Previewing The Utah Jazz For The 2026-27 Season
The Jazz are coming off yet another disappointing season, but it ended up working out with the luck they got in the NBA Draft Lottery, getting the second overall pick and selecting Darryn Peterson. The expectations are finally high for Will Hardy and his team. This team is expected to at least compete throughout the course of the season due to not having their first-round pick.
This team definitely has enough talent to win games and compete night in and night out, but can this team finally break out of the normal cycle of how things have gone these last few seasons? We will find that out once the season gets underway.
The Roster
Point Guards — Keyonte George, Isaiah Collier, Trey Alexander (Two-Way Contract)
Shooting Guards — Darryn Peterson, Brice Sensabaugh, Josh Okogie, Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, Tamar Bates (Two-Way Contract)
Small Forwards — Lauri Markkanen, Ace Bailey, Josh Green, Harrison Ingram (Two-Way Contract)
Power Forwards — Jaren Jackson Jr., Kyle Filipowski, Blake Hinson (Two-Way Contract)
Centers — Jusuf Nurkić, Jaxson Hayes, Mohamed Bamba
The roster definitely has a few changes. Adding Darryn Peterson, a player who a lot of people called the most talented player in this draft class, will be huge, and he should start on opening night.
The team is weaker at the center position after trading Walker Kessler to the Lakers, but having Jaren Jackson Jr. for a full season will help the interior defense, along with the veteran centers they do have on the roster.
Keyonte George received an extension, so the franchise views him and Darryn Peterson as the backcourt of the future, and we will see how they get it kicked off in Year 1.
Biggest Questions
The biggest question I have is simple: Can this team actually compete this season?
Like I stated, the roster has the talent to win games, and this will probably be the best roster Will Hardy has had in his head coaching career. Because of that, we might find out more about what kind of coach he can be.
Health has been a slight issue for the team in recent years, but that has also been because of continued tanking. Can this team win 30-40 games and make the Play-In? Can this team maybe even compete for a top-six seed?
The narrative needs to change, and they need to finally transition out of this rebuild. The pressure is high to at least be playing competitive games come April.
How will the Keyonte George and Darryn Peterson backcourt look?
This is a very talented backcourt and one of the most intriguing ones entering this season. Obviously, this duo is still very young, and Darryn Peterson has not played a single NBA regular-season minute yet, but if both of them stay healthy, there is no question this can be a top-10 backcourt by the end of the season.
The biggest concern I have is that these are two guys who will always want the ball in their hands, so how they are able to settle in together and figure out how to play within their playstyles will be interesting to see.
The last major question I have is what the center position and rotation will look like.
The three pure centers on this roster are three lower-ceiling veterans. Jusuf Nurkić is definitely a capable center, and he put up some monster games last season. Jaren Jackson Jr. can also play some center if needed.
I would like to see Will Hardy utilize Jackson Jr. at the five more so they could slide Ace Bailey into that starting lineup.
If they ran a lineup that consisted of Keyonte George, Darryn Peterson, Ace Bailey, Lauri Markkanen, and Jaren Jackson Jr., that would be a lineup that gives me Pacers vibes offensively.
All five of those guys can score the ball at a high level. It might be a little weaker on the defensive end, but Jaren Jackson Jr. is one of the best defenders in the league.
I think that is a lineup that could be much more successful than starting Nurkić at the five.
Prediction Markets
Regular Season Win Total: 36.5
To win the NBA Finals: +20000 (23rd-best odds)
To win the Western Conference: +10000 (11th-best odds)
To reach the Conference Finals: +4500 (Tied for 10th-best odds)
To reach the Conference Semifinals: +1200 (11th-best odds)
To win the division: +9000 (5th-best odds)
To make the playoffs: +130
To miss the playoffs: -155
To participate in the Play-In: +110
To win the NBA Cup: +10000 (22nd-best odds)
These odds are in the lower area of the league. They are predicting the Jazz to finish around the 9-11 seed and potentially be a Play-In team.
For having the 11th-best odds to win the conference but only being +130 to make the playoffs, it is interesting. This team certainly should at least make the Play-In Tournament, and anything less would be considered disappointing.
Final Prediction and Outlook
I think the Jazz can finally get to a new stage of this rebuild this season and actually be somewhat competitive.
I think Darryn Peterson was the best player in the 2026 NBA Draft. Even though it is Year 1, I predict he will already be a young star in the making.
This team has a lot of young guys who have enough experience under them to start winning some games, and I think this team takes a step up this season.
Final Prediction
38-44 — 10 Seed — Play-In Tournament Loss
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