The Utah Jazz have some lingering questions beyond their starting five.
We know that the Utah Jazz have some questions about their starting five. Jordan Clarkson is seemingly a lock to start but at what position is up in the air. Due to that, the question of who should be his running buddy on the perimeter is a question of great interest. Do you go with the similar skillset of Collin Sexton? The defensive-focused Kris Dunn? Is the three-and-D prospect in Ochai Agabji the best fit or, maybe, someone else?
What about rookie guard Keyonte George? Arguably the most intriguing prospect of the group but the one with the least proven tape.
Once you figure that question out, you can move on to the next question; who gets the sixth-man role? Speaking on Zach Lowe’s Lowe Post Podcast, NBA Insider Tim MacMahon believes the Utah Jazz are looking at Collin Sexton as their sixth man.
It’s a role he played a lot of last season, but not one that’s guaranteed to him this year. With so many shifting parts and the possibility of different lineups being used, Sexton’s role as a sixth man is not as guaranteed as some may think. For all we know, Clarkson could be the team’s sixth man.
If we’re looking for a guy who can generate offense beyond scoring, why wouldn’t Kelly Olynyk get a look? He can pass as well as most big men, and he showed that to great effect during the World Cup. He was a starter with the Jazz last season, so he wasn’t in play for the sixth-man role last year.
Now with John Collins on the team, Olynyk could easily be seen by others as a potential sixth man, simply due to his ability to generate offense outside of scoring. Sure, it’s fair to say Sexton’s the front-runner, as he plays just like other great sixth men of the recent past (Clarkson, Lou Williams, Jamal Crawford), but the sixth-man of the Jazz will have to be the type of player who can get the most out the remaining starting five still on the court when he enters the game.
Not only that, but he has to bridge the starters to the bench, getting the most out of them as well. Is that guy Sexton?
If you have Clarkson and Markkanen on the court at the same time, and you bring in Sexton, does that make the Jazz better? Or would someone like Olynyk or even Dunn provide a better boast for that specific rotation?
Is it possible we get different sixth men depending on who the Jazz have on the court when it’s time to make the call? That sure seems possible, especially with the differing talent combinations the Jazz have to make.
More than likely the log jam of possibilities will be cleared up sooner rather than later, making the pick far more obvious, but until then we’re left really picking between Clarkson, Sexton, and Olynyk.