It's crystal clear which lineup Jazz should avoid playing next season

The Utah Jazz have every intention of leaving the Western Conference cellar next season. They have the talent to be something special as soon next season. However, what everyone will wonder is how they plan to utilize the talent.

We've seen NBA teams that look excellent on paper turn out to be, well, not so much. That's happened to the Jazz, even if we'd like to forget that. For what it's worth, the Jazz looked too legit to quit in the three games they had Jaren Jackson Jr. active on the floor, and that's not even factoring in Walker Kessler's impending return.

However, even with all the talent the Jazz will have on their roster, they must be wary of what lineups they should and should not play. Some data from this season has strongly indicated there's a lineup Utah should stay away from: playing Keyonte George, Svi Mykhailiuk, Ace Bailey, Lauri Markkanen, and Jusuf Nurkic together.

Basketball University indicated that those five together constructed the sixth-worst five-man lineup in terms of halfcourt defense as defined by overall defensive ratings (minimum of 300 or more possessions together).

That shouldn't exactly be the most surprising data. None of those five are elite defenders. For everything George has become, a plus-defender he is not (yet). Nurkic used to be, but his decline in mobility hurts him there. Bailey could become an elite two-way wing, but it's fair to say that he wasn't this season and may not get there for some time.

Okay, so, one might say it's just on the defensive end, this lineup is bad, but perhaps on the other side of the floor, they could make up for it. Think again.

They're bad offensively too

One would think a lineup that had George, Markkanen, and Bailey would be electric offensively. That very well might be true, but more data concludes that trio should not be paired with Mykhailiuk and Nurkic on that side of the floor either.

Basketball University also confirmed that the same lineup is among the league's worst offensively. In fact, they are the second-worst five-man lineup in terms of halfcourt offense based on offensive rating, with a minus-8.4 (minimum of 300 or more possessions).

It's one thing for a lineup to be bad on one side of the floor, but for it to be bad on both sides? Utah shouldn't take any chances. And yes, we acknowledge that technically speaking, Nurkic will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, so there's no guarantee that he'll stay.

However, given the mutual admiration and respect between the Jazz and Nurkic, it seems inevitable that he will be on the team next year. That's for good reason too. He was a surprisingly excellent addition despite the skepticism.

If and when he does, Nurkic should be a key cog on next year's team. It's just become clear who he shouldn't play with and who shouldn't play with him.