Utah Jazz Mailbag: Are Jazz Good At Developing Players?

SALT LAKE CITY – Welcome to the Utah Jazz mailbag where every week our NBA insiders answer your questions on social media about your favorite team.

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: Are Jazz Able To Develop Players?

Do you have any insight on how our developmental staff compares to others of the NBA? I’m getting worried we can draft pieces but not get them to where they need to be.

— BradyNBA🏔 (@BradyNBA) July 16, 2024

Question: Do you have any insight on how our developmental staff compares to others in the NBA? I’m getting worried we can draft pieces but not get them to where they need to be.

Answer: This is a critical question for the Jazz who have placed an incredible amount of emphasis on the draft, betting that their ability to develop young players into cornerstone pieces will shift the tides of the franchise.

Over the last two years, the Jazz have made five first-round picks, and all of them were used on one-and-done, perceived high-upside players.

Furthermore, the Jazz willingly passed on more NBA-ready players like Jaime Jaquez Jr., Julian Strawther, Andre Jackson Jr., Devin Carter, Dalton Knecht, and Baylor Scheierman whose games needed less development.

With that strategy in mind, how have the Jazz when it comes to development under Danny Ainge, Justin Zanik, and Will Hardy?

The truth is, the jury is still out.

Fans will point to Walker Kessler’s disappointing second season as evidence that the team doesn’t develop players well, and they may have a case.

Kessler’s game did not take a major step forward as a sophomore, and worse yet, it felt like his relationship with the team soured. That trust between the team and the player is critical in development, and it needs to get back on track for Kessler to hit his ceiling.

🚨 𝘽𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙧 𝙆𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙡𝙚𝙧 sighting 🚨#TakeNote pic.twitter.com/a685dqD6ZI

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) July 9, 2024

With that in mind, it’s fair to remember that Kessler was never viewed as a “high-upside” swing in the 2022 NBA Draft, and more of a high-floor, low-ceiling shot blocker which is why he was selected in the early 20s, and largely what he has turned into in the NBA.

Now, let’s look at last year’s three rookies, and their growth, or lack thereof heading into year two.

Keyonte George burst onto the scene last year during the Vegas Summer League averaging nearly 25 points and over six assists per game before an ankle injury ended his Summer League MVP campaign.

After being named to the All-Rookie Second Team despite being selected outside of the lottery, the Jazz will site George as an early developmental victory while admitting there is significant room to grow.

now THAT’S how you get the people goin’#TakeNote pic.twitter.com/qQEn1Bohf6

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) July 11, 2024

Though George may have the makings of a success story, Taylor Hendricks and Brice Sensabaugh are more difficult to judge.

Both players were injured during the pre-draft process and unable to play in Summer League which put them far behind George in their rookie seasons.

Neither saw significant minutes for the Jazz until after the trade deadline, but had their fair share of highs and lows once they were getting consistent time with the main roster.

Now, behind the scenes, some within the Jazz organization may tell you that with how raw Hendricks and Sensabaugh looked in their first training camp, the mere fact that they had any good outings during their rookie seasons was a major victory for the player development staff.

Fans, however, may look at a few difficult performances in this year’s summer league and wonder why there hasn’t been more noticeable growth.

.@utahjazz forward Brice Sensabaugh injured his finger against the Mavericks yesterday. He will be re-evaluated in six weeks.#TakeNote #NBA #NBA2KSummerLeague https://t.co/CQ00tiXJTi

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) July 15, 2024

Further complicating this issue is that Ainge, Zanik, and Hardy are trying to develop this roster on the heels of the Quin Snyder era in Utah, one of the better developmental staffs in recent NBA history.

Snyder helped oversee the development of Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell, Joe Ingles, Royce O’Neale, Georges Niang, and others, all of whom significantly outperformed expectations with the Jazz, and set a difficult standard for the next coaching staff to meet.

So, what should we make of this coaching staff so far, and their ability to develop young players?

The promising sign is that every young player brought into the organization has seen the floor, and the Jazz are giving them ample opportunities to prove their value.

The aspect that remains to be seen is whether any of these players exceed their expectations by a large enough margin that it actually changes the Jazz’s future, and it’s still far too early to tell.

I should add that perhaps the Jazz’s two biggest developmental wins under Hardy have come not through the draft, but from Simone Fontecchio and Johnny Juzang.

The @utahjazz are reportedly signing Johnny Juzang to a four-year, $12 million contract according to ESPN. #takenote https://t.co/9dh10X6HIk

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) July 12, 2024

Fontecchio was a low-cost investment from overseas that turned into a very solid rotation piece, and netted the Jazz a borderline first-round pick in a trade.

Juzang has gone from an undrafted free agent to a well-rounded wing who just inked a four-year deal to remain in Utah based on unseen upside that the Jazz have tapped into.

If the Jazz can milk the same incremental growth out of their first and second-year players that they have gotten out of Fontechio and Juzang, they should be just fine.

What’s the Dunn status if you have one. Jazz must be wanting draft capital to take a salary dump in the S & T.

— UJ (@Jazztimejones) July 16, 2024

Question: What is Kris Dunn’s status if you have one? Jazz must want draft capital to take a salary dump in a sign and trade.

Answer: Though Dunn agreed to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers shortly after free agency opened, he’s yet to officially sign his deal with his new team.

The Clippers, like seemingly every team in the NBA not named the Jazz or Detroit Pistons are facing a significant salary crunch due to the new collective bargaining agreement and want to maintain flexibility on their roster while still finding a creative way to acquire Dunn.

One of the Clippers’ main problems right now is Russell Westbrook who opted into his one-year, $4 million player option this season, but isn’t expected to be on the team’s opening right roster.

To avoid going over the NBA’s luxury tax, and to provide more room below the first tax apron, the Clippers would benefit from trading Westbrook and receiving no salary in return rather than waiving him, and having his $4 million count against their salary cap.

Former @utahjazz guard Kris Dunn will sign with the @LAClippers according to @ChrisBHaynes. #TakeNote https://t.co/qeU223ABNf

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) July 2, 2024

Or, in Utah’s case, the Jazz could sign and trade Dunn to the Clippers for Westbrook, then waive the veteran guard, helping Los Angeles avoid the lottery tax.

However, despite his deep pockets, Jazz owner Ryan Smith doesn’t want to eat Westbrook’s $4 million deal simply to help the Clippers, and would likely ask for an asset in return.

Though the Jazz are stacked with first-round picks over the next seven seasons, they don’t control their own second-rounder until 2029, and could potentially replenish that stock by taking on Westbrook with one or more future second-round picks that the Clippers control.

The problem there, the Clippers don’t control any of their second-round picks until 2030.

So, Dunn will end up in Los Angeles one way or another, but the details of how are still being worked out.

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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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