The Utah Jazz missed out on Jrue Holiday but that’s ok.
The Utah Jazz were arguably the one team in the NBA that actually needed Jrue Holiday. The Jazz needed a point guard who could shoot, play defense, and pass, and while Holiday was varying degrees of good at all three, he was still a positive in all three categories. Something the Jazz would’ve loved.
He’s 33, and that’s arguably the biggest concern with trading for him at this juncture, and it may have been a reason why the Jazz didn’t make an offer (or didn’t make an offer the Portland Trail Blazers liked). Due to this, Holiday went to the Boston Celtics, causing even more movement in the NBA right at the start of training camp.
The Jazz, however, have not been involved in any of these major trades as long as suggested they would. Instead, they’re going into training camp with Collin Sexton, Talen Horton-Tucker, Jordan Clarkson, Kris Dunn, and Keyonte George fighting for the point guard spot.
It’ll likely be a situation where Sexton and Clarkson both end up starting at the guard positions, but there also stands a chance that Clarkson and Ochai Agbaji start, or Dunn and Clarkson. And any combo of those players may be good enough to keep the Jazz alive for the playoffs.
A low seed is possible with the roster as it is, especially if guys like John Collins and George end up hitting the early-season expectations that so many people have been hyping up. Coupled with Walker Kessler’s growth and another great season from Lauri Markkanen, this is a team that should be good enough to bypass the Play-In Tournament and make the 5th or 6th seed in the West.
Now, should any of those players struggle unexpectedly, for one reason or another, then the Jazz will have to make a major trade to stay afloat, or just call it a day and head into the offseason with a higher lottery pick.
But assuming things go according to plan, the lack of Holiday or a Holiday-esc player won’t hinder the team.