Opening night has finally arrived for the Utah Jazz! It's been a roller coaster for the last six months, but the Jazz finally get to embark on what should be an exciting season even with all the losses sure to come Utah's way. What hasn't been set in stone yet is who the team's starters will be on opening night.
Let's just clear this way on who are the two most obvious picks: Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler. We really don't need to elaborate on why because not only are they the two longest-tenured Jazzmen, but are, let's face it, the two most proven Jazzmen on the roster (and by a wide margin may we add).
So all that's left is the other three starters. Who will be joining Markkanen and Kessler in the lineup? Here's our best guess.
Starting at the other forward spot is... Ace Bailey!
There was some uncertainty surrounding whether Bailey would play on opening night, but now that it has been confirmed he will be available, there is no reason for Utah to have him come off the bench (unless he is still somewhat under the weather). From the moment he first put on a Jazz uniform, Bailey has impressed the masses.
Because the Jazz don't have much to lose by throwing him to the wolves, Bailey proved enough in preseason for Utah to see if they truly have their next superstar in him. Not only was he knocking down his shots, but Bailey really looked like someone who could both fit and thrive in Will Hardy's system.
His playing time might be limited tonight, but everyone should agree by now that, until proven otherwise, Bailey deserves to be with the starters.
Starting as the Jazz's point guard is... Keyonte George!
This isn't particularly surprising. Even though George lost his starting spot midway through last season, he has taken on a leadership-oriented approach this season, and the Jazz started him in all of their preseason games. Combine that with Isaiah Collier's injury and Walter Clayton Jr. being a rookie and all, and George is their best option.
There's no telling if Utah will get a new and improved version of George. That's what they hoped for last season, and even if his scoring and playmaking numbers improved, one could easily decipher that such was the product of getting more touches.
Here's to hoping that what happened last season motivated George to get his act together. When fans talk about how exciting the Jazz's youth movement is, his name doesn't come up much, which is quite the contrast from last year. The Jazz will feel even more confident in their future if George can be the player they hope he could be.
Starting as the Jazz's shooting guard is... Brice Sensabaugh!
As far as their most proven young players go, Sensabaugh is definitely up there with the likes of Kyle Filipowski. He showed the most improvement out of all their youngsters last season (to be fair, a fair amount of it was by default), and has only capitalized on his promise with every opportunity.
Both the Summer League and the preseason featured Sensabaugh looking only better every minute he was on the floor. So much so that the Jazz have no reason not to start him until someone else proves that they are further along in their development and/or better for the team than he is.
It might be a stretch to suggest that he's a star in the making, but Sensabaugh has given the Jazz every reason to believe he should be part of their long-term future. It won't break anyone's heart if he's not a starter, but it would be downright stupid if the Jazz don't feature him prominently in their starting lineup.