Last Updated on April 30, 2026 12:53 pm by Mike Passador | Published: April 30, 2026

It’s rare to see a team commit to a hard tank and finish with one of the league’s worst records while still generating plenty of optimism among observers and fans. The turnaround is always coming, but for the Jazz it may be right around the corner. Utah has always felt like a team that could make a little bit of noise if they felt like it, but sticking to the plan has them looking ready to go in 2026-27. But first, 2025-26.

How’d It Go?

Mission accomplished.

In the big picture, the Jazz were able to retain their protected first-round pick. They were competitive early in the season when they wanted to be, and got a breakout season from Keyonte George while Lauri Markkanen played at an All-Star level. Ace Bailey came into the program and was able to earn a starting role, taking off later in the year as more usage opened up. That’s a big development given some of the questions about whether he even wanted to join Utah to begin with. The Jazz spent the second half of the season getting a closer look at younger contributors like Isaiah Collier, Kyle Filipowski, Cody Williams and Brice Sensabaugh. Even one of their silly season pickups, Bez Mbeng, looks like a player who can help down the line.

Beyond all the losing — which isn’t that big of a deal considering the organization’s goals — the most unfortunate part of the season was Walker Kessler suffering a season-ending shoulder injury just five games into the campaign. That kept the Jazz from giving him real reps alongside the team’s best players (him missing time with a leveled-up George is a shame) but Kessler should be a long-term piece for Utah. He keeps popping up in trade rumors but all signs point to him anchoring the defense for years to come unless they’re truly blown away by an offer.

The real story of the Jazz season is that all of those underlying factors showed management that the team is worth investing in. Utah pulled off the most shocking move of the trade deadline, cashing in three first-rounders to get Jaren Jackson Jr. from the Grizzlies (both teams ended up swapping the end of their benches as well, but that’s not the matter at hand). Jackson saw limited time with the Jazz before undergoing season-ending knee surgery but it’s a win-now move for a team that might just be entering its winning window. A starting lineup featuring George, Bailey, Markkanen, Jackson and Kessler is no joke and could feature the best defensive frontcourt in the league. The Jazz finished with the fourth-worst record in the league but the future is bright. And it could be here before you know it.

Coaching

Will Hardy has been in the driver’s seat for four seasons now but can’t be judged by his cumulative record of 107-221 given how the Jazz have been operating. After leading a scrappy Jazz team to a 37-45 record in his first season, earning some down-ballot Coach of the Year votes for exceeding expectations, the organization has been tanking hard. Instead, Hardy needs to be judged by big-picture items like culture and development. By those measures it’s hard not to come away impressed with what has happened.

First and foremost, Hardy has designed a system that maximizes Lauri Markkanen, turning him from secondary option into a legitimate All-Star scorer. He has empowered his best player to be his best self and while Markkanen’s spotty availability has stung, the Jazz have a foundational piece in the big Finn. Improvement from Keyonte George, who played to an All-Star level this season, and Isaiah Collier was also apparent. George became a vastly improved driver and both he and Collier saw major gains in their efficiency, giving Utah a real one-two punch in the backcourt going forward. That development has helped the Jazz play the style that Hardy likely wants them to play.

The team had an assist rate of 69.6 this year, up from 63.3 last year and 64.8 the year prior. Utah was dead last in assist:turnover ratio a year ago; in 2025-26 they ranked 10th. They also finished 22nd in turnover ratio after two straight years ranking dead last. Utah was a top-10 team in both points in the paint and fast break points after finishing 18th and 24th in those categories a year ago. The Jazz also ranked second in pace this season at 103.54, up from 100.85 and 100.26 in the previous two campaigns. They’re a little run and gun and while that might change a bit with a healthy Walker Kessler, the Jazz clearly want to control the tempo and move the ball with some zip. It has been building and building and we may finally get to see how it holds up over a full season in 2026-27.

Additionally, Hardy was not shy about giving Ace Bailey a major role right out of the gates. It was a bit of an awkward situation with Bailey’s eagerness to be in Utah up for debate, but there wasn’t any sign of internal strife and Bailey was given plenty of opportunity to assert himself as a scoring option. Time will tell on this front but Hardy got some buy-in right away.

The Jazz have lost a lot — by design — but their best players have all improved under Hardy’s watch and the team has generally played hard despite being outgunned — also by design. Hardy gets a passing grade but the real tests are about to begin.

The Players

Lauri Markkanen

PF, Utah Jazz

ADP: 55.6 / 79.1 (Yahoo/ESPN) | Total Value: 105/90 (8/9-cat) | Per-Game Value: 19/8 (8/9-cat)

While Markkanen’s spotty attendance will frustrate fantasy GMs, it is hard not to like what we saw when he was available to play. The 2024-25 campaign was a lot of spinning tires as Markkanen’s contract extension prevented him from being traded, so the Jazz seemed to dial back on his usage. This was a massive return to form for Markkanen, who now has three outstanding seasons and the one clunker since arriving in Utah. Will Hardy clearly knows how to get the most out of Markkanen’s game and the numbers are outstanding when the team leans on him appropriately. Getting a real PG to play with thanks to Keyonte George’s leap was also a game-changer.

