Can Ace Bailey give hope to the Jazz?

Summary

The Athletic NBA Daily: Can Ace Bailey Give Hope to the Jazz?

Episode Date: October 10, 2025
Host: Zena Cada
Guest: Andy Larson (Utah Jazz beat writer, Salt Lake City Tribune)

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Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the Utah Jazz’s rebuilding process, focusing on rookie Ace Bailey’s impact and the franchise’s future trajectory. Host Zena Cada and beat writer Andy Larson analyze recent roster moves, preseason performances, and realistic expectations for the 2025-26 season. The conversation balances honest assessment of past failures with emerging optimism, offering fans reasons for hope while grounding them in the current rebuilding reality.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. State of the Utah Jazz: Rebuilding and Reset

• The Jazz are coming off the worst season in Utah franchise history (17-65).
• Over the last three years, the team has been in a "slow, kind of tearing down rebuild process that hasn't really worked" (Andy Larson, 03:23).
• After trading Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, the team acquired pieces like Lauri Markkanen, Colin Sexton, and John Collins but struggled to secure high draft picks until recently.
• With the departures of established veterans and an influx of young talent, “you're really starting to see the team being fully given over to the youth” (Andy Larson, 03:23).

2. Ace Bailey: Rookie Hope and Potential Franchise Cornerstone

• Ace Bailey drafted at #5 is viewed as the “most impactful change for the Utah Jazz this summer” (Andy Larson, 05:28).
• He’s described as “maybe a top two prospect in last year's draft just because of how athletic he is, how skilled he is shooting the ball” (Andy Larson, 05:31).
• Andy notes, “The Jazz haven't had a prospect like that since, really, Donovan Mitchell” (Andy Larson, 05:35).
• Bailey’s preseason debut: 25 points on 11-16 shooting (68%) in 31 minutes. “He looked comfortable, he looked smooth” (Zena Cada, 06:39).
• Coach Will Hardy is developing Bailey using film of early-career Kevin Durant and Jayson Tatum, hoping to shape “the first cornerstone piece the Utah Jazz have had in a while” (Zena Cada, 07:03).

3. Youth Movement and “Prospect by Volume” Strategy

• The Jazz have drafted as many as eight players in the top 32 picks over three years: Taylor Hendricks, Cody Williams, Keonte George, Isaiah Collier, Bryce Sensabaugh, and others.
• “They're kind of doing a prospect by volume approach… if you just get enough guys together, some of them are going to pop” (Andy Larson, 08:30).
• Taylor Hendricks, coming off injury, is cited for his physical transformation and defensive ambition; Bryce Sensabaugh is noted as a potential offensive contributor if his defense improves.
• Summer league standout Kyle Filipowski is also mentioned as an intriguing scorer, though sidelined with injury.

4. Role of Veterans and Locker Room Dynamics

• Veterans like Kevin Love, Kyle Anderson, Yusuf Nurkic, and All-Star Lauri Markkanen serve as mentors and stabilizing influences.
• “All of these prospects are going to be able to learn from the likes of Kevin Love and Kyle Anderson... how do you ensure longevity to your career as well” (Zena Cada, 10:19).
• Markkanen’s off-ball skills allow young players to develop as on-ball creators, accommodating the youth development plan. “Lowry is the kind of veteran where… the young players can have the ball in their hands and be the ones actually creating” (Andy Larson, 10:58).

5. Expectations for Key Players and Growth Goals

• Markkanen should return to his signature “play finisher” role. “It's actually his nickname, the finisher, the Finnish player, because… he's the only NBA player to ever have 200 threes and 100 dunks in the same season” (Andy Larson, 12:42).
• Walker Kessler must prove himself as a defensive anchor as he approaches restricted free agency.
• Bryce Sensabaugh is flagged as a possible third-best player, provided he improves defensively.
• Zena notes Sensabaugh’s age and scoring versatility: “Only 21 years old. There’s so much growth to still be had, you know, as he enters this third season” (Zena Cada, 15:04).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Prospect Potential:
  “The Jazz haven’t had a prospect like that since, really, Donovan Mitchell.”
  — Andy Larson, 05:35

• On Summer Philosophy:
  “To draft a legitimate kind of top five prospect… with Ace, he has the potential to be the top three, maybe top two prospect in last year’s draft just because of how athletic he is, how skilled he is shooting the ball.”
  — Andy Larson, 05:28

