3 Jazz Players on the Bubble of Opening Night Rotation

Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy has some difficult decisions coming up.

The Utah Jazz are considered one of the deeper teams in the NBA entering the 2023-24 season. Along with depth, there will be some tough decisions on which players won’t make the opening night rotation.

Which Jazz players are in danger of being on the outside looking in? Let’s examine.

Simone Fontecchio

Fontecchio's tenure in Salt Lake City has been a mixed bag up to this point. In his first year, he started the season buried at the back of the depth chart. In the month of November, Fontecchio only logged nine games, averaging 8.6 minutes per contest and 3.7 ppg. 

After the Mike Conley trade at the All-Star break, Fontecchio was given an opportunity for consistent minutes. In the month of April, Fontecchio's minutes spiked to 23.5 per game, where he shot an impressive 38.7% from long distance on his way to averaging 11.4 ppg. 

Fontecchio wasn’t limited to just a three-point shooter, either. Jazz fans witnessed a player shooting off the dribble in the midrange and finishing at the rim in transition.

The problem Fontecchio faces moving forward is the overabundance of guards on Utah’s roster. There are minutes to be had at the backup three, but the Jazz could opt to give those to Ochai Agbaji or Talen Horton-Tucker. 

Pair that with only having one year left on his contract spells ‘trouble’ in regard to cracking the initial rotation.

Talen Horton-Tucker

Horton-Tucker could find himself as the odd man out due to only having one year left on his contract and Keyonte George's emergence. However, when given the opportunity as a starter last year, there’s a lot to like about what Horton-Tucker did on the court. 

In the month of March, 'THT' averaged 18.1 ppg while dishing out 6.1 assists. It’s a small sample size, but at only 22 years old, there’s still more room to grow.

Does Utah have the patience for more growing pains with only one year left on his contract? That remains to be seen, but Horton-Tucker will need shine in training camp if he’s going to get 25+ minutes a game. 

All things being equal, Utah may develop players with more years left on their contracts.

Taylor Hendricks

Hendricks should crack the rotation at some point this season but may be spending a lot of time on the bench to start the year.

Currently, Hendricks is third in line at getting minutes at the power forward position. Also, Utah signing Ömer Yurtseven complicates the backup minutes at the five spot. 

The Jazz could choose to have Kelly Olynyk back up Walker Kessler, which would clear a path for Hendricks to be John Collins's backup. But if Olynyk becomes the backup at the four, then Hendricks will need to wait for a trade to open up an opportunity for consistent minutes moving forward.

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