Jazz-Kings Preseason Finale: Keep an Eye on This

The Utah Jazz have one more tune-up before the.regular season begins.

The Utah Jazz face off against the Sacramento Kings on Thursday night at the Delta Center in the preseason finale. The Jazz will play this same Kings team in the season opener on October 25 in Salt Lake City.

Jazz head coach Will Hardy has had his work cut out for him this preseason regarding distributing minutes. The second-year head coach is moving forward with Talen-Horton Tucker and Jordan Clarkson as the starting backcourt and Lauri Markkanen, John Collins, and Walker Kessler in the frontcourt.

Also, the Jazz will be looking to build their momentum from Saturday’s victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. The most encouraging sign of that game was the efficient play of newcomer John Collins.

Utah’s starting power forward, acquired in the offseason from the Atlanta Hawks, finished the game with 15 points on 5-for-7 shooting. Collins struggled until the Trail Blazers game, and his recent performance is a good sign moving forward. 

It’s been announced that Collins won’t be suiting up tonight due to a rest day. The domino effect means more minutes for Taylor Hendricks. The No. 9 overall pick should receive plenty of playing time as he looks to impress Utah’s brain trust. 

Another player to keep an eye on is backup point guard Kris Dunn. Dunn may be the odd man out to begin the season if Horton-Tucker is named the starter. 

Dunn has arguably been Utah’s most efficient player this preseason, but Hardy has hinted that he prefers a nine or 10-man rotation. This could leave Dunn on the outside looking in until a possible trade could occur to free up a path for a spot in the rotation. 

Tip-off is at 7:00 MDT.

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