• Coach Will Hardy’s Approach:
  “He’s actually looking at old film of Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum, big time wings before they became stars. How did their development come about? And I think that that’s going to be really awesome for Ace Bailey.”
  — Zena Cada, 07:03

• Volume Prospecting:
  “They're kind of doing a prospect by volume approach, if you will, where if you just get enough guys together, some of them are going to pop.”
  — Andy Larson, 08:30

• Markkanen’s Fit:
  “He is an all star talent… fits in nearly any team in the league because he can just be additive, he can just make shots, he can just finish plays around the rim.”
  — Andy Larson, 19:01

• Trade Speculation and the “Window”:
  “I think he's traded in the next two windows, I'll put it that way. So either at the trade deadline or next offseason.”
  — Andy Larson, 27:58

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Segment Breakdown with Timestamps

• [02:05] – Introduction and Utah's preseason state; last season’s struggles set up the rebuilding context.
• [03:23] – Andy Larson recaps post-Gobert/Mitchell overhaul and recent draft strategies.
• [05:28] – Why Ace Bailey is the most important offseason addition; potential as a true star.
• [06:39] – In-depth on Ace Bailey’s debut and Will Hardy's developmental approach.
• [08:29] – “Prospect by volume” and profiling key youngsters like Hendricks, Sensabaugh, and Filipowski.
• [10:19] – Veterans’ roles; Markkanen’s critical leadership and fit with young players.
• [12:49] – Expectations for Markkanen, Kessler, and Sensabaugh; what “success” means this year.
• [15:04] – Additional discussion on Sensabaugh’s age and growth potential.
• [18:19] – Jazz cap space and trade rumors, particularly about Markkanen; scenarios and suitors.
• [22:07] – Jazz’s main swing factor: Keonte George’s development and future as an NBA scoring guard.
• [25:59] – Predicting win totals for the 2025–26 season (Andy pegs it at 20–62, possibly worse).
• [27:52] – Will Markkanen still be on the team after the deadline? Larson thinks a trade is likely in next two windows.
• [29:16] – Markkanen’s happiness in Utah and his unique fit off the court.

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Realistic Outlook: 2025-26 and Beyond

• Short-Term: The Jazz are unlikely to contend this year; expectations are for a win total around 18–20 games.
• Developmental Focus: “This is a developmental season and not a tanking season, which there is a difference” (Andy Larson, 27:15).
• Key Variable: The progression of Keonte George and which prospects “pop” will define how quickly the team can rise in the West.
• Likely Change: Larson expects Markkanen to be traded by the next offseason unless a playoff break unexpectedly emerges.
• Long-Term Hope: Ace Bailey’s stardom is the big “what if” that could accelerate the rebuild.

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Final Thoughts

The episode paints a complex but not hopeless picture for Jazz fans: After several seasons of painful losses and uncertainty, a genuine potential star has arrived in Ace Bailey. The team leans into youth, prioritizes development, and leverages cap flexibility and veteran leadership. While the 2025-26 season is framed as another foundational campaign, the seeds of the next contender could be sprouting in Salt Lake City—if enough of these prospects blossom.

For more Utah Jazz insights, follow Andy Larson’s work at the Salt Lake City Tribune.

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Summary by The Athletic NBA Daily Podcast Summarizer

Transcript

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[Zena Cada]

Good morning and welcome to the NBA Daily, where we are continuing all of our NBA season previews. I'm Zena Cada, joined by Andy Larson, who covers the Utah Jazz at the Salt Lake City Tribune. Andy, welcome to the NBA Daily.

[Andy Larson]

Hey, thanks for having me.

[Zena Cada]

Of course we needed you. We need to figure out what's going on in Utah because at the time that we're recording this last night, Utah played the Houston Rockets. Now, they did end up losing and we can't put too much credit into a preseason game. But there were some interesting things we saw out on the floor that gets you a little bit excited about. Could the Utah Jazz do better than 17 and 65? Which for the record, was the worst franchise season. Right? The worst season in franchise history.

[Andy Larson]

Yeah, in Utah Jazz history. The New Orleans Jazz also were a bad Team, but yes, the worst in Utah Jazz history.

