Dallas Basketball

Breaking Down Jazz Starting 5 Ahead of Monday's Matchup

The winless Jazz are looking to change their tune against the Mavericks in Dallas.

Keenan Womack

Oct 10, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford (21) dunks during the second half against the Utah Jazz at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
Oct 10, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford (21) dunks during the second half against the Utah Jazz at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
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When the Utah Jazz and Dallas Mavericks met in the 2022 Western Conference First Round, a series in which Dallas got its first series win since 2011 in the NBA Playoffs, Utah was a completely different team with an entirely different roster. Building their team around scoring guard Donovan Mitchell and defensive big Rudy Gobert, the Jazz were a 5-seed with championship contention on their minds. At the same time, the upstart Mavericks were primed to embark on their best playoff run in over a decade.

Dallas won the series, 4-2, which spring-boarded them to an eventual appearance in the Western Conference Finals, where they lost to the eventual champion Golden State Warriors. On the other side, after another disappointing playoff performance, the Jazz decided to blow everything up, firing head coach Quin Snyder and trading Mitchell and Gobert for assets that now make up the current team. This year's Jazz team has started 0-2 and needs to make big-time adjustments to beat the Mavericks on Monday night.

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The backcourt this season has been made of up Keyonte George and Collin Sexton, the former of whom struggled quite a bit over his first couple of games, but given this is the beginning of his sophomore NBA season, it can be excused to an extent. The former Baylor guard and Dallas-area native was an all-rookie second-team selection in 2023-24 after putting up 13.0 points and 4.4 assists. Sexton was acquired in the Donovan Mitchell trade and averaged 18.9 points in 2023-24, good for second on the team, and also finished second in assists per game at 4.9.

The real star of the team and future of the franchise is forward Lauri Markkanen, who led their scoring attack last season and so far leads the Jazz with 24.0 points per game over his first two contests of 2024. As a player that was often included in trade scenarios last year, Utah retained Markkanen despite the interest of several teams. Another remnant of the Jazz trade with Cleveland, the forward prospect has developed both in scoring as well as in his rebounding, as he was second on the team with 8.2 rebounds per. He is the Jazz's primary offensive threat and will be the player to keep an eye on in Monday's game.

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In the frontcourt, the Jazz start another 2023 draft selection in Taylor Hendricks, a power forward with some shooting range from deep who hit 3-of-5 from three against the Grizzlies during Wednesday's game. He did however follow that up with an 0-for-6 performance against the Warriors in a 41-point loss on Friday night, so his consistency isn't quite there yet. Taken seventh overall in the 2023 NBA Draft, Hendricks struggled in his first season with Utah, but there is potential for him as a floor-spacing big man down the road depending on how the team develops.

At center, Walker Kessler will hold down the paint area. An efficient scorer inside and an elite shot blocker, Kessler's 7-foot-6 wingspan helps him patrol the area around the rim and discourage drivers as well as bigs trying to score inside. He averaged 8.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game last season, and, in his first season in 2022-23, placed third in Rookie of the Year voting.

There's no way around the fact that Utah is a struggling team at the moment. They do have some nice bench pieces – Jordan Clarkson and John Collins come to mind – and a couple of highly-touted draft picks out of the 2024 class in Cody Williams and Isaiah Collier, but this young talent will not be enough to make them contenders this season.

After playing sluggish basketball for 48 minutes on Saturday night against the Suns, this should be a get-right game for the Mavericks at home.

READ MORE: 3 Takeaways From Mavericks' Early Loss to Suns

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Keenan Womack
KEENAN WOMACK

Keenan Womack is a sportswriter native to Dallas, Texas, who has spent the last 12 years in Austin, the home of his alma mater, the University of Texas. Keenan has covered sports for SB Nation, Bleacher Report, Rivals/Orangebloods, a host of his own sites and now, Fan Nation. Focusing on basketball, Keenan was on the beat for the Longhorns hoops team for the last two-and-a-half years before moving on to pursue other opportunities. He is married and lives with his wife close to the Moody Center, so they can continue to catch games together.

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