by Zach Hanshew lotto world
Summary of previous teams: decision, was, POR, Cha, scandinavian airlines, Tor, Mem
overview:
Record: 31 wins, 51 losses (12th in the West)
Attack power rating: 114.5 (18th place)
Defensive rating: 119.6 (30th)
Online rating: -5.1 (23rd place)
Pace: 100.2 (10th place)
2024 NBA Draft Picks: 10, 29, 32
Utah began a complete rebuild in the summer of 2022 by trading Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. The team started the next season playing surprisingly competitive basketball for the first few months, but a lack of talent and fierce competition ultimately brought the Jazz back down to earth. Utah finished 37-45 as the No. 12 seed in the Western Conference, and the team added John Collins the following offseason. Utah dropped six more games last season, finishing as a No. 12 seed for the second straight year.
With plenty of projected cap space, multiple first-round picks this season and beyond, and questions about the team’s direction, this offseason could be a crossroads for the franchise. Will Danny Ainge renegotiate a contract extension with Lauri Markkanen? Will the team move on from John Collins after just one season? What will the future hold for Talen Horton-Tucker and Collin Sexton?
Utah could go all in on one or two key free agents, or they could opt to trade Markkanen or Collins and put their future focus squarely on the youth movement. . The direction a team chooses will determine how influential subsequent players will be. The fantasy notes below are written as if all the players currently on the roster would be back in his 2024-25 year. We don’t have a crystal ball, so keep that in mind.
Fantasy Masterpiece: Lauri Markkanen
Markkanen finished his first season with the Jazz as a top-20 fantasy option in 2022-23, but took it to another level in 2023-24 with his first-ever first-round finish. Markkanen ranked 12th in fantasy, averaging 23.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.5 blocks, and 3.2 triples.
His steals, triples and FT% increased, while his points, rebounds and FG% slightly decreased. In terms of counting stats and shooting percentage, Markkanen’s numbers were very similar to what he posted a season ago. The “Finn” should continue to post early-round value per game and serve as the clear top option for the rebuilding Jazz. Availability is a real concern for fantasy managers. With just 55 games played in 2023-24, Markkanen has averaged just 55.8 games played over the past six seasons. This lack of gameplay should be factored into his draft price in 2024-25, meaning Markkanen will likely fall to the third or fourth round.
Fantasy Revelation: Collin Sexton
He averaged 24.3 points per game in his third NBA season, and just when it seemed like his trajectory was going to send him straight to the moon, he suffered a serious injury that tragically brought him back to earth, missing all but 11 games in his fourth season. He was traded to Utah the following summer as part of the Lauri Markkanen deal, but it would be an understatement to call his first season in Salt Lake City a failure. Further injuries limited him to 34 more games, and he averaged just 14.3 points in 23.9 minutes over 48 appearances.
Collin Sexton, age 25 season:
(26.6 MPG, 78 GP, 51 GS)
18.7 PPG
2.6 RPG
4.9 APG
1.6 3P/G
4.1ft/G
49/39/87Became starter on 12/13 and Utah won 15 of their next 19 games.
An explosive bucket getter and an underrated playmaker with a crazy motor
He has two years left on his four-year, $72 million contract.#take notes pic.twitter.com/Isd4IJ9i8e
— Brett Usher (@UsherNBA) May 18, 2024
The hype surrounding Sexton that was deafening before his first season with the Jazz has completely died down, but he has bounced back in a big way. His minutes ticked down, allowing him to stay on the court, and he averaged 26.6 minutes per tilt in 78 games played. Young Bull started the season off the bench, but started 55 of the final 59 games, averaging 21.2 points and 5.6 assists while shooting nearly 50 percent from the field. He scored at least 20 points in exactly half of his games, but at one point dropped 11 consecutive games with 20 or more points. Sexton finished outside the top 100 for the season and in the top 80 overall. His stock is on the rise heading into the 2024-25 fantasy draft.
Fantasy Disappointment: Walker Kessler
In his rookie season, “The Ranger” was ranked in the top 60, averaging 9.2 points (72.0% shooting rate), 8.4 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks in 23.0 minutes, and expectations reached the peak. Kessler, who offered fifth-round value in his first year, was drafted in the middle of the 2023-24 fantasy draft, leaving him far short of expectations and only seventh-round value.