[Zena Cada]

Okay, at least we're being honest here about the state of affairs in Utah. And right now it really seems like they're rebuilding. We know that their development team, we know that. But there could be some bright spots and there's been some changes that happen over the course of the summer, changes in leadership, of course, drafting some new talent. So catch us up, what's been going on with the Utah Jazz up until this point?

[Andy Larson]

Yeah, you know, like the last three years have been like this slow, kind of tearing down rebuild process that hasn't really worked, you know. So after trading Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert in 2012, team, you know, got some pieces like Larry Markkanen, like Colin Sexton. They traded for John Collins that next offseason. And so they were a bad team, but not bad enough to get one of the top picks. Right. And so they drafted Taylor Hendricks one year. They drafted Cody Williams next year with the 9th and the 10th pick. Then last year, you know, finally they decided kind of the bottom out and traded away John Collins, traded away Colin Sexton, and really went full youth with the exception of Larry Markkanen. And now, you know, so now you're actually. And drafted Ace Bailey with a number five pick, drafted Walter Clayton later on in the draft. And so, you know, you're really starting to see the team kind of being fully given over to the youth. And, you know, I think we saw some really promising minutes from some of those young guys in, in that first game against Houston.

[Zena Cada]

Right. It seemed like from 2017 to 2022, when, you know, Gobert and Mitchell left, it did seem like they were just middling like they should be good, but it just wasn't enough to kind of get over the hump. And let's just be real. Ace Bailey, Walton, Clayton Jr. They're not going to be the change here. But it does look like the other elements of this team are starting to take some positive steps forward. I'm looking at a Bryce sensible. I'm looking at Isaiah Collier. Like there's a lot of young players that are stepping up. We will see because some players are out with injury. Laurie Market and of course, Isaiah Collier, Kyle Philski, they just got George Niang, who's also sidelined right now. So we'll see when we get to see the whole team together. But of all the things that they did make changes around Austin, Ange coming in as a VP of basketball operations, drafting the talent that they have, what would you say was the most impactful change for the Utah Jazz this summer.

[Andy Larson]

I mean, to me, it's Ace Bailey, right, To, to draft a legitimate kind of top five prospect. And I think with Ace, he has the potential to be the top three, maybe top two prospect in last year's draft just because of how athletic he is, how skilled he is shooting the ball. Like, the questions about him were, you know, kind of the defensive outside of the floor, the maturity, the vision, that kind of stuff. But there's. He's so talented, and that's never really, really been in question. The Jazz haven't had a prospect like that since, really Donovan Mitchell, right? Like, it's, it's. They have been kind of asking a lot of Taylor Hendricks and Cody Williams who are not star level prospects. You know, Keonte George, nice scoring guard, you know, Isaiah Collier, a playmaker. But none of these guys have the potential to be all stars in the way that Ace Bailey has the potential to be an all star. And so that's very new and very different. And I think, again, yeah, we, we saw some of that last night. But that's the thing. That's the one move that could actually, you know, if we're talking a few years down the road, the next good Jazz team, Ace Bailey is the one player who's, you know, would be a part of making that happen in a, in a big, big way.

[Zena Cada]

Now Andy's talking about Ace Bailey's performance, particularly against the Houston Rockets. This was the premiere. This was the first time we're seeing Ace Bailey. He goes 11 of 16 from the floor, 68%, almost 69% from the floor for 25 points in 31 minutes. He looked comfortable, he looked smooth, the way that he was kind of, I mean, I saw him, you know, pick up a loose ball and go, instead of going straight to the basket, just step outside the three point line and just put it up. I was like, okay, this guy's feeling it, he's feeling good. And what I really like was Will Hardy mentioned the way that he's approached the development of Ace Bailey in comparison to other players on this team that he's had under his wing is he's actually looking at old film of Kevin Durant, Jason Tatum, big time wings before they became stars. How did they look when they first started, right? How did their development come about? And I think that that's going to be really awesome for Ace Bailey to have someone like Will Hardy that is so diligent about that, but also just because Ace Bailey, once again, as you mentioned, first cornerstone piece, I think that the Utah Jazz have had in a while. With that said, Andy, there is an opportunity for some folks to take a step forward with that and maybe some folks are gonna have to take a step to the side. Ace Bailey's a guard, he's a wing. They also have a really good all star caliber wing in Lauri Markkanen. Right. And we've seen Keonte George be the player that he can be. I'm wondering how is this backcourt fill out? How, how what does this look like? Who is going to be the player that's going to take a big step forward this year? Let's put Ace Bailey to the side on this roster.

