These past two seasons, the Utah Jazz (much like John Mayer before them) have been moving on and getting over their past stars by looking toward their future. Utah's hopes of upcoming success is personified by its young core and trio of rookies Taylor Hendricks, Keyonte George, and Brice Sensabaugh.
Each player brings a unique skill set and repertoire to a roster, and in the 2023 NBA Draft, the Jazz addressed three key utilities of a championship-level roster by drafting three players whose potential embodies what Utah will need for their contending core.
With their first selection, Utah grabbed Taylor Hendricks, the long 6'9" wing from UCF whose 3-and-D skillset would perfectly complement any star player by providing excellent defense and solid 3-point shooting without demanding much usage. Like his Lauri Markkanen, he can fill it up from 3, while not dominating the ball. A perfect high-efficiency, low-usage weapon.
With their second pick in the 2023 draft, the Jazz stole Keyonte George out of Baylor. George was heralded during his freshman season in Waco for his natural scoring ability and adeptness at creating his own offense. Utah's front office saw more than that from the 6'4" guard--they saw untapped playmaking ability in George. Making defenses anxious that he can score will open up space for his teammates, and Keyonte continues to impress with his expanding skillset.
And as their final selection in the draft, Utah nabbed a pure scorer out of Ohio State who goes by the name Brice Sensabaugh. Sensabaugh didn't get much time with the team before the trade deadline, which saw the departure of Kelly Olynyk and Simone Fontecchio. As the frontcourt shallowed out, Sensabaugh saw his minutes increase with some promising flashes apparent when he took the floor. He brings something that every team needs, and that's scoring. When it comes to bucket-getting, few did it better than Sensabaugh in college hoops.
With this trio of 3-and-D, playmaking, and scoring, Utah is laying the foundation for its aspirational future by focusing on the identity of its team in the years to come. Everything has to start somewhere, and Utah's future will be defined by its present youth's development. But who are these players, and what can we reasonably expect from them moving forward?