Jazz Notes: Predicting Utah Jazz Regular Season Award Winners
Oct 23, 2024, 2:58 PM
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - OCTOBER 04: Lauri Markkanen #23 of the Utah Jazz finishes off an alley-oop with a dunk in the first half against the New Zealand Breakers on October 04, 2024 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
(Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – The 2024-25 NBA season is officially underway and the Utah Jazz tip-off against the Memphis Grizzlies tonight in game number one.
On the Jazz Notes podcast, Ben Anderson and Chandler Holt predicted who would win every major award for the Jazz this season.
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What are your takeaways from the @utahjazz preseason? 🏀@BensHoops and @CHoltSports talk about this and predict the Jazz’s award winners on this week’s episode of the Jazz Notes podcast! #TakeNote #NBA pic.twitter.com/9l66kkL0B8
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) October 21, 2024
Utah Jazz 24-25 Season Awards Projections
MVP
Consensus pick: Lauri Markkanen
It’s no secret who Utah’s best player is.
Whether the Jazz win 15 or 40 games this year, Markkanen will be the best player on the roster and his numbers will likely reflect that.
Although a slight regression from his first year in SLC, the Markksman averaged 23.2 points and 8.2 rebounds on 48/39.9/89.9 shooting splits last season.
🏔️ LAURI MARKKANEN
🏔️ #23
🏔️ Season 8 pic.twitter.com/GN6UX7kaeZ— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) October 22, 2024
Defensive Player of the Year
Ben’s pick: Cody Williams | Chandler’s pick: Taylor Hendricks
Although Walker Kessler is most likely the best defensive player on the roster, we went a different route for our DPOY picks.
Like Rudy Gobert and Brook Lopez, Kessler is a dominant rim protector. However, when he’s taken out of the paint, his defensive impact isn’t nearly as valuable.
Meanwhile, Williams and Hendricks both project to be able to guard four positions. Predicting that a rookie or sophomore player will be the best defensive player on a team is risky. But, both of these guys have shown that they have all the tools to do just that.
Rookie of the Year
Consensus pick: Cody Williams
The guys had the same pick for three of the six awards. MVP and ROTY are both pretty obvious.
Williams’ was the Jazz’s highest selection in the draft and will get the most opportunity of the three rookies. In the preseason, the Colorado product averaged 6.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.7 assists.
As he gets his feet under him and gets used to NBA basketball, expect Williams to get more playing time and show high upside.
“Cody’s me bro. Let me be me”#TakeNote pic.twitter.com/10oJ54zPK7
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) October 19, 2024
Sixth Man of the Year
Ben’s pick: John Collins | Chandler’s pick: Jordan Clarkson
Both Collins and Clarkson are transitioning to bench roles after spending recent years as a starter.
As a youth movement is taking over in Utah, both Markkanen and the veterans in the second unit will be looked to as a source of stability.
Clarkson has shown that he can thrive in the sixth-man role and although it will be the first time for Collins, his production is never really a question.
a dunk! some would say! pic.twitter.com/UHGhgM4Rnx
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) October 16, 2024
Most Improved Player
Ben’s pick: Johnny Juzang | Chandler’s pick: Walker Kessler
Once again, the easy pick here would be Keyonte George or one of the other second-year players. However, those guys are expected to improve from their first year as a pro.
We went with other choices that may be less of a guaranteed bet.
Juzang signed a guaranteed deal in the offseason and although his regular season playing time is somewhat of a question mark, his shooting is not. In the preseason, the former UCLA Bruin shot an eye-popping 52.6 percent from behind the arc.
Kessler regressed a bit in his second season but all the signs point to him being the day-one start at the five once again. If he focuses on the areas he already excels in, Kessler could be a double-double guy for the first time in year three.
definitely not!!! https://t.co/cJaPLyFaKK pic.twitter.com/QB5P12qznp
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) October 13, 2024
Clutch Player of the Year
Consensus pick: Keyonte George
The last award to be handed out isn’t as cut and dried as MVP and ROTY, but we went the same route regardless.
The NBA added the Clutch Player of the Year award to the list of major awards in the 2022-23 season. De’Aaron Fox and Steph Curry took home the Jerry West trophy in the first two years.
If a Jazz player were to win it, we believe it would be George.
In his rookie year, the guard averaged 4.4 points in the fourth and increased his shooting percentage by three from the field and six from deep.
🏔️ KEYONTE GEORGE
🏔️ #3
🏔️ Season 2 pic.twitter.com/tWZF5WX4jO— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) October 22, 2024
Head coach Will Hardy described George as a “feel player,” meaning he becomes more engaged and performs better in crucial moments. Basically, George has the clutch gene.
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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!