[Andy Larson]

Yeah, I think, you know, there are so many guys that could be. And some of the fun is, is going to be learning who that is. But I mean, they have six, they have eight players drafted in, in the top, you know, 32 picks, we'll call it, of the last three. And they're kind of doing a prospect by volume approach, if you will, or if you just get enough guys together, like some of them are going to pop. And I think we've seen that. So, you know, while Taylor Hendricks was injured all of last season, broke his leg in the third game of the year against Dallas, came back, looked really good against Houston. You know, scored 15 points. Is a completely different body from his rookie year. Just much stronger. He looks. He told us at media day he wants to become one of the best defensive players in the NBA. You love to hear that from a young, a young player and the way he's changed his body and with his athleticism, I think he can do some of that. Bryce Sensibaugh is another guy who clearly can shoot the ball right and is a terrific shooter. A scorer as well, can kind of score from all three levels. The question's always been the defensive end. But he's also changed his body to frankly lose some weight and being able to keep up on that end. You know, I'm excited to see Kyle Phillip, who was the summer league mvp. He hasn't played in preseason. He's been out with a back injury during training camp. But that summer league performance show that he also is a tremendous scorer who can, who could do it against that level of competition at a high level. Can he bring it to the Jazz? So, like, you know, I think there are some pieces here that could really work out again, be part of that next good Jazz team in a couple of years that that's rising up. It's not necessarily going to be this season. I don't think but like there, there is some potential here that it'll be again interesting to see which, which of these pieces work and which don't.

[Zena Cada]

Prospect by volume. I love that. And I think what works with prospect by volume is when you have veterans on the team that don't need the spotlight. Right. Like all of these prospects are going to be able to learn from the likes of Kevin Love and Kyle Anderson and Yusuf Nurkic of like how do I take care of my body, how do I ensure not throwing Lori marketing and this is year nine for him like this. He's not a young buck either. So they're going to be able to learn from these vets of how to, how do you make an impact, how do you contribute to winning but also how do you make your make. So make sure that you are having, you know, longevity to your career as well.

[Andy Larson]

So I would also say like Lowry is the kind of veteran where like he, because he, you know, is kind of an off ball shooter. These guys, the young players can have the ball in their hands and be the ones actually creating. And there are some significant growing pains with that. Right. Like last year the Jazz were first in the league in turnovers by a huge margin. That will probably happen again this year. But they have the opportunity to learn. Ace Bailey may be the first option for the Jazz on a lot of nights, even as a 19 year old rookie. And yet like I, you know, I think it, that it does make sense. The developmental piece finally makes sense for the Jazz and it's been a while since the Donovan and Rudy trades, but you can see the direction.

[Zena Cada]

Right? Right. And Ace Bailey on your to that point had the most attempts the other night, 16, and also played this most amount of minutes. So you could just see, I'm sure he was probably, you know, Will Hardy was like, okay, you could sit down. He's like, I need, I want more reps, I want more opportunities. Just, you know, just really excited and chomping at the bit to get going. Now thinking about Laurie, this is their all star. This has been their all star. We also think about Walker Kessler, who's also sidelined right now. He became a great defensive anchor for them. A sizable, you know, big for them that made an impact for their team, not necessarily in the entire league, but for their team. You can see that he's taking steps forward as well. I will call out those two specifically. I'll add Bryce Sensible in there. You know, we saw him shooting outside, but we saw him also going into the paint and taking Defenders, he can absolutely score and be a playmaker. Thinking about those three and maybe feel free to add some names, like what are the expectations for the big stars on this team to ensure that they don't end up with 17 wins again this season.

