The Utah Jazz made one of their biggest splashes ever when they traded for Jaren Jackson Jr. They have had better players than him, but it's hard to think of players they traded for who had the same or better rap sheet JJJ did before he became a Jazzman. The funny thing is, they chased a player with a similar archetype.
In 2023, it wasn't really clear which direction the Jazz were going. They missed the playoffs, but they weren't the NBA's worst team thanks to Lauri Markkanen's unforeseen breakout. So, they decided to go for the win-now option. Or at least, they attempted to.
Utah tried to get their hands on Kristaps Porzingis, a well-known stretch big and rim protector who was coming off a breakout season in Washington. In all fairness, they probably would have got him in free agency had Boston not swooped in to trade for him before he opted out.
Porzingis went on to play an undeniable role in the Celtics winning Banner 18, which showed Utah had the right idea in mind when they targeted him. JJJ isn't the exact same player as Porzingis, but their archetypes definitely overlap. An excellent shooter for his size, capable of creating his own shot, an insanely impactful defender through rim protection, not exactly the best rebounder for his size, and durability is somewhat in question (though Porzingis is worse on that front).
When Porzingis didn't work out, Utah opted for John Collin instead, who initially was a disaster, but rebounded well enough to not be a disaster. That experience shows that it's not always that simple to add a stretch big.
Utah's vision with JJJ was proven immediately
Jackson only played three games before he opted for season-ending surgery. However, given that Utah was both competitive and won one of those three games as they were going through such an egregious tank, the NBA fined them for an unwritten rule, it was pretty clear from the jump that the Jazz made the right call.
What made Porzingis so good with the Celtics, and what will likely make JJJ so good with the Jazz, is that they create matchup nightmares on both sides of the floor. Utah may not ask Jackson to score as often as he did in Memphis, but they can put him in the right matchup that he can exploit when putting him next to Lauri Markkanen, Keyonte George, and Darryn Peterson.
Remember that after Golden State failed to get JJJ, they turned to Porzingis, proving simultaneously that the two have striking similarities and that they are massive difference-makers for teams trying to win.
Utah finally got the right guy when they acquired Jackson. The only shame is that it took them a few years to finally get they played they wanted.
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