The J-Notes
Fansided

A way-too-early prediction of the Utah Jazz’s 2023-24 starting lineup

By Jared Koch

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - FEBRUARY 18: Collin Sexton #2, Walker Kessler #24, and Jordan Clarkson #00 of the Utah Jazz react during the 2023 NBA All Star KIA Skills Challenge at Vivint Arena on February 18, 2023 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - FEBRUARY 18: Collin Sexton #2, Walker Kessler #24, and Jordan Clarkson #00 of the Utah Jazz react during the 2023 NBA All Star KIA Skills Challenge at Vivint Arena on February 18, 2023 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images) /
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While the Utah Jazz’s 2022-23 campaign has come to a close, we can now look ahead at what’s in store for next season, even if it may be a bit early.

With the offseason now arriving for the Utah Jazz, we can now set our sights ahead to look at how the front office can approach the next few months to improve the roster. With immense draft capital and cap flexibility, it’s not too farfetched to see last year’s starting five get shaken up a bit entering the upcoming season.

The Jazz carry a league-high three first-round picks in this year’s draft, along with the 4th-most projected practical cap space. It’s hard to find any other team in the league that has more potential to improve this summer than Utah.

While this summer will be pretty easy for us to predict, it’ll be harder to actually get those predictions correct. Let’s take a shot at it anyways, and predict a way-too-early starting lineup for the start of the 2023-24 regular season.

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH – FEBRUARY 01: Fred VanVleet #23 of the Toronto Raptors in action during the first half of a game against the Utah Jazz at Vivint Arena on February 01, 2023 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH – FEBRUARY 01: Fred VanVleet #23 of the Toronto Raptors in action during the first half of a game against the Utah Jazz at Vivint Arena on February 01, 2023 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images) /

Point Guard: Fred VanVleet

Starting the starting five off with a potential target this offseason for the Jazz, the current Toronto Raptors’ starting point guard: Fred VanVleet. The former All-Star will look to hit free agency this offseason, and with the projected overhaul we may see going on with Toronto, we could see many of their current players look to play elsewhere this upcoming season.

VanVleet is coming off of a so-so season, where his points per game, field goal percentage, and three-point percentage have taken dips across the board. This could indicate some potential risk when it comes to signing the six-year vet.

However, with the need for guards the Jazz have going into this offseason, the team may find themselves inclined to pay a free agent on the market some money to fill those holes. The Jazz’s own potential free agent guards like Jordan Clarkson and Talen Horton-Tucker could end up finding new homes this offseason too; only enhancing the need for new talent at the position.

We could see the Jazz sign VanVleet to a multi-year contract in the range of $20-30 million per season as an answer to the team’s current lack of a true point guard. VanVleet is coming off a season with career-highs in assists per game, proving he could be a potential great distributor and playmaker for the Utah Jazz.