Jazz Mailbag: How Quickly Could The Rebuild End?
Aug 19, 2025, 2:12 PM
Tari Eason #17 of the Houston Rockets blocks a shot by Kyle Filipowski #22 of the Utah Jazz as Jock Landale #2 of the Houston Rockets defends (Photo by Jack Gorman/Getty Images)
(Photo by Jack Gorman/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – Welcome to the Utah Jazz mailbag, where this week we explore how quickly this current rebuild could end.
Each week, we will send out a prompt on X and BlueSky asking for the questions you have about the Jazz.
Then, we’ll respond to as many as we can in that week’s Jazz mailbag in the Jazz Notes podcast.
Jazz Mailbag: How Quickly Could The Rebuild End?
If jazz get a top 3 pick next year. How many years before they are a playoff team excluding play-in?
— T (@jazztimejones2) August 18, 2025
Question: If the Jazz get a top-three pick next year, how many years before they are a playoff team, excluding play-in?
Answer: While the “Oklahoma City Model” remains the most popular approach to rebuilding an NBA roster, two other franchises—the Houston Rockets and Detroit Pistons—have followed a different path that mirrors the Jazz’s current situation.
Veterans Accelerate Rebuilds
After bottoming out, both Houston and Detroit landed four consecutive top-five picks between 2021 and 2024. Their front offices then shifted gears, signing experienced veterans to guide their young cores.
Houston added Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks. Detroit brought in Tobias Harris, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Malik Beasley.
Those moves paid off quickly.
Jazz Mailbag: Will Team Improve Anywhere In 2025-26?
Houston jumped from 22 wins in 2022–23 to a .500 record in 2023–24. The Rockets then secured the No. 2 seed in the 2024–25 playoffs.
Detroit climbed from 14 wins in 2023–24 to 44 wins last season, earning the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference.
Young Stars Drive the Turnaround
Veterans didn’t carry the load alone. Cade Cunningham elevated his game to All-Star and All-NBA levels in Detroit. In Houston, Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson developed into high-level starters.
With emerging stars and strategic veteran signings, both teams escaped the NBA’s basement faster than expected.
Where the Jazz Stand Now
Like Houston and Detroit in the early 2020s, the Jazz sit near the bottom of the standings.
And like those teams, they’ve started stockpiling young talent: Walker Kessler, Taylor Hendricks, Keyonte George, Brice Sensabaugh, Isaiah Collier, Kyle Filipowski, Cody Williams, Walt Clayton Jr., and Ace Bailey.
Ace Bailey in his 2nd SL game tonight vs the Grizzlies…
18 PTS (7-14 FG, 3-5 3PT)
7 REBS
3 ASTHow we Feeling now Lol??? pic.twitter.com/3DNUl90tC9
— Frankie Vision (@Frankie_Vision) July 8, 2025
But the Jazz still need one of these players to emerge as a cornerstone before they can justify adding veteran pieces to accelerate the rebuild.
No young Jazz player has claimed that role yet. Until someone does, the team will likely remain in rebuilding mode.
The silver lining? Not every prospect needs to become a star. One or two breakout players could spark a playoff push.
Looking Ahead to 2026–27
With the current roster and a projected top-three pick in next year’s draft—expected to feature three can’t-miss prospects—the Jazz could begin a serious playoff push as early as the 2026–27 season. If development continues on track, they may return to postseason contention no later than 2027–28.
Want to ask questions in next week’s Jazz mailbag? Follow us at @benshoops.
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Ben Anderson is the author of the Jazz Mailbag, a Utah Jazz insider for KSL Sports, the author of the Jazz Mailbag, and the co-host of Jake and Ben from 10-12p with Jake Scott on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone. Find Ben on Twitter at @BensHoops, on Instagram @BensHoops, or on BlueSky.