Kessler’s playing time increased only slightly to 23.3 minutes, but his performance (excluding a slight increase in blocks) decreased to an average of 8.1 points (65.4% shooting), 7.5 boards, and 2.4 blocks. .
He started 40 of 74 games in his first year, but only 22 of 64 in his second year. Various bruises and contusions may have contributed to lower production and lack of real playing time, but injuries alone cannot explain his disappointing season. . Kessler is expected to play in summer league again, meaning Utah’s coaching staff believes he needs more time to develop. This doesn’t bode well for a third-year jump, but Kessler’s huge upside as a shot blocker should keep him in the conversation as a mid-to-late center option in the 2024-25 draft.
Fantasy Summary/Perspective
John Collins: As LL Cool J famously rapped, “Don’t call this a comeback. I’ve been here for years.” Collins finished in the top 100 in fantasy seasons five years in a row, four of them He finished in the top 50 consecutively and once in the top 10. Collins finished outside the top 100 for the first time in his disappointing final season with the Hawks in 2022-23. Although the writing was on the wall to leave after the season, Salt Lake City’s crisp mountain air did wonders for him in his first year in Utah.
Collins averaged 15.1 points, 8.5 boards, 1.1 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.9 blocks and 1.3 triples while shooting 53.2% from the floor and 79.5% from the charity stripe. His boards were his highest since 2019-20 and his FG% was his highest since 2020-21, improving his scoring from a season ago. Collins finished inside the top 80 in fantasy value per game despite logging just 28.0 minutes per game (his fewest since his rookie season), solidifying himself as a quality value option. While his ADP will certainly rise heading into the 2024-25 fantasy draft, Collins is a safe option with plenty of upside for this rebuilding roster.
Keyontae George: George became a full-time starter on February 12th and never looked back. In the final two months of the season, he averaged 15.8 points, 2.8 boards, 4.8 dimes, and 2.4 triples in 31.4 minutes. George shot less than 40% over that span, but his points, triples, and assists were invaluable to fantasy managers. George scored a career-high 33 points against the Warriors on February 15 and tied a rookie record with nine 3-pointers in the same game.
His 147 triples were the second-most among rookies this season, and he was one of six rookies to score 30 points in at least three games. George’s inaugural season was marked by inconsistency and inefficiency, but that’s typical for rookies. The lows were rock bottom, but the highs were dizzying. So, after witnessing his upswing, there’s certainly reason to be optimistic. George will have little competition for minutes at point guard next season, and increased playing time combined with a year of experience should mean progress. He’s an interesting fantasy option in 2024-2025 and could be a player to acquire in the later rounds of the draft.
Taylor Hendricks: Hendriks started the season buried on Utah’s strength chart, but a trade deadline deal that released Simone Fontecchio, Kelly Olynyk and Ochai Agbaji opened up new opportunities. Hendricks started every game after the All-Star break and was a top-120 player in the final 13 games of the season.
He averaged 9.2 points, 4.9 boards, 0.9 steals, and 0.7 blocks over that span. Although this average didn’t get anyone that week, Hendriks was a useful fill-in option for managers needing help off the waiver wire. He finished the season with one double-double and three games with double-digit boards. Utah could choose to start John Collins at center next season with Walker Kessler supporting him, in which case Hendricks could become the team’s starting four. Like George, he has a great late-round dart throw in the 2024-25 draft.
Jordan Clarkson: The 2023-24 season was one to remember for Utah’s “instant offense” man, but he finished the season outside of the top 200 in fantasy value per game. Clarkson enjoyed the best fantasy season of his career in his first year with the Jazz, finishing outside the top 100 with his main accomplishment being hitting 3.0 triples per game. In each of the past three seasons, his fantasy value has declined, culminating in a career-worst 211 finish. Clarkson started just 19 of the 55 games he played in, and his scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage and 3-point shooting percentage declined. He will continue to be a microwave scorer off the bench next season as Utah focuses on developing young talent on its roster. Clarkson is not a valuable fantasy option outside of deeper leagues in the 2024-25 season.
Restricted free agent: Ashton Hagans, Yves Bazi, Justin Minaya
Unrestricted free agent: Micah Potter, Kira Lewis Jr., Talen Horton-Tucker
Team Options: none