[Andy Larson]

Yeah, look, I think I'll start from the top. And Lowry Markkanen used last year as an experimental season to try to take tougher shots, to try to take different shots, try to get the ball in his hands a little bit more, to become more of a playmaker. And then to be frank, it didn't work that well. You know, I think he's better as an off ball option to be a play finisher. You know, they. It's actually his nickname, the finisher, the finish player, because he is, you know, he's the only NBA player to ever have 200 threes and 100 dunks in the same season, which he did in his all Star campaign in 20, 22, 23. If he can get back to that level, I think that's kind of the expectation for him is like, hey, just get back to what you do best, right? Like, and we'll see if he's able to do that. I, I think he is. I think most of kind of the problems last year was him trying to do too much and then he just sat every other game because the Jazz were tanking. I think for Walker Kessler, this is a big season. This is his extension season. Right. That before his fourth year rookie campaign. So, you know, they're currently trying to negotiate that extension. It doesn't seem like it's going to work out and he'll go into restricted free agency. So given that, you know, he's going to have a lot of pressure on him to show that he is a top level defender in the NBA to actually improve the Jazz defense. He's was a top five offensive rebounder in the league last year. A top five shot blocker in the league last year. Can he keep that up? Can he add to his game offensively? I think is the big question with Walker. And then yeah, I think Bryce Sensiba, I think, you know, it may be a hot take, but like, there is a question. He, he could be the third best player on this team. I don't think there's really. Yeah, I, I think there's a real possibility of that. I think you could throw Taylor Hendricks in there, Keonte George, you can go down the list. But, but Bryce, you know, has to show that he can stay on the floor defensively, can make an impact defensively and that has been the big question. He has been one of the contributors to what has been the worst defense in the league the last couple of years. If he can stay on the floor defensively, stay in front, he has the offensive gifts to, to play in the NBA and play significant minutes. So yeah, you know, I think those for those three guys, if they all play well, you know, I'm taking the Jazz over on the Vegas over under. You know, it's like 18 wins this season. I'm taking the over.

[Zena Cada]

Okay. And I agree. I mean Bryce Sensible just looked it up. Only 21 years old. There's so much growth to still be had, you know, as he enters this third season. And I was, I was debating, I didn't know if you were going to go with Keonte George or not because I think he was a very big focal point of their offense last year because he is such a playmaker and so explosive. Quick first step, all the above. But I like sensibol size. You know, he's going to be a matchup problem if he continues to show his showcase, his ability to score on all levels. But yeah, okay, top three. And he's saying that y', all, he covers this team. Okay, we're going to take a pause really quickly and when we come back, we're going to talk a little bit about what could happen with his roster during the season as well as some swing factors for the Jazz.

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[Zena Cada]

All right, Andy, we gotta look into this. So right now there are three teams in the NBA that have some cap space because of some moves that they made last year. Washington Wizards being one of them, the Charlotte Hornets being another one, and the Utah Jazz being another one. Especially because they were involved in the trade that sent John Collins to the Los Angeles Clippers. They've got like 18 new to play with. That's some cap space where they could be involved in a, in a trade and three team trade. They can help another team out. Let's just say that. Any thoughts on anyone on this roster that could be potentially utilized by someone else in the NBA?

[Andy Larson]

Look, I mean Lowry Markkanen is the in a lot of trade conversations and rumors around the league and has been for the last couple of seasons. Just I think first of all he is the kind of, he is an all star talent. He is the kind of bolster that fits in nearly any team in the league because he can just be additive, he can just make shots, he can just finish plays around the rim. He's a good defender, you know, like you don't need to give him the ball though. He can just fit in a lot of different situations. That contract is going to be tricky because he does now make $50 million a year nearly. And so finding the right fit from that point of view is tricky. So for example, where San Antonio may have been interested before he signed that extension, now they have Dear and Fox. They're about to pay Victor Wembanyama. You know Devin, like they just have these, these contracts that they, they have to, they have to pay and it's harder to find that right fit. Maybe Sacramento could be interested Miami, I mean, some of these teams. Detroit has been another named option.

[Zena Cada]

That's the one I just saw.

[Andy Larson]

Yeah, and. And you know, maybe that makes a lot of sense. Hey is if you package Tobias Harris and either Jaden Ivey or, or the Asar Thompson and. And a pick or two for. For Lowry, maybe that makes some sense. Helps Detroit, you know, be a real contender in the Eastern Conference rather than an also ran. And then also allows the Jazz to kind of continue their youth movement. That could make some sense. So we'll see. I think you asked about the cap space in particular. Totally. The opportunity for the Jazz to take on someone's bad salary and get a couple of, you know, a second round pick, a first round pick, whatever. Because they are so focused on the future, more than most teams in the NBA right now.

