The Utah Jazz came into the season with the consensus believing they would tank again. Three games into the season, they are 2-1, with their only loss coming in overtime. Their success has led to a recent "overreaction" in which the trio of Lauri Markkanen, Walker Kessler, and Kyle Filipowski was deemed the NBA's new Big 3. An outlandish, but it does confirm this Jazz lineup is doing something right.
The Ringer's Michael Pina posted what he labeled as "NBA Overreactions" on October 27. He explained why the Jazz's aforementioned trio is a big three.
"Consider me all in (tepidly interested) on the Lauri Markkanen, Walker Kessler, Kyle Filipowski three-headed monster that’s taking the NBA by storm. They’re plus-21 in 27 minutes! Even if the Jazz lose 75 percent of their games this season, any team that can fit that much size, skill, and mobility on the court at once is doing something right," Pina wrote.
Keep in mind that Pina wrote this up before Markkanen's explosion against Phoenix last night. Since Pina's supposed "overreaction," this group's plus-minus has since been elevated to plus-46 (!!!).
This only adds more proof that Will Hardy and co. have absolutely struck gold on this three-man lineup. Going bigger in the starting lineup is one thing, but having big men who are multi-faceted is another. Markkanen, looking like his old self, gives the lineup so many possibilities, but Walker Kessler's evolution and Kyle Filipowski's offensive finesse make it even harder to stop.
Because these three are good in multiple areas - and their skillsets surprisingly don't overlap with one another - it's tough to find a weak spot between them. As much as the pro-tankers want Utah to go the other way, the fact remains that Utah has something downright fantastic in this trio.
And this lineup could get even better
While Markkanen and Kessler look as good as ever, Filipowski has room for improvement. Three games into this young season, he's averaging 7.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists while shooting 37.5% from the field and 30.8% from three.
Will Hardy is utilizing him as more of a connector than anything else at the moment, but Filipowski showed last year that he can shoot, so if he gets those efficiencies up, this lineup only becomes more lethal.
That's not the only factor. Many await when Ace Bailey gets a clean bill of health because everyone saw what he looks like when he's healthy in the preseason. There's also no telling if the Jazz plan to insert Brice Sensabaugh at some point or if Walter Clayton Jr. only continues to reward Utah's faith in him enough to make it clear he should be a starter, too.
If any one of those three blossom, along with the semi-resilient Keyonte George, it may not be long before the Jazz are right back in the playoff conversation and then some.