Utah Jazz Season Preview: Evaluating Utah’s bench depth ahead of the 2024-25 season

Depth is an often overlooked detail when the conversation at your family dinner table inevitably strays towards the topic of tanking and developing basketball teams. I mean, who cares about the 10th man of a team that is actively trying to lose games, right?

Basketball maniacs like myself (and apparently my entire family when it’s supper-time), that’s who cares.

The Utah Jazz are one of those squads whose rebuilding efforts have left a bit to be desired now that we’re a few years removed from the initial “blow-up” that scattered Utah’s stars across the NBA. Winning too often and being too good have been problems for a team that many would like to see scrape the concrete floors of Adam Silver’s basement, and the unexpected sum of W’s has guided Utah into the middle of the pack (so I guess Silver’s bathroom?).

Too good to tank, too bad to compete. Though Ainge, Smith, and Co. have built up a war chest of draft assets, those draft picks have fallen to the back end of the lottery and deep into the first round on several occasions. But all is not lost, and we doomsday deniers have promising young talent to lean our faith upon in Keyonte George, Walker Kessler, Taylor Hendricks, Cody Williams, and more.

Reading through the list of young players on Utah’s roster can feel like unfurling a mile-long scroll that rolls from the foot of Justin Zanik’s throne, through the golden doors of the Jazz front office, and all the way down to the ice rink of the Utah Hockey Club.

What I’m trying to say is that the Jazz have an embarrassment of young talent. With more developing players than available spots in the starting lineup, bench depth has suddenly become a highly relevant topic for the rebuilding team from Salt Lake City.

So what does the depth chart look like in Utah, and what do these bench players have to offer the rebuilding Jazz?

Don’t Miss Tryouts

With Utah’s ridiculous accumulation of assets and a quota of roughly [crunches a few last-second calculations] one million losses this season in the hunt for the top draft pick, this season may be treated as a quasi-tryout for the fresh faces on the depth chart, as well as a few players who still need to prove they’re on pace to contribute once the rebuild heel-turns toward title contention, a-la Oklahoma City (though that’s probably wishful thinking). Who’s ready, and who will fall behind?

The backup unit is full of so many question marks, that I’m starting to wonder if Danny Ainge is secretly The Riddler. Can anybody send me a picture of those two in the same room??

Is Brice Sensabaugh ready to add a steady scoring option from the bench after shedding some baby fat from his rookie season? Who of the incoming rookie trio—Williams, Collier, and Filipowski—can emerge as a starting-caliber contributor? Will Walker Kessler earn his starting role, or is he doomed to be shipped away? Even Taylor Hendricks, who currently owns a starting role, has plenty to prove and could easily slide down the bench if he can’t meet expectations.

Players may rise, and they may fall, but if Utah is dedicated to rebuilding through the draft, it starts with positioning your young players to succeed. Collier and Filipowski both slid in the draft after previously being considered lottery selections; will they show the world why they were so highly regarded, or was their fall warranted? I expect to see Utah’s first and second years be allotted a healthy serving of in-game experience this year.

What’s the point of all those draft picks if you don’t believe in the players you picked, right?

A Cozy Retirement in SLC

In a move that no one expected, veteran point guard Patty Mills inked a one-year deal with the Utah Jazz. At the twilight of his career, this move was made with the hope of Mills being a great leader and veteran presence for Utah’s influx of baby-faced youngsters populating the roster.

At this point in his hooping journey, Mills’ retirement is coming any year now. After 15 years of pro hoops, Patty doesn’t quite play like he used to, but will still see floor time with his new team in Utah. Will he steal minutes from younger players like Collier? Possibly a few, but with Mills ready to force ghost and fade away into oblivion any year from now, I expect the Aussie to fill a mentorship role in limited playing time.

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Clarkson is a similar case, though the flamethrower still has time before his fire dies out. With Utah, his skill set isn’t necessary for a team that doesn’t prioritize winning, and you may want to sit down for this, but Utah isn’t trying to reach the playoffs in April, nor should they.

League-wide interest in JC has died down since his 6th Man of the Year campaign, and his trade value dwindles with every year he spends with the lowly Jazz. It’s starting to feel like a “now or never” situation for the score-first guard, and if he does stay in Utah, his contribution won’t be conducive to winning basketball games.

Other more experienced players like Drew Eubanks and Svi Mykhailiuk will probably see the floor in fun-sized minutes but were likely signed to fill the roster, and not much else (Sorry, Svi, your championship in Boston is pretty cool, though).

From my outside perspective, I see Utah’s depth chart divided into two categories: the eager youth and the grateful dead.

With a young revolution in full swing, the Jazz should seek every opportunity to give their young talent plenty of real-game playing time this season (what’s the worst that could happen, they lose?), and allow them to learn under the tutelage of the veterans filling the Jazz roster.

The biggest issue facing Utah’s bench is a math problem, and I hate math. With only 48 minutes in the game, and so many players desperate to run, it’s impossible to perfectly share time across the board. Some will get left out, and some will see more floor time than they deserve. It’s a delicate balance, but one that I believe Will Hardy is capable of selecting.

So, the next time your family gathers around the table and starts arguing about why the Jazz didn’t fight to keep Nikeil Alexander-Walker, you should slam your fist on the wooden surface and shout from the depths of your soul: “I REALLY HOPE ISAIAH COLLIER IS GOOD AND GETS TO PLAY MEANINGFUL BASKETBALL THIS SEASON!”

Utah’s bench is an exciting bunch, but nothing is certain for a team with many mouths to feed.