Ranking Jazz's Best Young Players Entering 2023-24

The Utah Jazz have a talented young core.

The Utah Jazz are rapidly compiling one of the better young rosters in the NBA. The Jazz have added five first-round picks from the 2022 and 2023 NBA draft classes. So just for fun, let’s rank these Jazz prospects.

Because the Jazz have such a young roster, we must draw a line in the sand somewhere. So, for this exercise, we'll stick with players who are entering one of their first four seasons of NBA play. 

This disqualifies Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton, John Collins, and Talen Horton-Tucker.

8. Simone Fontecchio

Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports

The 27-year-old struggled to adjust to the NBA last year. Fontecchio was a good shooter across multiple European Leagues before hitting on just 33% from three-point range last season. 

Hopefully, he can use the FIBA World Cup as a springboard for next season. 

7. Omer Yurtseven

Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

The newest addition to the roster, the Turkish big man provides nice depth for the Jazz frontcourt. In limited opportunities with the Miami Heat, Yurtseven proved to be a double-double threat when given consistent minutes. 

With a throwback style of play, we’ll see if he can carve out a role in Utah. 

6. Luka Šamanić

Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

A first-round pick in 2019 by the San Antonio Spurs, Šamanić qualifies for this because he was out of the league by the 2021-22 season. The Jazz gave Luka a second chance after a standout season in the G-League with the Maine Celtics, where he averaged 22 points and 8 rebounds per game to go along with 48% on field goals and 33% from deep. 

Šamanić continued his impressive play throughout the end of the season and summer league. If his shot continues to develop, Šamanić could find consistent minutes in a crowded Jazz frontcourt.

💥 ŠAM DUNK 💥#TakeNote pic.twitter.com/9gNpwIHhtk

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) April 5, 2023

5. Brice Sensabaugh

Utah Jazz

Sensabaugh has the offensive talent to make this list look silly in a couple of years. One of the purest scorers in his draft class, he is able to efficiently fill it up from all three levels. 

Sensabaugh uses his powerful frame rather than speed or twitchiness to get to his spots offensively. In his freshman year at Ohio State, he averaged north of 16 points to go along with 5 rebounds and an assist per game. 

Defensively, Sensabaugh is still a work in progress, but the physical tools suggest he should be able to make strides on that end of the court. 

4. Ochai Agbaji

Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

Agbaji will look to make a major jump in his second season. Despite being unable to crack Will Hardy’s rotation at the start of last year, Agbaji came on strong after the new year.

Armed with elite athleticism and a knockdown three-point shot, Ochai has one of the safest floors as a valuable piece for the Jazz going forward. 

3. Taylor Hendricks

Utah Jazz

The UCF product has a lot of tools at his disposal. The area of Hendricks' game that gets me most excited is his defensive potential. He blocked 1.7 shots per game in his freshman season. 

While that isn’t the gaudiest number, the style in which these blocks occurred is something Jazz fans haven’t seen in years. Alongside Walker Kessler and Markkanen, Hendricks is going to make it even harder for opponents to score at the rim. 

As his skills develop offensively, Hendricks will hopefully become one of the premier stretch bigs in the league.

Everytime I watch Taylor Hendricks, I come away thinking that he can be instantly impactful for the Jazz

The fact that his shooting has been good and his defense has been really good makes me buy his ability to contribute in the short and long-term pic.twitter.com/WKoyjFqT82

— Jazz Lead (@JazzLead) July 24, 2023

2. Walker Kessler

Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

What more can we say about Kessler? After getting going No. 22 overall in the 2022 NBA draft, Walker went on to have a fantastic rookie season which culminated in a first-team All-Rookie selection and an invitation to play for Team USA this summer. 

Kessler is already one of the best rim protectors in the league and will only continue to improve. He has already shown that he’s a good starter, can he become a star? 

1. Keyonte George

Utah Jazz

The star of Summer League, I had Keyonte George slotted one spot above Hendricks in my final draft rankings. After coming out of the draft with an improved physical profile, George has already made me believe in his long-term outlook as a primary ball-handler. 

His upside as both a scorer and facilitator gives him a ceiling that I believe sets him apart from the rest of Utah’s bright young core. 

Keyonte George tonight :

33 points
10 assists
12-24 FG
6-15 from 3

Just an unreal and elite performance by Keyonte today who’s always been a fantastic scoring but now showing in at this level pic.twitter.com/ZCE8HNE1ev

— Arman Jovic (@PDTScouting) July 9, 2023

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