It's actually kind of impressive. The Utah Jazz starting the season at 3-8 isn't much of a surprise. This is the result that most fans have been pining for for some time now, but despite starting the way in which many had envisioned, there have been some twists along the way.
It's not like the Jazz's season will turn itself around, but there have been some unforeseen developments with some being welcome and others not so much, but since the Jazz don't have much to lose, they are more than tolerable.
1. John Collins looks like an entirely different player
After the Jazz notched their third win over the Mavericks, the one conclusion that should be apparent by now is that John Collins has been Utah's best player this season.
11 games into the season, Collins is putting up 18.1 points a game (his highest since his third season), 2.7 assists (a career-high), and a 2.4 box plus/minus (his highest since his fourth NBA season), per Basketball-Reference.
Basically, he's resurrected his value quite well after a disastrous first year in Utah. He has embraced his bench role with the Jazz, and it's made him adaptable no matter how they use him in the rotation. He's earning his paycheck this season, which could make it easier to trade him away if ever given the chance.
If say the Jazz find a taker for Collins, the fanbase's mindset may not be about being glad that they got him off their books, but rather that his services will go to a team that will really benefit from having a player like him on the team.
2. Kyle Filipowski is their most NBA-ready offensive rookie in years
It's not completely out of right field that Filipowski has turned out to be the Jazz's best rookie thus far since he was well-regarded for being NBA-ready. The real shock is how badly he's outshining their other rookies. The season is young, but it's hard to see many Jazz rookies who have started better than him.
Players like Keyonte George and Cody Williams may have higher potential than Filipowski, but because of how raw they are, the Jazz don't know what to expect from them. That's a stark contrast from Filipowski, who may or may not be a finished product, but he's a highly efficient player.
He's a floor-spacing big man who makes the right play and never tries to do more than what his skillset allows. As an added bonus, when he takes the floor with Lauri Markkanen, it's actually hard to tell the difference between the two.
The last time the Jazz had a rookie who won fans over this quickly was, well, Donovan Mitchell. Expecting Filipowski to play at that level is setting him up for disappointment. Comparing him to Mitchell is a little too high. However, another Jazz second-round pick who also had an electric rookie year is Paul Millsap.
Again, that's a little too high to think he might reach that levek, but there's just so much to like in how Filipowski has started that it's hard not to imagine how good he could be at his peak.
3. Lauri Markkanen is not playing at an All-Star level
After an electric start to the 2024-25 season, Markkanen has not been himself this season. Maybe his back spasms have proven to be a worse issue than we know, but he's averaging 16.3 points and 6.1 points. Those are pre-Jazz numbers from Markkanen.
Sure, shooting over 41% from three is good for him, but shooting a hair below 40% from the field is not like him. His playing time and usage have also taken somewhat of a plunge.
Markkanen's disappointing performance may be an indication of what the Jazz will do to maintain themselves as a tanking team. They know what they're getting out of him and know that if he plays at an All-Star level, that could endanger their lottery odds.
It's a young season, but it's odd to see Markkanen start out with such pedestrian numbers. The Jazz can afford to have him start like this, but if it continues, something might actually be wrong.