Utah Jazz are high on Keyonte George and is Collin Sexton a sixth man?

Recently on the Lowe post podcast they had an entire section on the Utah Jazz and had some interesting little tidbits of information. If you haven’t already, you can listen to it here.

Here are a couple of highlights that are of note.

The Jazz are high on Keyonte George

Both Tim MacMahon and Zach Lowe mention that the Jazz are high on Keyonte George and MacMahon said that Keyonte George is the “most ready, he looks the best” of all the Jazz rookies. MacMahon also mentions that they want to find out if George can become a lead guard.

It’s an interesting note from the podcast and definitely matches what we saw during NBA Summer League when George lit the court on fire. It’s also a reminder that it’s a shame that Taylor Hendricks and Brice Sensabaugh couldn’t play, not just because it’s a chance for fans to watch them play, but also it’s great experience leading into training camp. George was tasked with being a playmaker, and he showed just that. It’s going to be interesting as the season goes on if George works his way to that starting role. If he continues to show his ability to score at three levels, along with the impressive assist numbers he showed, it should be sooner than later.

The Jazz will likely be active in the trade market

MacMahon mentions the Jazz will be players in the trade market, and it makes sense. Utah has so many rotation-level players that it doesn’t make sense to leave them on the bench all season. When you consider how many picks they’ll be making, over the next 10 years, they have to be active to continue upgrading at each position. If they don’t make trades and their draft picks supplant their starters, they’ll lose assets for nothing. That’s not something I could ever see Danny Ainge doing

Lowe likes a starting lineup of Jordan Clarkson, Ochai Agbaji, Lauri Markkanen, John Collins, and Walker Kessler

This was a fun lineup idea, and the starting lineup I do hope the Jazz do, outside of eventually starting Keyonte George. MacMahon and Lowe also say they’d be surprised if Clarkson doesn’t start but that this is all up in the air.

Starting Agbaji makes sense with his athleticism and size on the defensive end as well as his three-point shooting on offense. The real question here is how do the Jazz have enough playmaking on the floor with this lineup? It’s why someone like Kelly Olynyk makes a lot of sense as the backup center because he brings a lot of passing that will help the ball move on offense, so maybe this lineup is one that starts but gets pretty quick subs depending on how the game starts.

Collin Sexton will likely be a Sixth Man

MacMahon mentions that the Jazz look at Collin Sexton as a sixth man. The Jazz had him in that role most of last season so that’s not a surprise. Sexton quietly had a great offensive season for the Jazz having the most efficient scoring line of his career. If he comes into that role again, the Jazz know what they’re getting, and there’s no doubt he can do that again. The only issue is there are going to be a lot of mouths to feed. The Jazz have new rookies, a new starter in John Collins, and there’s going to be a lot of improvement across the board. The story of this season will be seeing how the team changes and develops as the season goes on.