Is Lauri Markkanen or Keyonte George truly the more untouchable player?

Most NBA teams seem to prioritize one or two players over the rest. That's pretty reasonable, as some players, like Nikola Jokic, can lead an entire team to the Promise Land, while others, like our very own Brice Sensabaugh, aren't able to turn the tide to any degree. Let alone lead a team to the NBA playoffs. So some players are just more valuable than others.

When it comes to the Utah Jazz, there appear to be two names who could qualify for that designation of the top cat. Or in this case, "untouchable". When we talk about the top players on a team, it usually means the most talented, like in Jokic's case, but in the case of the Utah Jazz, it's less about that all-encompassing player and more about the most valuable building block.

The Jazz's best player is Lauri Markkanen. The Jazz's best prospect is Keyonte George. There's a reason to retain either or. Markkanen is an All-Star, who has 25+ point-per-game abilities and is capable of being a key cog in a playoff run for the Jazz. George is a young guard, with endless potential and athleticism that few guards have in the league.

They both have their own downsides, at least when we talk about "untradeable pieces". Markkanen is 27, at the end of his contract, and the Jazz, as we write, are far from the playoffs. The Jazz may not be ready any time soon to compete, making Markkanen's value to the team not as impressive as George's. George on the other hand did not have a great rookie season and showed some serious concerns shooting the ball and playing perimeter defense.

Neither man is perfect when talking about untouchable, top guys on the team. Sports Illustrated thinks George's value and youth makes him the ideal candidate to be deemed untouchable. I, however, think Markkanen is the guy the team should make untouchable.

Yes, his window is smaller, but George may never turn into the player that the team needs to get to the next level. Sometimes you gotta make do with the window you have, instead of trying to force something out that may never exist.