Jazz forward Ochai Agbaj speaks with CEO Danny Ainge during the Utah Jazz practice at Zions Bank Basketball Campus in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022. (Spenser Heaps, Deseret News)
Estimated duration: 7-8 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — You can’t fault Jordan Clarkson for his honesty.
When asked what he learned about his new teammate, Clarkson, now the longest-serving jazz player, responded forcefully.
“I really like Kelly Olynyk. Cody (Zeller) is doing a great job. Malik (Beasley) is shooting the ball,” Clarkson said.
It was then that the reality of his new situation hit him.
“I’m still learning everyone’s names,” he said.
I’m sure he’s not the only one. After all, of his 20 players on the Jazz training roster at his camp, he was only six with the Jazz last season.
So here’s a guide to navigating the new-look Jazz as they begin preseason play against the Toronto Raptors in Edmonton on Sunday (4 p.m. MDT, AT&T SportsNet, NBA TV).
So who are these guys?
First, here are the players who are currently on the team — at least for now.
Ochai Agbaji
experience: rookie
How did he get into jazz? Agbazi was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the 14th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft and was traded to Utah for Donovan Mitchell. Agbaji said he spent four years with the Jayhawks and has grown into one of the best wings in college basketball.
Nickale Alexander-Walker
experience: Entering season 4
about: Alexander Walker was traded to Utah midway through last season. He played 15 minutes in a very limited role for the Jazz.
Azubuike Idoka
experience: entering the third season
about: Azubuike dealt with season-ending injuries in both of his first two seasons. He begins the season recovering from his ankle injury.
Malik Beasley
experience: Entering season 7
How did he get to Utah? Beasley was traded from Minnesota to Utah in a trade for Rudy Gobert. He is a 3-point shooter with a 39% career total.
Leandro Bormalo
experience: Entering the second season
How did he get to Utah? The Argentinian wings came from Minnesota with the Gobert trade. All-rounder played 35 games in his rookie year.
Jared Butler
experience: Entering the second season
about: Butler was selected by the Jazz in the second round of the 2021 NBA Draft. He averaged 3.8 points in 42 games last season.
Jordan Clarkson
experience: Entering season 9
about: The former Sixth Man of the Year is one of two returning players who played key roles on last year’s team.
Mike Conley
experience: Entering the 16th term
about: Conley is the only returning starter from last year’s team. Conley averaged 13.7 points on 40% of his 3-point shooting last season.
Simone Fontecchio
experience: rookie
How did he get to Utah? Fontecchio, a 26-year-old rookie from Italy, signed with the Jazz as a free agent this summer. He averaged 11.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists for Basconia in Spain last season, averaging 41% of his 3-point range.
Rudy Gay
experience: Entering the 17th term
about: Gay signed with the Jazz ahead of the 2021-22 season, but fell out of the rotation midway through the year. His scoring average last season was just his 8.1, falling below his 10.0 for the first time in his 16-year career.
Tarren Horton Tucker
experience: Entering season 4
How did he get to Utah? He was traded to Utah from the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Patrick Beverley. He averaged 10.0 points over 25 minutes last season.
Stanley Johnson
experience: Entering season 8
How did he get to Utah? The former top 10 pick was traded from the Lakers to Utah.
Johnny Juzan
experience: rookie
How did he get to Utah? Juzan signed two-way deal with Jazz after draft
walker kessler
experience: rookie
How did he get to Utah? After being drafted 22nd overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves, Kessler was traded to the Jazz for Gobert.
Saven Lee
experience: entering the third season
How did he get to Utah? Lee was traded from the Detroit Pistons to Utah as part of the deal that sent Bojan Bogdanovic to Detroit.
Lauri Markkanen
experience: Entering season 6
How did he get to Utah? As part of the Mitchell trade, Markkanen was traded from Cleveland to Utah. Markkanen enters his first season with the Jazz with high hopes after being one of Eurobasket’s best players last month.
Kelly Olynyk
experience: Entering season 10
How did he get to Utah? Olynyk was traded out of Detroit as part of a deal with Bogdanovic. The veteran center averaged 9.1 points with the Pistons last season.
Colin Sexton
experience: Entering the 5th season
How did he get to Utah? Sexton was traded from Cleveland to Utah in a deal that sent Mitchell to the Cavs. Although he missed most of last season due to a torn left meniscus, he averaged 24.3 points in his final full healthy season.
Jared Vanderbilt
experience: Entering the 5th season
How did he get to Utah? Vanderbilt came to Utah via a deal that sent Gobert to Minnesota. A long forward, Vanderbilt is set to become Utah’s best defender.
Cody Zeller
experience: Entering season 10
How did he get to Utah? The Veterans Center signed a training camp deal with the Jazz just before camp started.
Do you know who will play?
When asked about the rotation after the first day of training camp, Jazz coach Will Hardy said he hasn’t put it together yet.
And honestly, it was more than fair, especially since most people get a good amount of play time.
Conley, Clarkson, Sexton, Markkanen, Vanderbilt, Olynyk, Beasley, Gay, and even Johnson and Zeller are proven players in the league.
Development could be more important than winning this season. So will Jazz give Kessler, Agbaj, Fontecchio and Volmalo more time? And what about Alexander Walker, Butler and Azubuike? Any chance to see if they are his NBA players?
That’s a lot of options for Hardy. Sunday in Edmonton will be our first glimpse of what his regular rotation will look like.
First rotation guess? Conley, Sexton, Markkanen, Vanderbilt and Olynyk start. Beasley, Clarkson, Gay and the combination of Alexander-Walker, Vontecchio, Agbaj and Kessler come off the bench. Feel free to mock us when we are very wrong.
What style of jazz do you play?
The last few seasons, the Jazz have been a predictable collective. They used a lot of pick-and-rolls to produce a lot of 3s, and used a drop-big scheme to funnel it all into Gobert. That was pretty much it.
What style does jazz play now that Quinn Snyder, Gobert and pretty much everyone else are gone?
“Certainly we want to play a little bit more tempo in this group,” Hardy said of the offense. I don’t think it’s productive to do.”
At that point, the Jazz have a lot of players who can score. Both Sexton and Beasley have averaged over 20 points per game over the course of a season. Markkanen is coming out of Eurobasket where he finishes second in scoring behind a guy named Giannis. And jazz fans already know what Clarkson and Conley can do.
“I think we’re a seasoned attacking team,” Hardy said. “I think we have a lot of guys who can dribble, pass and shoot. “There aren’t many players who stay in. There are many players who can play in several different places.”
What about defense?
“We think our team is multi-talented,” Hardy said.
Without a dominant defensive center on the roster — of course, assuming Kessler takes time to adapt to the NBA — the Jazz could follow recent trends and go for a heavy-switching scheme to capitalize on that athleticism. is high.
Battle for a roster spot
One of the interesting things about this preseason is the battle for the final roster spot. The Jazz have 18 players on a guaranteed contract to play in Sunday’s game, and he should cut to at least 15 by the start of the regular season.
That’s why Azuike said it’s hard to put into words how important this preseason has been to him. He’s not the only one. Without trades, Azbuike, Lee, Butler, Alexander He Walker, and possibly many more could play for the job.
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