The Tank is on!

[Catchall]

Looking at the players on the Jazz's roster and how they played today, it's apparent that the Jazz's roster is essentially in the same state as the Houston Rockets were two years ago when they blew up that team.

That Rockets team won games at just under a 20-win pace. I don't think the Jazz are that bad, but the Jazz roster is now hollowed out with a mix of shards from the previous team and a few middling young prospects. That Rockets team had John Wall, Demarcus Cousins, Kelly Olynyk, Eric Gordon, Danuel House, Ben McLemore, Avery Bradley and Christian Wood. The only young talent of note was Kenyon Martin Jr., JaeSean Tate and Kevin Porter Jr. In total, 30 players were on that roster at one time or another. It was a clearinghouse of old vets that other teams could pick up.

Here's where I think this is going:
** At this stage, the Jazz are just sifting through players to see if they like any of them.
** Markkanen is a starting-level player, and he's still just 25. I think the Jazz will keep him longer term.
** Collin Sexton will probably end up being a backup on the team the Jazz want to build, or he may be an asset to be traded in the future once he gets further along his development curve.
** Jared Vanderbilt is a culture-setter with his energy and effort, and I think he's part of the team's plans in the near-term at least.
** Jazz will keep NAW, THT, Agbaji and Bolmaro as development projects, though none are likely to be untouchable in future trades.
** It's not clear to me how much the Jazz really like Walker Kessler and whether he fits what they want from the center position. It's possible that he was a throw-in in the Gobert trade. He could be developed and moved within a couple years. He doesn't project to be good enough to be a long-term staple.
** Jazz will try to trade away Conley, Clarkson, Beasley and Olynyk. None of them will be around on the future team and none are really systemically that important. Conley at least brings some order to the chaos in the meantime.
** Jazz will dump Rudy Gay if they have to.

[AingesBurner]

I don’t see Sexton as a backup, the most important positions in the NBA are the 2 and 3, PG’s don’t matter as much.

[Catchall]

I don’t see Sexton as a backup, the most important positions in the NBA are the 2 and 3, PG’s don’t matter as much.

Good PGs do matter, since they have the ball in their hands a lot and they guard the point of attack. You can see the difference Chris Paul made to the Suns and Jrue made for the Bucks.

If the Jazz end up drafting a guard like Scoot Henderson, Anthony Black, Nick Smith or Amen Thompson in this next draft, I'm pretty sure that Sexton will be coming off the bench or he'll be out the door.

I agree that dynamic, two-way wings are normally the most impactful players in the league though.

[mg]

I don’t see Sexton as a backup, the most important positions in the NBA are the 2 and 3, PG’s don’t matter as much.

Good PGs do matter, since they have the ball in their hands a lot and they guard the point of attack. You can see the difference Chris Paul made to the Suns and Jrue made for the Bucks.

If the Jazz end up drafting a guard like Scoot Henderson, Anthony Black, Nick Smith or Amen Thompson in this next draft, I'm pretty sure that Sexton will be coming off the bench or he'll be out the door.

I agree that dynamic, two-way wings are normally the most impactful players in the league though.

You don't think that Sexton could play with a big playmaking guard such as Amen or Black? Actually I think that would be best case scenario for Sexton to play next to a big 6'-7" playmaker assuming that he is going to be mainly just a scoring guard in the vein of Jalen Brunson archetype. He could improve his playmaking this season but what I saw tonight from the rotations was a huge mess with guys like Gay and Clarkson jacking up so many bad shots. It's going to be difficult to develop any of their young players if that continues until the deadline.

Regardless I'm going to say that the Jazz future franchise player is not on the roster yet. It's going to be a season where they are going to throw out a bunch of lineups and see which players are going to potentially stick for the next iteration. Yes the tank is definitely on.

[Catchall]

I don’t see Sexton as a backup, the most important positions in the NBA are the 2 and 3, PG’s don’t matter as much.

Good PGs do matter, since they have the ball in their hands a lot and they guard the point of attack. You can see the difference Chris Paul made to the Suns and Jrue made for the Bucks.

If the Jazz end up drafting a guard like Scoot Henderson, Anthony Black, Nick Smith or Amen Thompson in this next draft, I'm pretty sure that Sexton will be coming off the bench or he'll be out the door.

I agree that dynamic, two-way wings are normally the most impactful players in the league though.

You don't think that Sexton could play with a big playmaking guard such as Amen or Black? Actually I think that would be best case scenario for Sexton to play next to a big 6'-7" playmaker assuming that he is going to be mainly just a scoring guard in the vein of Jalen Brunson archetype. He could improve his playmaking this season but what I saw tonight from the rotations was a huge mess with guys like Gay and Clarkson jacking up so many bad shots. It's going to be difficult to develop any of their young players if that continues until the deadline.

