guard Isaiah Collier (8) during t
Jan 1, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Utah Jazz Head Coach Will Hardy (left) talks with guard Isaiah Collier (8) during the first half against the Los Angeles Clippers at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

That formula for each of those guys has led to some noticeably impressive ball movement numbers, and in turn, helps pay some major dividends for the Jazz's offense entirely, which has found its way to being statistically one of the better units in the league, and a big reason why Utah has 12 wins on the year already.

Expect the Jazz to continue relying on that extensive ball movement for their offensive success moving forward, and could eventually become a real calling card for what makes Utah's young roster special for this season and onwards.

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Jared Koch
JARED KOCH

Jared Koch is the deputy editor of Utah Jazz On SI. He's covered the NBA and NFL for the past two years, contributing to Denver Broncos On SI, Indianapolis Colts On SI, and Sacramento Kings On SI. He has covered multiple NBA and NFL events on site, and his works have also appeared on Bleacher Report, MSN, and Yahoo.

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