Three Bold Predictions One Month Out From Utah Jazz Camp
Aug 30, 2024, 4:12 PM | Updated: 4:23 pm
Collin Sexton #2 of the Utah Jazz in action during a game against the Denver Nuggets at Vivint Arena on October 19, 2022 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
(Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – With one month until the Utah Jazz report to training camp, what do we know about the team, and what predictions can we make for the 2024-25 campaign?
Jazz veterans will report to the team on September 30, with camp officially opening on October 1.
After that, it’s anybody’s guess what the starting lineup will look like, and how the Jazz will approach the season.
Related: Utah Jazz Announce Six-Game Preseason Schedule
Three Bold Predictions For 2024-25 Jazz Season
1. Collin Sexton Will Be A Most Improved Player Candidate
With a loaded backcourt in Utah, head coach Will Hardy will have a tough decision to make regarding who starts, where they play, and for how many minutes.
But, based on last year’s production, Collin Sexton should be the overwhelming favorite to see the floor early and often.
While Sexton may have gotten an artificial boost in touches with Lauri Markkanen missing all but four of the team’s final 21 games, the guard began to highlight his brilliance much earlier in the season.
drop some love for Young Bull 😈💬#TakeNote | @CollinSexton02 pic.twitter.com/Wk5PfeATz1
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) April 26, 2024
Over his final 56 appearances (51 of them starts), Sexton averaged 21.2 points, 5.6 assists, and 2.6 rebounds while shooting a stellar 50 percent from the floor and 41 percent from three.
Over the last nine seasons, only five players have matched those numbers for an entire season, and they all had significantly better supporting casts.
LeBron James
Kyrie Irving
Shai Gilgeous Alexander
Kevin Durant (4x)
Steph Curry
This isn’t to say Sexton should start writing his Hall of Fame speech, but his potential at just 25 years old warrants a real opportunity to prove he can be a major piece in the Jazz’s future.
Sexton may be dinged for his Most Improved Player candidacy if the Jazz struggle to win games, but if he bumps his points per game average back over 20 a night, he’ll generate real national media attention.
2. Jazz Will Win 25 Games Or Fewer This Season
Jazz fans have been waiting for the team to fully commit to a path since trading Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell in 2022, and this season, they’ll get a clearer picture of what the future holds.
After re-signing Lauri Markkanen to a four-year extension, some have wondered if the Jazz are too good to enter the race for Cooper Flagg, but this might be the least experienced roster the team has fielded in more than a decade.
Markkanen and Sexton are high-level NBA starters, and both John Collins and Jordan Clarkson are proven rotation players.
If the @utahjazz keep Lauri Markkanen, are they too good to tank? #TakeNote https://t.co/6Sob0UZo6L
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) July 31, 2024
After that… it gets pretty thin.
Where the Jazz have opened seasons with Mike Conley, Kelly Olynyk, Kris Dunn, Malik Beasley, and Jarred Vanderbilt over the last two years, those trusty veterans are gone, and first and second-year players stand in their place.
Svi Mykhailiuk, Patty Mills, and Drew Eubanks may earn some time as the Jazz youngsters find their footing, but matching the team’s 30-plus win total each of the last two seasons would take a minor miracle.
The Jazz won’t have the worst record in the NBA this season, but barring significant changes, they should land in the top half of the draft lottery next June.
3. Kyle Filipowski Is Jazz’s Most NBA-Ready Rookie
It shouldn’t be considered a scorching hot take that the two-year college player who has tasted the most on-court success among his first-year counterparts will be the Jazz’s most NBA-ready rookie, and yet it seems Kyle Filipowski may be undervalued heading into the season.
Filipowski has a long way to go defensively, but his combination of size, experience, and skill should give him multiple routes to see the floor early in the Jazz season.
After struggling in the Salt Lake City Summer League, Filipowski showed his value in Vegas averaging 16.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in 25 minutes per game.
really puts the 𝗣𝗢𝗪 in Filipowski 💥🔥#TakeNote | @kylefilipowski pic.twitter.com/2gVHJOGkOi
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) July 22, 2024
He needs to cut down on his fouls and prove his 38 percent success rate from the three-point line in Vegas is sustainable, but his passing, playmaking, and athleticism are unique even among the Jazz’s more experienced players.
There is depth in the frontcourt with Markkanen, Collins, Eubanks, Taylor Hendricks, and Walker Kessler also vying for minutes, but the modern NBA is designed for players with Filipowski’s offensive talent, and that should allow him to carve out a role during his rookie season.
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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.
