Jazz Mailbag: What Has Youth Showed In Preseason?

SALT LAKE CITY – Welcome to the Utah Jazz mailbag where this week we look at what strength each young player has already shown in the preseason.

Each week we will send out a prompt on X asking for the questions you have about the Jazz.

Then, we’ll respond to as many as we can in that week’s mailbag.

Mailbag: What Has Jazz Youth Shown In Preseason?

We have a few preseason games now!

What are some things you’ve noticed from Brice/Taylor/Keyonte/Kessler that seem any different than last year? Or things that’s haven’t changed that maybe we should worry about?

— Jake The Lynx (@JakePenrod) October 14, 2024

Question: What are some things you’ve noticed from Brice Sensabaugh, Taylor Hendricks, Keyonte George, and Walker Kessler that seem any different than last year? Or things that haven’t changed that maybe we should worry about?

Answer: Through four preseason games, I think there has positive growth from each second and third-year player on the roster, and I will even throw Johnny Juzang into this mix.

Brice Sensabaugh continues to diversify his game after being primarily a scorer at Ohio State.

The second-year guard has flashed more playmaking, averaging 2.3 assists per game, and has also seen his rebounding surge to 4.8 per contest.

textbook passing 📔 pic.twitter.com/v8rvlJVEqz

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) October 11, 2024

Sensabaugh has a unique combination of athleticism and size at around 6-foot-6 and 235 pounds. That should allow him to bully other backcourt players, and you’ve seen that early in the preseason.

Another good sign is his three-point shooting which is up to 37.5 percent on 4.0 attempts per game.

What does this all mean? Sensabaugh now has more pathways to carve out a role in the NBA than he did coming out of college, and that’s a major positive.

Taylor Hendricks’s development hasn’t been quite so obvious, despite adding what the Jazz are calling 20 pounds of muscle this offseason.

However, one positive sign is his interior passing where he has found his fellow big men in the paint for easy baskets. That’s a sign that the game is beginning to slow down for the second-year forward and that he has a natural ability to think the game.

🐴 𝘠𝘌𝘌𝘏𝘈𝘞 🐴

now we’re having fun! pic.twitter.com/mUPLCigTWV

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) October 13, 2024

Hendricks hasn’t shot the ball particularly well yet in the preseason, but the Jazz believe in his shooting, and he proved last season that he can knock down the long ball.

Remember, he is a long-term project, but he is getting better.

Keyonte George’s sample size has been affected after missing the last game and a half with a minor knee sprain.

The good news is he’s been cleared to return to close the preseason, and even before the injury, his shooting numbers were terrific.

🗓️ much like today’s date, that shot was 10/10 🗓️ pic.twitter.com/pBB8lV3Tv3

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) October 11, 2024

George is shooting 52 percent from the floor and 53 percent on 5.0 three-point attempts per game.

The Baylor product won’t shoot 50 percent from three this season. In fact, he probably won’t shoot 40 percent. But if he’s in the high 30s it’ll be a significant growth from his 33 percent success rate as a rookie, and should help to unlock the rest of his offensive game.

Walker Kessler has made maybe the most obvious improvement this season vacuuming up every rebound that comes his way.

The center is averaging 9.8 rebounds in just 23.4 minutes per game, which would equate to 15.0 per 36 minutes. That’s a climb from last year’s 11.6 rebounds per 36 minutes (18th in the NBA) and would have ranked third behind only Andre Drummond and Day’Ron Sharpe.

Kessler is an elite rim protector, but needs to add another high-level skill to prove he deserves a starting role. If he can continue to rebound at his current rate, it will be a monumental change for his career.

Finally, I’ll throw in Johnny Juzang who I mentioned earlier as another member of the under-23 club.

The forward is shooting a ridiculous 75 percent on four three-point attempts per game in his three appearances so far, and his taking shots with zero hesitation.

Every team in the NBA needs shooters, and Juzang’s development has made him a name worth watching for the Jazz all season.

Now, not everything has been positive for the Jazz so far, with the number one culprit being turnovers.

George is averaging 2.7 turnovers per game while Sensabaugh is at 2.5. It’s a small sample size, but turnovers plagued those two last year, again in the summer league, and have followed them into the preseason.

As talented as they are offensively, they can undo that goodwill with bad turnovers, and so far in the preseason, they’ve left something to be desired.

What percentage, and on how many 3s a game, does Kyle Filipowski need to hit to make the Jazz excited enough to expedite a Kessler trade?

— Alex (@AEC_PA) October 14, 2024

Question: What percentage, and on how many threes a game, does Kyle Filipowski need to hit to make the Jazz excited enough to expedite a Kessler trade?

Answer: One of the nice developments about the Jazz’s preseason so far is Kyle Filipowski’s ability to play both frontcourt positions, either stepping in at center late in games, or playing alongside Drew Eubanks for stretches as a bigger forward.

With Filipowski’s theoretical shooting prowess, his ability to pass from anywhere on the court, and his ball-handling flashes, there’s no reason the Jazz can’t have both him and Kessler on the roster for the foreseeable future.

Conceivably, Filipowski and Kessler should complement each other’s weaknesses, as long as the NBA defenses believe they have to guard the Duke product out to the three-point line.

🐬 𝚏𝚕𝚒𝚙𝚙𝚒𝚗’ 𝚘𝚞𝚝 🐬 pic.twitter.com/1p57UoMTa4

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) October 13, 2024

So far, Filipowski is connecting on 33 percent of his 2.5 threes per game which is not far off where he would need to be for his shooting to be considered a “weapon.”

If that number climbs to over 35 percent, and he continues to attempt 2.5 threes per game, he’ll provide Will Hardy with a lot of optionality alongside not only Kessler, but also Lauri Markkanen and Taylor Hendricks in the frontcourt.

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Ben Anderson is the Utah Jazz insider for KSL Sports 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 or on Instagram @BensHoops.

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