3 NBA players the Utah Jazz need to keep an eye on

Lamar Stevens

Having shown his value with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Lamar Stevens enters the conversation with a very unique twist. He’s not like Danilo Gallinari, who is a score-first forward. No, Stevens is defensive-minded from the get-go and that’s not a bad thing, especially for the Utah Jazz. The Jazz have a good mind and set of players to have an excellent defense but right now it’s unclear just how good the team can be in that regard.

There are high hopes the trio of rookies, Keyonte George, Taylor Hendricks, and Brice Sensabaugh could come in and give the defense a boost, but that’s a pie-in-the-sky idea. Rookie players are always a mystery and you have no idea what you have in them until you have an idea what you have in them. They could be icons of the game, or selling propane and propane accessories in a season.

So you need to find assurances to help make sure the defense is as good as possible around Walker Kessler. The team may be a solid defensive unit when it’s all said and done, but the fact is the next best player on defense besides Kessler is Kris Dunn, and if he isn’t guaranteed to make the roster, you may need to help fortify Kessler.

A strong, defensive-minded wing could help you with that. He’s drawing some interest from other teams ever since he got released by the San Antonio Spurs, following a trade from the Cavaliers, but if he’s still available later in the year, the Jazz would be wise to look into his talents.