Jazz Season-Opening Presser: What we Learned About the Future

The Utah Jazz brain trust is getting on the same page.

Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith and executive Danny Ainge held a press conference today to discuss the current status of the franchise. The Utah brain trust covered a wide range of topics and provided some clarity on what direction the Jazz are headed this coming season. 

Let’s dive into the key takeaways. 

Smith was asked about Apple, Inc. — the technology giant — taking over Utah's hashtag #TakeNote.

"Yeah, that was weird," Smith said. "I found out the same time you did. I'll look into it."

As the Jazz set about a rebuild, Smith shared his outlook on the process. 

"Let's be honest," Smith said. "We're a team in a city where we've got to build through the draft... We’ve got a group of players that are hungry. We’re young, but we also have a group of veterans, which is unique.”

With ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski breaking the news that the Jazz have extended general manager Justin Zanik, Ainge dished on the details of his working relationship with him.

“He’s been great. It’s been fun working with him," Ainge said of Zanik. "He’s got a lot of connections around the league, and he’s well respected in the NBA and internally as well.”

Ainge was asked about balancing the rotation with vets mixed with the young players who need live reps to develop.

“It’s called patience," Ainge said. "We do want to have [Jazz HC] Will [Hardy] coach the team. Will is a great communicator. I’m excited with working with Will and Justin. I think it will be fun. I think our team will be better as we go along. He’s going to figure things out as we go along.”

Ainge also said that Hardy fully understands where this team stands with regard to its personnel and the plausibility of being competitive. 

"I think he's realistic on what the team is," Ainge said of Hardy.  

On the heels of his multi-year extension, Zanik spoke about the opportunity and shared his gratitude for Smith and Ainge.

“[I'm] really grateful to Ryan, Danny, and the staff that I get to continue to work with them," Zanik said. "Me and my family love the city and the state and I’m grateful to continue working here.”

It appears the Jazz brain trust is on the same page regarding how they want to approach the new season. The Jazz kick off their 2022-23 campaign on Wednesday night vs. the Denver Nuggets in Salt Lake City. 

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Follow Patrick on Twitter @pbyrnesNBA.

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