Markkanen ended up with career-highs in points, assists and steals and the blocks, FG% and FT% are all within shouting distance of previous personal bests. While Markkanen only ended up playing in 42 games – compared to 47 last year – he was at least well worth his ADP for the first half of the season. He was able to show that his hot start with the Jazz was not just a flash in the pan, and while you could argue that Markkanen would not be as productive on a more winning-minded team with a functional roster (and an organizational directive to actually win), you will take top-20 value for a few months no matter the caveats — even with a post-February disappearing act. Nobody could have predicted this level of bounce-back.

Markkanen missed the final 24 games of the year with a hip problem and has maxed out at 55 games in the last three seasons but hopefully that will be a thing of the past given that the Jazz made a big move to bring in Jaren Jackson Jr. and unlocked Keyonte George. It means Markkanen won’t be a discount in fantasy drafts anymore, but that’s worth it to see him play what should be a full schedule in 2026-27.

Jaren Jackson Jr.

PF, Utah Jazz

ADP: 36.6 / 59.4 (Yahoo/ESPN) | Total Value: 112/120 (8/9-cat) | Per-Game Value: 53/48 (8/9-cat)

Jackson ended up in the top-50 ballpark again but didn’t get there in expected fashion. It wasn’t exactly a smooth offseason for Jackson as surgery for turf toe threatened to delay his start, but JJJ was ready to play on opening night and ended up being a consistent presence for the Grizzlies. That was not the case for many of his teammates, and particularly his point guard, which was a tough break given that Jackson tends to play his best as a secondary offensive option who gets set up for good looks while spending most of his energy roaming around on defense. The absences and drama in Memphis led to some light decreases across the box score, but nothing damaging to his value one way or the other. Frankly, the absences and drama have become part of the package with the Grizzlies, so there was a little “same old, same old” feel to everything.

He was thrown a big curveball in the form of a shocking trade to the rebuilding Jazz, as Jackson and a handful of players were swapped while the Grizzlies added three first-rounders to kick off a proper rebuild. It was bad news for his fantasy stock as JJJ was guaranteed to end the season on the shelf, not that he was looking at too many more active nights with the Grizz. Jackson played just three games in Utah before undergoing surgery for a localized PVNS growth in his left knee. That is a benign form of cancer that causes a layer of tissue that lines joints and tendons to thicken and overgrow, but the procedure felt more proactive to help JJJ be ready for next season than anything else. Jackson and Walker Kessler should form a nasty defensive front line and he might benefit from a change of scenery overall after keeping his head down while the Grizzlies fell apart around him. In Utah he’ll be a secondary offensive option with a more defined role on a team that has some real positive vibes heading into the future.

Keyonte George

SG, Utah Jazz

ADP: 116.2 / 122.2 (Yahoo/ESPN) | Total Value: 64/82 (8/9-cat) | Per-Game Value: 25/39 (8/9-cat)

George was a breakout star in his third season. There were legitimate reasons to wonder about his ceiling given his inconsistencies on offense and flaky shooting. He put all of that to rest this year, posting a new career-high in points thanks to a major leap to .456 from the field after he shot just .391 in each of his first two seasons. Huge  development in his downhill driving ability cranked his free throw attempts up to 7.0 per game, which allowed George to become a more reliable lead offensive option while opening up passing lanes all around him. He played at an All-Star level and should’ve been among the finalists for Most Improved at the end of the year.

Considering George entered the season as a punt-worthy late-round pick who could only really be counted on for assists, it was one of the more impressive climbs up the board of anyone in the league. Even then it was still a gamble, as George had been a huge negative in FG% in his first two seasons. Managers worried about that category might not have even had him on draft boards at all. George went from an empty calories producer to a legitimate fantasy star and was only held back by Utah’s quest for lottery odds. He played in just seven games from February 1 onward because of ankle and hamstring problems but that is the only sticking point in a fabulous season. Ideally, with some of the moves the Jazz made this year, we won’t have to worry about any late-season shutdowns going forward. George cemented his place in Utah’s core and his ascension more than anything else might have prompted the team to think about pivoting to winning mode.

Walker Kessler

C, Utah Jazz

ADP: 57.5 / 72.2 (Yahoo/ESPN) | Total Value: 439/445 (8/9-cat) | Per-Game Value: 10/12 (8/9-cat)

This is just a sneak peek of the Season Wrap. The entire roster is covered, as well as the Fantasy Star, Letdown, One to Watch and One Burning Question for this team. You’ll need to have an Ethos 360, All-Sport or NBA FantasyPass membership. Click here to learn more and sign up! Premium Access Required

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Mike Passador

Mike graduated from Boston University’s Dual Degree Program with a BA in Economics and a BS in Business with Concentrations in Marketing and Operations Management. He is a faithful supporter of Toronto sports and the Detroit Lions and is always ready to be let down. Tweet to him @Mike_Pandador, but if you badmouth Jose Calderon you might get blocked.

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