Jazz Mailbag: What are the best, and worst moments this season?

While I may not care about wins and losses, draining the fun from basketball feels like a poor way to cover an entertainment business such as the NBA.

That’s why I’m not naïve about the excitement surrounding the team when it shows real signs of progress. For that reason, the addition of Jaren Jackson Jr. stands as the clear highlight of the Jazz season.

Jackson Jr. is a bona fide All-Star and the type of difference-maker the Jazz haven’t had since Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell played in Utah.

Jaren Jackson Jr. is a reminder that the NBA is a size/talent-driven league.

Sometimes it just comes down to being large and being able to make shots. pic.twitter.com/HScfN8F7CU

— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) February 10, 2026

His arrival created a level of optimism inside the organization that hadn’t existed since Mitchell’s rookie and sophomore seasons. Everyone — from the front office to the coaching staff to Jackson Jr.’s new teammates — expressed effusive enthusiasm about the move.

Jazz Mailbag: Who will lead the Jazz in scoring next season?

The second-most compelling storylines of the season came from Keyonte George and Ace Bailey, though not primarily because of their on-court production.

Don’t get me wrong — their development this season played a major role in the Jazz’s willingness to put an expiration date on the rebuild.

Still, what I’ve enjoyed most is who they’ve been in the locker room compared with who they were perceived to be.

George’s first two years in Utah were uneven, both from a performance standpoint and emotionally, creating significant uncertainty about his future as an NBA player.

Keyonte George on where he made mistakes as a young player, and how he’s grown over the last three years. pic.twitter.com/HEqs4Babce

— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) March 3, 2026

This season, however, the guard has been nothing short of delightful as a representative of himself and the organization, and that evolution came as a surprise.

Bailey followed a somewhat similar path. He faced more adversity throughout the pre-draft process than any other prospect, which led to serious questions about whether he wanted to be in Utah.

Since arriving, though, he has received consistent praise from coaches and teammates while carrying himself well both on and off the floor.

Those kinds of surprises make my job more enjoyable and force me to reexamine my preconceived notions.

Along similar lines — though more on the court than off it — was the play of Jusuf Nurkic.

I did not understand the Collin Sexton/Jusuf Nurkic trade over the summer, but Nurk has proven to be very valuable on and off the court for the @utahjazz.

He was very complimentary of the team’s culture, his teammates, and the FO after Tuesday’s loss. pic.twitter.com/sDM2TWVD1j

— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) January 1, 2026

From the Jazz’s perspective, I didn’t understand the Nurkic-for-Collin Sexton trade last summer, but the move benefited the young roster more than anyone could have anticipated.

The Jazz needed to clear space for their young guards while adding a new dynamic to the offense, and Nurkic delivered on both fronts.

He also proved to be a more than adequate replacement for Walker Kessler, who underwent season-ending surgery just five games into the year.

Beyond that, Nurkic’s combination of skill and size was simply an enjoyable watch for half the season, as were his interactions with the media, seemingly all of which were positive.

Season lowlights

While the season included several positives, the league-wide artifice of tanking — and particularly the discourse around it — became exhausting.

The Jazz serving as the league’s tanking scapegoat before the All-Star break was obnoxious, and the pearl-clutching from some national media members after Jackson Jr. and Lauri Markkanen were held out of separate fourth quarters bordered on bizarre.

The NBA later issued a hefty $500,000 fine to the Jazz, suggesting it was serious about addressing tanking, only to abandon enforcement for the remainder of the season.

 

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That sequence reflected poorly on the league, and the Jazz and their fan base were justified in feeling outraged by the NBA’s selective enforcement.

On the flip side, the indignation from a loud minority of fans after every Jazz win has been equally ridiculous.

Yes, the Jazz need to retain this year’s first-round pick if they hope to justify four years spent slogging through a painful rebuild.

But the organization understands that reality and will do what it reasonably can to maximize its chances of keeping the selection.

The Jazz won’t be able to guarantee they retain the pick until lottery night, but they will have no worse than a 96 percent chance of adding another top-eight player in the draft, and their odds could be as high as 99 percent.

15 straight losses for both the Pacers and Wizardshttps://t.co/FXkXbE02qc pic.twitter.com/rWA63vHDb2

— Tankathon.com (@tankathon) March 22, 2026

The consternation that follows every regular-season win on social media has far exceeded the actual risk the Jazz face in the lottery.

Finally, tanking itself is miserable, and I’m ready for the team’s storylines to evolve.

If the Jazz hold onto this year’s pick, the tanking may ultimately prove worthwhile, but watching a team rack up 120 losses over two seasons isn’t pain-free for anyone.