NBA top 100 player rankings should put Jazz pro-tankers at ease
By Matt John
Many have begged the Utah Jazz to fully embrace the tank. Even after they re-signed Lauri Markkanen, they are still expected to be among the worst teams in the NBA. CBS Sports' Top 100 NBA Players list should put pro-tank Jazz fans at ease.
Only one Jazz player showed up on the list. Shocking absolutely no one, it was Markkanen. What might shock people a little was how high Markkanen was ranked, at 31. Brad Botkin explained why Markkanen ranks so highly among his NBA peers.
"Markkanen is 27 years old, just entering his prime, but the Jazz aren't close to competing. You wonder about that marriage of those timelines, but you can bet Danny Ainge has a plan and that Markkanen, a seven-foot sniper who averaged 23 and 8 last season on a better true-shooting clip that Kevin Durant, is central in it," Botkin wrote.
Botkin's statements are all true, and since former NBA players like Patrick Beverley share a similar sentiment about Markkanen, it's fair to say that the Finnisher has earned his place on the list.
But that's not the headline here for the Jazz.
Pro-tankers should be happy about the lack of Jazz players on the list
Of course Markkanen would not only make this list but that he'd also rank so highly knowing how well he's come along over the past two seasons. However, him being only the Jazzman on the list suggests where the Jazz truly stand compared to the rest of their competition.
On the list, the Jazz are one of only four teams to have one player show up from their team, with the other three being the Wizards, Nets, and Pistons. Knowing that they, too, will be tanking for the 2024-25 season shows that the Jazz are truly among the best of the best at being the worst of the worst.
Sure, they still have several veterans that they would be better off without, but the Jazz have enough young players to develop that playing them a fair share of the minutes will mean they'll lose games so that they can develop well and they can still put their name in the hat for a high lottery pick.
Knowing a certain Cooper Flagg will be entering the 2025 NBA Draft, it gives the Jazz and their fanbae something to look forward to, even if the season is likely to be miserable.