Regardless I'm going to say that the Jazz future franchise player is not on the roster yet. It's going to be a season where they are going to throw out a bunch of lineups and see which players are going to potentially stick for the next iteration. Yes the tank is definitely on.

I'm not yet convinced that Sexton is a starter on a championship-competitive team. The only player on the roster that probably fits that description is Markkanen, imo.

[AingesBurner]

Good PGs do matter, since they have the ball in their hands a lot and they guard the point of attack. You can see the difference Chris Paul made to the Suns and Jrue made for the Bucks.

If the Jazz end up drafting a guard like Scoot Henderson, Anthony Black, Nick Smith or Amen Thompson in this next draft, I'm pretty sure that Sexton will be coming off the bench or he'll be out the door.

I agree that dynamic, two-way wings are normally the most impactful players in the league though.

You don't think that Sexton could play with a big playmaking guard such as Amen or Black? Actually I think that would be best case scenario for Sexton to play next to a big 6'-7" playmaker assuming that he is going to be mainly just a scoring guard in the vein of Jalen Brunson archetype. He could improve his playmaking this season but what I saw tonight from the rotations was a huge mess with guys like Gay and Clarkson jacking up so many bad shots. It's going to be difficult to develop any of their young players if that continues until the deadline.

Regardless I'm going to say that the Jazz future franchise player is not on the roster yet. It's going to be a season where they are going to throw out a bunch of lineups and see which players are going to potentially stick for the next iteration. Yes the tank is definitely on.

I'm not yet convinced that Sexton is a starter on a championship-competitive team. The only player on the roster that probably fits that description is Markkanen, imo.

He’s only 23 and he’s going to have a chance to develop this year. I think we have some interesting players here and also there is a reason to bring in Hornacek, develop our guys into shooters.

[Crunch 99]

Sexton has a lot of potential, but he's been the leading scorer on teams with 19-46 and 22-50 records. Notwithstanding those are great tank records, we need winning player Mike Conley to start the games, set the tone and provide positive leadership for the young players. Our players can be learning and developing good habits from Conley and the coaching staff, but still lose a lot of games for the tank.

In addition, if Conley plays as well as he did last regular season, he could have positive trade value at the trade deadline, be traded and then Sexton could take over. There are numerous title contenders this season. One of them might lose a starting point guard and believe veteran Conley can step in and keep them contending. This pre-season teams are probably still remembering Conley's recent awful shooting percentage in the playoff against Dallas and wondering if Conley is washed with old age. I don't think he is washed. I suspect he can start and play well again.

[zero24gravity]

Sexton has a lot of potential, but he's been the leading scorer on teams with 19-46 and 22-50 records. Notwithstanding those are fantastic tank records, imo we need winning player Mike Conley to start the games, set the tone and provide positive leadership for the young players. Our players can be learning and developing good habits from Conley and the coaching staff, but still lose a lot of games for the tank.

In addition, if Conley plays as well as he did last regular season, he could have positive trade value at the trade deadline, be traded and then Sexton could take over. There are numerous title contenders this season. One of them might lose a starting point guard and believe veteran Conley can step in to the job and keep them contending. This pre-season teams are probably still remembering Conley's recent awful shooting percentage in the playoff against Dallas and wondering if Conley is washed with old age. I don't think he is washed. I suspect he can start and play well again.

All this. Conley is the perfect player/teammate for the transition to the tank. He'll only do good things for the young players & locker room, but on his own isn't good enough to win games, especially if his minutes are limited to get Sexton on the court. I'm happy they've kept him around, even if it is only until the trade deadline.

[mg]

Just hope these Conley types don't win them too many games. The real franchise player is on the roster yet so draft positioning is going to be so much more important than a few culture wins. A team like OKC can just rest SGA and they will stink. The Jazz roster is just way too littered with functional players that aren't stars but are legit NBA players.

As for Sexton I don't think Hardy is going to give him free rein to go out there and score 24 PPG like the tanking Cavs used to do. He's only played limited minutes coming off the meniscus but it certainly appears they are making him work on other parts of his game which should make him a more complete player. I don't think he was ever coached/developed properly and mainly just asked to score his first 3 years in the league. I can probably say the same thing about NAW and a few other young guys on this roster too in terms of their development. Just read an article that said NAW had 5 head coaches in 4 years. Sexton had 4 head coaches in his first 2 years in Cleveland.

