The Utah Jazz are getting rocked on defense. To put it bluntly, they stink on that end of the court. And it goes to the center rotation, since they build their team defense around that position. The injury to Walker Kessler has had a negative impact, definitely.
The shot-blocking of this team is almost non-existent, with only Lauri Markkanen and Kyle Filipowski averaging even 1/2 a block a night. Jusuf Nurkic has a grand total of 6 blocks in 15 games so far, abysmal for a starting center.
With 15 games in the books on the 2025-26 NBA season, the Jazz are surrendering 126.1 points per night, and over their last seven outings, they're allowing 135.4 points to their opponents.
And with 59.3 points in the paint surrendered during their last 3 outings, it's getting worse. The team has to make a change before this turns into another lost season.
Option 1: Trade for a new starting center
Jazz fans were left guessing after the team traded Collin Sexton for Jusuf Nurkic, thinking the veteran big man would be a buyout candidate or trade bait by midseason. Nobody in their right mind would have seen him starting by the sixth game.
This isn't to say Nurkic doesn't have value, and on a playoff team, he could have significant value in 15-17 minutes a night. His averages (7.3 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists in 24.3 minutes) attest to that. His defensive shortcomings, however, make him a liability in extended minutes.
Pulling the trigger on a trade to acquire a more defensive-minded big man, moving Nurkic to the bench, and controlling his minutes would help improve the defense right away. This would likely mean the Jazz would surrender some draft capital, as well as a young player in return, but at some point, the Jazz will have to make these hard decisions if they want to win now.
Option 2: Change the rotation
If the Jazz want to avoid getting in track meets every night, they need to improve defensively. And while effort and buy-in to a scheme count for something, having players who are capable of defending is also needed.
Changing the rotation to allow a different player to start games, then bringing Nurkic off the bench, is another possible solution.
Available options are Kyle Filipowski, Kevin Love, and Taylor Hendricks. While each would give up size and rebounding compared to Nurkic, they're all more mobile and able to guard in space, which would give immediate benefits defensively over the Bosnian Beast.
Option 3: Add a free agent big to shore up the rotation
Getting another center to play solid minutes is needed for the Utah Jazz, and if not via trade or on the roster already, then adding a player by free agency is the last remaining option.
There aren't a lot of guys out there this early in the season, but even getting a guy that could contribute 10-15 minutes to the rotation would be a boost, and allow Nurkic, Filipowski and Love to have clearly defined roles, and keep opponents from honing in on their weaknesses as often.
And even with all of their struggles, the Utah Jazz are still exciting to watch, sitting in 10th in the Western Conference, just a half-game ahead of Memphis and one game ahead of Dallas. Making a move now would at least give the appearance that they aren't tanking another season, and hoping to try to win a few games.