Do the Utah Jazz need to do a full rebuild like so many other NBA teams?

The Utah Jazz aren’t focused on a full rebuild as of yet, and they shouldn’t.

The Utah Jazz are trying to figure out what the next era of the franchise is going to look like. Will it include the likes of Lauri Markkanen and Collin Sexton? Can we expect guys like Talen Horton-Tucker, Kelly Olynyk, and others to stick around? What does the next playoff version of this squad look like and how quickly can fans expect it?

All of these questions linger in the air as the team preps for another go at it this season. And a go they intend to try for, as they’re seemingly intent on running this thing with Markkanen and John Collins as the big pieces of the squad. They’re not interested in trading off everyone just because others decide they should.

Yet, despite the fact they’re clearly intending on pushing for the playoffs, we’re still hearing people talk about tearing the team down further and selling off players like Markkanen and Sexton for draft picks. But should they? What would be the point of a full-blown rebuild?

The Jazz have 15 first-round draft picks between 2024 and 2030, with three new rookies already on the team. Not only that, but only a handful of players are even 30 years old or more. If they can already compete for the playoffs with the picks of Cleveland, Minnesota, and the Los Angeles Lakers all supporting their future, what would be the point of doing a full-blown teardown?

More importantly, when does that ever really work? The Philadelphia 76ers aren’t exactly riding high anymore. The two teams with the biggest superstars to date to win a title; Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo, lucked into those stars. In fact, drafting a player high doesn’t guarantee you anything.

In even more fact, go back a decade, and of the four players drafted in the Top 12 of the NBA Draft, three only did so after being traded (Anthony Davis, Aaron Gordon, Andrew Wiggins), and of all of them, only one, Davis, was a superstar caliber player doing so. Wiggins will go down as someone who never lived up to his lofty expectations, while Gordon will forever be seen as a guy who could be a good fourth option on a team.

Jamal Murray was the fourth name, and while he was instrumental in winning a title, it was Jokic that carried the squad. Murray is a good piece on that team, but Jokic is the star.

So why would the Jazz sell off their best players just to tank and get someone like Jaylen Brown, a guy a streaky All-Star who 20 years ago would be seen on the same level as Cuttino Mobley?

The Jazz should not listen to the NBA media and blow up their team if they don’t have to. They have more than enough picks to develop their roster. There’s no reason to gut anything.