Jazz Notes: Which Utah Jazz Players Could Surprise, Disappoint Fans?
Oct 17, 2023, 5:58 PM
Talen Horton-Tucker #5 of the Utah Jazz dribbles against Russell Westbrook #0 of the LA Clippers during the first quarter of the Rain City Showcase in a preseason NBA game at Climate Pledge Arena on October 10, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
(Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – Although completely dependent on Utah fans’ opinions, we took a dive into which Jazz players could exceed or fall short of expectations.
On the Jazz Notes podcast, Ben Anderson and Chandler Holt recapped the preseason and looked on to the regular season.
Which @utahjazz player could surprise fans in the upcoming season? 🤔@BensHoops and @ChandlerHoltKSL recap the Jazz’s preseason, how the rookies have performed, and more in this week’s episode of the Jazz Notes podcast! #TakeNote #NBA pic.twitter.com/V8l8SgIVBt
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) October 17, 2023
If fans are expecting John Collins or Collin Sexton to return to borderline all-star status, odds are they will be disappointed.
Both Collins and Sexton had their best seasons on teams that weren’t competing for much at all.
The Jazz are not contenders and could very likely miss the postseason. However, an all-around roster will likely prevent Collins and Sexton from getting enough shots to relive past success.
Us: 🫢@tayxhendricks: 😲@jcollins20_: 😎 pic.twitter.com/JuOJGvvS90
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) October 17, 2023
On the other hand, Collins and Sexton could surprise fans with efficient scoring and a bounce-back year.
Other players who could surprise Jazz fans include Luka Samanic, Keyonte George, and Talen Horton-Tucker.
George has potentially already exceeded expectations. He was voted as the second-biggest steal of the draft by NBA general managers and looks to be one of the most NBA-ready guards in the 2023 draft.
Locked on Key 🔐#TakeNote | @keyonte1george pic.twitter.com/aFOHEvzDTF
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) October 17, 2023
Both Samanic and Horton-Tucker had questions surrounding their spot in the rotation going into the season.
With a few quality preseason appearances under their belt, Samanic and THT could have moved above others in the depth chart.
Could Samanic eat up some of Simone Fontecchio’s minutes? Will Horton-Tucker be the starting point guard for the Jazz like he was in the preseason?
THT 1v1??? no thank you 😌#TakeNote | @Thortontucker pic.twitter.com/orgv52YkRq
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) October 15, 2023
Although predicting surprises can be entertaining, consistency is the goal.
Lauri Markkanen will still be a great scorer and an All-Star-level player. Walker Kessler will still be one of the best rim protectors in the league. Jordan Clarkson will still be a high-quality spark plug who can get a bucket at any time.
In reality, injuries and other outside factors have a huge effect on players and how they perform. Every player is subject to falling short of expectations.
The Jazz Notes podcast, hosted by Ben Anderson and Chandler Holt, keeps you up-to-date with Utah Jazz news from on and off the court every week. Check back on Tuesday afternoons for the latest episode!
Are you on Threads yet? Let’s connect, give us a follow @kslsports.
RELATED STORIES
Chandler Holt is a co-host for the Jazz Notes podcast and a Digital Sports Producer for sports.ksl.com, specializing in all things basketball and football. Follow Chandler on Twitter @ChandlerHoltKSL or on Threads @chandlerho1t.
