Jazz Trio of Rookies Could Be Final Pieces of Primary Young Core

Between Cody Williams, Isaiah Collier and Kyle Filipowski, the Utah Jazz could be on the cusp of rounding out their core.

Jun 26, 2024; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Cody Williams poses for photos with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected in the first round by the Utah Jazz in the 2024 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

As the Utah Jazz continue to rebuild their roster, the pieces of the puzzle are falling into place. This is especially true when it comes to the past two drafts, as Utah has pulled off some of the best rookie classes of prospects in consecutive years. 

In the 2024 NBA Draft, the Jazz selected Cody Williams, Isaiah Collier and Kyle Filipowski, who were three of the most intriguing prospects in the entire class. In fact, there’s a real case to be made that these three could end up being some of the final pieces of the core that could one day be a playoff team in Utah. 

This trio of rookies is set to join Taylor Hendricks, Keyonte George and Brice Sensabaugh from the 2023 NBA Draft class for the Jazz. Each of these prospects will have the chance to take a significant leap in their upcoming second season. 

Utah already has several established contributors in Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton and Walker Kessler — though they could trade all three of these players in theory. The Jazz also have two more quality pieces in Jordan Clarkson and John Collins who have the upside to help win now, but also could be solid trade chips. 

Regardless, the six players that Utah has selected in the past two drafts have enough talent to round out the primary core of the future. It may take a few years for them to get to the point where they can really thrive on a playoff-caliber team, but there’s no question the upside is there. 

It does feel like the Jazz are due for a big move to add a star in the future, but outside of that type of trade, the talent on the current roster could certainly be the bulk of the primary core. With Markkanan and another All-Star level player at the helm with this young core, the Jazz have a real opportunity to be good in a few years. 

That doesn’t mean they won’t add more talent through the draft, trade and free agency in coming years, but if the Jazz just develops who is currently on the roster, that should be enough to compete at a high level, especially if some of these recent six draftees pop. 

The Jazz should be patient in their rebuild, especially with their recent draft picks. The young talent this franchise needs is already in-house, it just takes time to develop. 

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