3 studs, 3 duds from Jazz surprise win over Knicks

The Utah Jazz are good enough to win some of their games throughout the 2024-25 season. That means they'll even win against some of the better teams in the league they're going up against, like the Dallas Mavericks last week.

Beating the New York Knicks is just as surprising as beating the Mavericks was then, but the difference is, the Jazz really handled their business against a team trying to make some noise in the NBA.

The Knicks made things interesting at times, but the Jazz never let go of the rope. Here's some good and bad takeaways from the Jazz's fourth win of the season.

Studs

1. Walker Kessler's return made a huge difference

Kessler, along with Jordan Clarkson, were game-time decisions against the Knicks. Both wound up playing, but Kessler made the biggest impact. In the most obvious statement ever made in 2024, the Jazz definitely missed Kessler's rim protection.

Posting a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds. He also blocked three shots. It was pretty clear that Kessler's defense played a part in the victory.

Oh, and he posted a team-high plus/minus of plus-34. This bodes well for Kessler's hopes of returning to form as one of the league's best rim protectors. The Jazz might not win too many games from here, but Kessler's campaign for a comeback season is alive and well.

2. The Jazz are finally getting healthier, and it's translating into success

Kessler coming back and looking like himself is a big enough win as it is, but Lauri Markkanen is also looking more like himself. Markkanen didn't start out the season too great, but now he looks like himself again.

Proving himself to be the ultimate matchup problem, Markkanen put up 34 points and nine rebounds on excellent shooting efficiency. It's not weird when he puts up a statline like that. It's weird when he doesn't.

Having Kessler, Markkanen, and Clarkson back and healthy could lead to more competitive games. All that's left is seeing what they look like when that no-name Kyle Filipowski also comes back...

3. Collin Sexton thrived when Will Hardy gave him time

Sexton hasn't played as much as he should in part because the Jazz want to see what they have in their young guards Keyonte George and Isaiah Collier. While those two have shown promise, they've also shown that their growth will take time.

That's all well and good during a rebuild, but when other guards like Sexton are having themselves a game, they shouldn't be benched. Luckily Sexton was given the chance to fully see through what happens when he's on his game.

The Knicks had no answers for him, as he put up 25 points and five assists while shooting nine-for-14, which included six threes. This might be the start of a trend or Sexton may go back to riding the bench, but he's made it clear that he's their best scoring guard.

Duds

1. Not a good day for the Jazz's rookie class

While plenty of Jazzmen shined on their own today, their available rookies disappointed in the short time they got to see the court. Isaiah Collier scored two points with two assists while Cody Williams did not hit a single shot.

Those two combined saw 20 minutes combined against the Knicks, so it's not a surprise that they produced as little as they did. For a rookie class that came in with as much hype as them, this season has not started great.

2. Jordan Clarkson showed what happens when he's off

Clarkson is a valuable player, but games like this show his one downside. When he's off his game, it can be pretty painful to watch. He was two-for-nine from the field for four points overall to go with six turnovers.

Luckily the Jazz showed they can survive when he's not playing that well, but in games where he could potentially raise his trade value, he showed his one Achilles heel. When he can't score, man, he really can't score.

3. Keyonte George is improving at a snails pace

In case anyone was wondering, it's hard to come up with duds when a team like the Jazz, who lose more often than they win, come away with a victory. For them to win, so much has to go right. In George's case, he didn't play great, but at least he's starting to hit some shots.

He posted a staline of four-from-11 for 11 points, but he also went for nine points, which is super encouraging to see since his biggest criticism is his playmaking.

It would be nice to see him thrive as both as a scorer and playmaker, and it's a shame the improvement has been slow. At least there's some improvement.