Jazz's final decision on Jaden Springer raises one question

The other day, it was mentioned that the Utah Jazz had a decision to make on Jaden Springer, as they had 16 players on the roster. Today, the Jazz made the decision to cut Springer. While not the most surprising decision, it does beg one particular question: why did they keep Svi Mykhailiuk?

No one is saying Mykhailiuk is necessarily a bad player, but it definitely seemed odd that the Jazz chose to keep him over Johnny Juzang (who is younger and outperformed him last season) and Springer (who is also younger and has potential).

Springer didn't light the world on fire when he joined Utah late in the 2024-25 season. He's (technically) an NBA champion who showed that he could be an elite defender when he got time on the floor. Offensively, he was a bit of a different story. He showed flashes of being a two-way role player, but has never quite put it together, which explains why he's back on the market.

Mykhailiuk, too, is an NBA champion and should definitely be in the NBA, but it is rather curious that he remains with the Jazz when they could have two younger players worth developing over him. For what it's worth, he's more proven than Springer is, though anyone who has watched Springer can see the vision for the player he can be.

There is such a thing as too many youngsters to develop, but Mykhailiuk getting the nod over them makes it feel like there had to be more reasons at play than from a basketball standpoint.

Mykhailiuk must be a really good veteran influence

There are several Jazz veterans who have more NBA experience than Mykhailiuk, but not many. That list includes Kevin Love, Jusuf Nurkic, Kyle Anderson, and of course, Lauri Markkanen. With the Jazz embracing their youth movement, it is important for them to have veterans on the team giving them good guidance.

Because there aren't that many on the roster, perhaps keeping Mykhailiuk was about having someone who can be a good influence on their young players. For as talented as youngsters can be, what helps a lot is having that veteran leader that helps them learn that winning in the NBA is more than just about talent.

Players like Jayson Tatum and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander have gone on the record gushing about their time playing with veteran players who came way before them, like Al Horford and Chris Paul respectively. Mykhailiuk has never been on that level, but he might play a role in how the Jazz's young talent achieves their potential.

More importantly, perhaps what differentiates him from Springer or Juzang is that he may not demand minutes like they do. While a roster crunch can be problematic, having too many players who will want to play can also be a challenge.

Mykhailiuk is solid depth for teams who want cheap shooting and want to prepare in case they're undermanned. As long as he doesn't take issue with that role, the Jazz may have kept him over some of their younger players for precisely that.