Rounding Out the Utah Jazz Roster for 2016-17
A look at how the Utah Jazz roster shakes out for the 2016-17 NBA season following the team’s summer maneuvering. Who will round out the 15-man squad?
There’s no other way to say it–the Utah Jazz had an excellent offseason. Outside of signing Kevin Durant, it probably couldn’t have been better. After having a talent shortfall in recent years, the Jazz now face an entirely different dilemma.
With three new veterans (George Hill, Joe Johnson and Boris Diaw) and three rookies (Joel Bolomboy, Marcus Paige and Tyrone Wallace) joining the Jazz band, the team currently has 19 players in the fold.
Now comes the toughest part of the offseason–trimming the roster. The league minimum per team is 13 players and the maximum is 15 players.
Some deserving players might be cut. Others will remain with the Jazz program at their D-League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars. Players may also look for deals overseas. In any event, final decisions likely won’t be made until the end of training camp.
Here’s a look at the Jazz roster as we try to play Dennis Lindsey’s role in making decisions on who will round out the 15-man squad.
Guaranteed Roster Spots
The following players are locked into their roster spots for next season–
PG: Dante Exum, George Hill, Shelvin Mack, Raul Neto
SG: Rodney Hood, Alec Burks
SF: Gordon Hayward, Joe Johnson, Joe Ingles
PF: Derrick Favors, Trey Lyles
C: Rudy Gobert, Boris Diaw
Last year, the team carried four point guards (including the injured Exum), and they might do it again this season. Neto could find himself spending large stretches with the Stars, but his deal is guaranteed. Barring further maneuvers, he’s one of 13 players locked in to a roster spot.
Fourteenth Man
I am strongly leaning towards Jeff Withey as the 14th man on the roster. Withey serves as insurance in case of injuries on the front line. It’s hard to imagine finding a better backup center on the market. Withey’s defense is underrated and he’s a decent roll-man on offense.
While he’s not going to lead you to wins on a nightly basis, he might surprise you.
Fifteenth Man
The fifteenth and final roster spot will be a battle between Joel Bolomboy, Tibor Pleiss, Tyrone Wallace, Marcus Paige and Chris Johnson.
Johnson will miss out because the Jazz have multiple players who can play on the wings. The Jazz will look to keep Paige and Wallace in-house with the Stars, but will forfeit their rights to the rookies in doing so. The second round picks miss out due to the point guard depth in the roster.
What the Jazz need is big men for injury insurance. It will likely come down to Bolomboy and Pleiss for the final roster spot. Tibor has a guaranteed contract; if the Jazz want to keep Bolomboy, they will have to find a way to move the big German.
Pleiss did play well at times in the Las Vegas Summer League. He was a solid teammate, encouraging everyone, even though they were vying for the same roster spot. He also appears to be moving better out on the floor.
However, he didn’t exactly dominate the summer league competition and defense remains an issue despite his size.
Can the Jazz find a way to keep him in the D-League for another year to see if he develops into a serviceable NBA big man? Are they willing to sacrifice roster flexibility to do so? Or is he ready for the main roster?
Bolomboy, on the other hand, saved himself with a solid showing as the Vegas league wore on. With Trevor Booker out, the Jazz need a mobile big man and Bolomboy may fit the bill. Bolomboy’s activity on the glass and athleticism is too good to miss out on.
Again, if the Jazz want to keep Bolomboy, they will have to move Tibor out with a heavy heart.
Either way, I think the Jazz will go with one or the other to take the final roster spot.
Next: For Rodney Hood, Year Three is Go Time
Alternatively, the Jazz could still find trade partners and move some assets to further reshape this roster. Pleiss, for one, is a legit stretch center–a sought-after commodity in the league.
However, the Jazz roster for next season will likely be comprised of the players that are already in-house.