[Zena Cada]

Now, I'm not gonna lie, Andy, I. For the universe, for the balance of the universe. I want to keep one Thompson twin in the west, another Thompson twin in the East. So I'm looking at the Detroit trade. I'm like, just keep Asar in the East. We want them on both sides here. But yeah, I mean, we'll see what happens. I think anytime you think about these teams that have just a treasure trove of young talent, obviously they're going to be in the mix. And then of course, you know, Utah has the cap space there as well, but no one is necessarily looking at Utah. Maybe except Utah. But no one's looking at Utah to be like a top contender in the West. They know it's going to take some time. And so when we think about this concept of like, what's the swing factor? Usually we think about swing factor is like, what's the thing that's going to take this team over the edge, get them to a playoff position, et cetera. Like, I think for the Utah Jazz, it's really about to not be in the conversation of being the worst teams in the NBA. And I don't know if that's going to happen in this season, but what do you think? And it could be a player, it could be a factor of their team. It could be coaching, it could be leadership, it could be any of that. But what would you say is going to be the biggest swing factor for the Utah Jazz to get themselves out of the worst team in the league? Conversation.

[Andy Larson]

Yeah, it's all about what happens a couple of years down the road and again, identifying which players fit that, you know, contention timeline, which players will be part of this next good Jazz team. For me, the one who's kind of on the bubble right now is someone who could be helpful or someone who could be kind of left behind is Keontae George. And it's kind of tough. What is happening with young scoring guards, smaller scoring guards in today's NBA. I mean, we just saw the Jazz trade Colin Sexton for was probably negative value. Right. They had to trade a pick in order to give him up in order to get him to the Charlotte Hornets in return for Yusuf Nurkic. We're seeing that, you know, those kind of conversations happen with the Cam Thomases of the world. Russell Westbrook doesn't have a team yet, you know. Right. Like, Keonte George is a talented scorer. There's no doubt about it. He also needs to add the defensive element of his game in order to really find the floor consistently and play on a winning team. Could also use a little bit of help in kind of the shot selection and playmaking ways. And he's a very good shooter. He's a good foul drawer. There's some stuff there. But, you know, we. We're seeing teams be more picky with those players. So I want to see Keonte turn from a very, very talented player to a player that adds to winning. There's been some good talk in training camp and. And summer league about kind of his workouts this year. And so we'll see. Maybe he can make that jump. We'll see. But to me, like, he's the one that's kind of on the bubble of you have the talent to play in the NBA, but you have to put it all together and if you're going to be again part of the. That next good Jazz team that. That rises up the Jazz out of the bottom. He's a player that could do it and has talent to do it, but may or may not get there. And so that's a real swing factor to me, that. That could make a difference.

[Zena Cada]

No, it's a real point because Keonte Georges kind of undersized like he's. Because he is such. He was such a focal point, averaging almost 17 points last season. Great. But is that going to be enough? Is that going to be the thing you need when everyone is just focused on you as the main scorer for this team and you're only 6 4ish, you know, can you put on some muscle? I don't know if he needs to do that. He needs to be light on his feet if he wants to have that defensive element that you're talking about as well. So, yeah, it does feel like he's that in that in between space I can put up numbers. But is 17 a game enough to really make a difference and be, you know, in that conversation of a game changing or team changing type of guard?

[Andy Larson]

Yeah, it's, it's efficiency, you know, and that's why the Jazz moved him to the bench last year in favor of Isaiah Collier to start at the point guard position because they saw him having the efficiency more of a six man scorer type than as a starting guard. If he can get that efficiency and defense at a higher level, then yeah, all of a sudden there's a lot there and you're really excited to have him part of the group.

[Zena Cada]

So we'll see he scores in spurts, he comes off the bench and offers you that spark. Right. Second units are not ready for his first step a lot of the time, so makes sense. I'm very curious if he takes that as an opportunity to be like this summer. I'm not sure what his workouts were, but it'll be very interesting to see what he does with his time this season. Okay, this is the big question, Andy. This is, this is the pressure one right here. Because with teams like the Utah Jazz, saying anything like more than 20 wins isn't crazy, but it's like, okay, that could be the end game for this team. So I'm just go ahead and ask you what is the most realistic outcome for the Utah Jazz this season and what makes you make that decision?

