3 winners and losers from the Utah Jazz’s loss to the Sacramento Kings

The Utah Jazz’s three winners and three losers from their loss to the Sacramento Kings.

Well…..that wasn’t good. The Utah Jazz opened the season with a 130-114 loss to the Sacramento Kings. The Kings capitalized off of the Jazz’s 14 turnovers, while also making the Utah Jazz chase down open shooters all night. We knew a concern on the Jazz was going to be defense, which is why so many wanted to see Kris Dunn and Ochai Agbaji start, but we didn’t know it’d be this bad.

And yes, it is just one game, but it’s also not. The concerns we saw unfold in the season opener; namely the poor perimeter play on defense, was something we’ve harped on all offseason. That was the biggest concern about having a trio of guards with Talen Horton-Tucker, Jordan Clarkson, and Collin Sexton in your lineup. These were the guys who were going to be liabilities on defense.

Then you factor in Lauri Markkenen guarding smaller, faster forwards (or guards at times), and a shocking over-reliance on guards, including but not limited to the rookie Keyonte George, and this was going to be the outcome.

Too many players with too many similar skills were all given minutes and to what end? We had qualms about Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy running a 10-man rotation, and running six guards out there prior to seeing it in action, and we have even more concerns now.

This is not a team that can win playing six guards, at least not these six. Someone, if not two someones, needs to be traded or benched in favor of another forward and dare I say, another center. Otherwise, this is going to keep happening.

Not every team needs more size, but the Jazz do.