[AingesBurner]

Just hope these Conley types don't win them too many games. The real franchise player is on the roster yet so draft positioning is going to be so much more important than a few culture wins. A team like OKC can just rest SGA and they will stink. The Jazz roster is just way too littered with functional players that aren't stars but are legit NBA players.

As for Sexton I don't think Hardy is going to give him free rein to go out there and score 24 PPG like the tanking Cavs used to do. He's only played limited minutes coming off the meniscus but it certainly appears they are making him work on other parts of his game which should make him a more complete player. I don't think he was ever coached/developed properly and mainly just asked to score his first 3 years in the league. I can probably say the same thing about NAW and a few other young guys on this roster too in terms of their development. Just read an article that said NAW had 5 head coaches in 4 years. Sexton had 4 head coaches in his first 2 years in Cleveland.

People don’t realize that players need consistency from coaches.

[ShulaDon92]

Good time to tank.

[Crunch 99]

Zach Lowe is out this morning predicting that the Jazz will be the least fun team to watch. He also hates the new uniforms. Considering we have at least three guys who can go off offensively, Clarkson, Sexton and Markkanen, I think the Jazz could be fun to watch even as they lose most of the games --- though I am glad I am not a paid season ticket holder.

Lowe's annual League Pass Rankings! Teams 30-11 in watchability and fun (sorry, Jazz fans)
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/34769873/lowe-annual-league-pass-rankings-teams-30-11-watchability-fun-sorry-jazz-fans

[mg]

Zach Lowe is out this morning predicting that the Jazz will be the least fun team to watch. He also hates the new uniforms. Considering we have at least three guys who can go off offensively, Clarkson, Sexton and Markkanen, I think the Jazz could be fun to watch even as they lose most of the games --- though I am glad I am not a paid season ticket holder.

Lowe's annual League Pass Rankings! Teams 30-11 in watchability and fun (sorry, Jazz fans)
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/34769873/lowe-annual-league-pass-rankings-teams-30-11-watchability-fun-sorry-jazz-fans

Not surprising since they just jettisoned their 2 all stars. Seems too coincidental they are playing in those awful unis this season too. I have Dish for at least another year so it's really hard to catch the games with their current crappy broadcasting agreement. OTOH will be in SLC a few times this coming winter/spring so this might be a great chance to grab super cheap tickets.

Bottomline I think they need to identify potentially 3-5 keepers/rotation players on this year's team and *hopefully* draft their franchise guy next June.

[Inigo Montoya]

Zach Lowe is out this morning predicting that the Jazz will be the least fun team to watch. He also hates the new uniforms.

Maybe the Jazz will be the least fun team to watch because of the new uniforms?

[SoCalJazzFan]

Watch on YouTube

[SoCalJazzFan]

I said it at the time, the Jazz should have accepted the Knicks offer, even if it was lacking a pick or swap.

[WinterSoldier]

And just like the tank is off!!! LOL

[Crunch 99]

Sexton has a lot of potential, but he's been the leading scorer on teams with 19-46 and 22-50 records. Notwithstanding those are fantastic tank records, imo we need winning player Mike Conley to start the games, set the tone and provide positive leadership for the young players. Our players can be learning and developing good habits from Conley and the coaching staff, but still lose a lot of games for the tank.

In addition, if Conley plays as well as he did last regular season, he could have positive trade value at the trade deadline, be traded and then Sexton could take over. There are numerous title contenders this season. One of them might lose a starting point guard and believe veteran Conley can step in to the job and keep them contending. This pre-season teams are probably still remembering Conley's recent awful shooting percentage in the playoff against Dallas and wondering if Conley is washed with old age. I don't think he is washed. I suspect he can start and play well again.

All this. Conley is the perfect player/teammate for the transition to the tank. He'll only do good things for the young players & locker room, but on his own isn't good enough to win games, especially if his minutes are limited to get Sexton on the court. I'm happy they've kept him around, even if it is only until the trade deadline.

My hot takes after just one regular season game, lol: One, a healthy Mike Conley playing 30 plus minutes per game is probably good enough to lead this team to wins well above Las Vegas' 24.5 wins. Two, if Jordan Clarkson is looking to pass the ball more and only takes 10 or fewer field goal attempts, a potential tank is in trouble. Three, new Coach Will Hardy seems like an in game adjustment coach who is not afraid to throw a lot of different looks and lineups at an opposing team. Four, the new Jazz are a fun team to watch!

[TNJazz]

Great! Just when I'm about to make the decision to not renew my league pass for the tank, they go out and do this...

Now the decision just became more complicated

[vryadli]

Four, the new Jazz are a fun team to watch.

Let's never forget that Lowe put the Jazz last on the watching list. And that he put Nets first, that too!