[Andy Larson]

I think it's like a 20 and 62 kind of season and maybe it could be worse. It could be an 18 and 64. But. And that's not super pessimism. You know, again, you're looking so long term with this team. You just look at the rest of the Western Conference and how competitive and how playoff. All of them are going to be seeking the playoffs to some degree. You know, Sacramento, even Portland, even like New Orleans, these teams are going to be gunning for a playoff spot in a way that the Jazz simply aren't going to be. And, and so, you know, maybe in the Eastern Conference it's a different situation, but in the west it's as competitive as it's ever been. And I just think that it's going to be hard for them to win games consistently without a top ball handler that they can really count on and rely on to create quality offense. You know, that just leads to too many turnovers the other way the defensive problems result. Like there's just real question marks. I don't think they will tank quite as hard as they did last year. Right. Like last year they got fined by the NBA for tanking $100,000. Austin Ange has said they won't do that this year, and so maybe come.

[Zena Cada]

Out and say that directly. So this is not a tanking season. Right.

[Andy Larson]

So this is a developmental season and not a tanking season, which there is a difference. They're not going to lose games quite as much on purpose, hopefully, as they did last year.

[Zena Cada]

Right.

[Andy Larson]

That gives me a little bit of optimism. But you know, we have to be honest about what this roster is, and it's very young.

[Zena Cada]

It.

[Andy Larson]

It lost a lot of veteran talent by trading away John Collins, Colin Sexton. I haven't mentioned Jordan Clarkson. He was raised as well. So, yeah, it's, it's just, you know, it's, it's early and it's. Could be the start of something. Maybe they take the Oklahoma City path, maybe they take the Houston Rocket path, but for right now, they're probably at the bottom of the West.

[Zena Cada]

Okay, and do you think that Lori is on this team at the end of the season?

[Andy Larson]

I think he's traded in the next two windows, I'll put it that way. So either at the trade deadline or next off season, I, I just think that ultimately you look at the timeline for the rest of the roster and I maybe hope for Larry's sake, he's the longest tenured NBA player who hasn't made the playoffs. And it's just not his fault. He's really good. He's such a good player. Yeah, he's a great locker room influence. Like, he's, he's terrific. I. One of my most enjoyable players I've ever covered. And I do hope he gets that playoff circumstance. It's hard to see the Jazz making the playoffs this year. Next like, and may just make sense for some team to kind of pay that up and, and give him the chance to play in a better situation than, than Utah is right now.

[Zena Cada]

And maybe he asks for it. I mean, between Chicago and now Utah, he's just been in circumstances where he's just like, my, I'm not winning. And now year nine, he might just be like, I think it's time that I act like my other compadres in the league and start asking for some things. And that's not even just because we know he can be like, willing to be very generous on the court, giving other shots up and things of that sort. But now it's like, about his own career.

[Andy Larson]

Yes, and, and no. Because I do think he really likes living in Utah in a way that like 98 of other superstars don't.

[Zena Cada]

Right.

[Andy Larson]

Like he. Because Finland is Utah. Right. Like, hey, you like when. Winter. We can do winter here. You know, he loves playing disc golf at Utah's disc golf courses. You know, I don't know that you can get that in New York, for example.

[Zena Cada]

So like LA and giving it to the same level. That's true.

[Andy Larson]

So he does like living in Utah and that's why he signed the long extension here is because he, you know, likes the, the quality of life and, and the, the situation. It's just. Yeah, you know, it's, it's not going to be him, I don't think demanding a trade or anything. I think it's going to be some team giving up enough for the Jazz to say, hey, yes, that makes more sense. That's more likely to help us win in three years than, you know, the, the 32 year old Larry Markkanen and works, you know, kind of in that direction. I don't think they have to trade him, but I do think probably the pieces come together at some point.

[Zena Cada]

Okay, well, we'll see what happens. Andy Larson, thank you for breaking the Utah Jazz down for us, guys. Go read them over at the Salt Lake City Tribune. We'll probably have you back. I, I can't wait to see how Ace Bailey's career pans out in this first year. I think there's a lot of opportunity there for him.

[Andy Larson]

Certainly will be.

[Zena Cada]

Thank you for joining us. Thank everyone else that's listening. If you're watching on YouTube, you may have noticed my light just went out. So I think that means we got to wrap this up. Thanks for listening to NBA Daily. We'll see you next.

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