There will be plenty of burning questions for the Utah Jazz entering the 2024-25 season. However, many will keep their eyes on their rookie class, which is headlined by Cody Williams, Isaiah Collier, and Kyle Filipowski.
Typically, rookies don't get too much playing time when they first enter the NBA because they lack the experience, but because of the Jazz's roster situation, those three might get a bigger opportunity than most. Jazz head coach Will Hardy made it clear during Jazz Media Day that the Jazz rookies will be ready when their name is called.
"The rookies are prepared to play," Hardy told reporters at Jazz Media Day. "As sure as any rookie is prepared to play"
Hardy added further that the moment won't overwhelm them when they enter the game.
"None of them will look out of place if they go into a game, I'm fully prepared to play them"
The Jazz's youth movement allows this to be possible
The Jazz don't have many veterans on their roster. In fact, a solid portion of the roster is filled with younger players. That many young players on the roster will make for a few entertaining training camp battles when the Jazz start theirs.
However, Hardy said that developing their young players will be a point of emphasis, knowing how many of them are on the roster,
"Going into this season, I think our vision is very clear. This is an opportunity for us to really invest in our youth. We have six players that are 20 and under. If you add Walker, it's seven guys 23 and under."
Success may not come right away, as transitioning into a big role in the NBA takes time, but the Jazz will get to see who truly should be part of their future going forward.
Not every young player they have on the roster will turn into a star, and that's okay because not every young player has to turn into a star for them to be a long-term fixture on the team. Certain players can turn into connectors for the team as they look for that franchise player.
The Jazz already have a building block in Lauri Markkanen, and have slowly started to build a winning product around him. Every successful team had to pay their dues first before they became a perennial playoff contender. The Jazz are in the early stages of that, and it appears everyone involved is more than ready for that.