How will the rookies perform?
The question around the Utah jazz rookies is a pretty simple one; what can fans expect from the trio of rookies? It seems unlikely that all three will turn into 10-point-per-game type of guys right out of the gates. That’s some New Japan-level hype for three cats who may all come off the bench this year.
And last I checked, the Jazz didn’t draft Keiji Muto, Masahiro Chono, and Shinya Hashimoto to their roster. So asking Taylor Hendricks, Keyonte George, and Brice Sensabaugh to be dominating players right out of the gate is pretty unrealistic.
Hendricks has to compete with John Collins, Kelly Olynyk, and others just for minutes, let alone a starting job, or a prominent role in the offense. Sensabaugh may not even be ready for camp with his knee injury still needing time to fully recover, and when he does he’s not taking Lauri Markkanen’s spot.
Then you have George, who of all three has the easiest, but not easy, path to significant minutes. The Jazz have a trio of point guards ahead of him that could easily start. Collin Sexton, Talen Horton-tucker, and Kris Dunn all have something to bring to the table as the team’s starting point guard.
But it’s too soon to say that George can’t or won’t win the starting point guard job.