New-Look Jazz Shine Bright in Preseason Opener

The new era of Utah Jazz basketball now feels a little more official.

While the regular season doesn’t begin for another couple of weeks, Utah’s preseason slate tipped off Sunday night against the Denver Nuggets, providing the first real look at what this new-look Jazz roster could become.

Utah came out a little flat and fell behind early, but completely flipped the script during the back half of the first quarter. The Jazz finished the opening frame with a 36-26 advantage, maintained a double-digit lead into halftime and controlled the game for most of the night on the way to a 109-97 victory.

The final score itself doesn’t mean much in the preseason, but the way Utah got there was encouraging. Lauri Markkanen scored 17 points in the first half, while Keyonte George chipped in 15 points, four rebounds and three assists. Jaren Jackson Jr. also reached double figures with 11 points, and Ace Bailey added 10 points and five rebounds.

One of the biggest storylines entering the night was the anticipated debut of Darryn Peterson. He finished with three points, six rebounds and two assists in a relatively quiet offensive outing, but the flashes were there. Box scores aren’t the end goal during the preseason. It’s about building habits, developing chemistry and learning what a roster can become before the games begin to count, and Peterson still showed glimpses of the superstar-level skill set that made him such a highly regarded prospect.

The biggest takeaway for Utah was balance, which will be critical this season. This isn’t a roster built around one unquestioned 1A superstar. Instead, the Jazz have two All-Star-caliber veterans in Markkanen and Jackson, several marquee young players headlined by Peterson, Bailey and George, and legitimate depth throughout the rotation.

That’s likely how Utah will have to win games. Opponents won’t simply be able to build a game plan around shutting down one scorer. The Jazz can attack with a balanced offensive load while hoping to establish a strong defensive identity on the other end.

Sunday was only the first preseason game, but the early returns were promising. The win was nice, but more importantly, the eye test suggested this Jazz roster has the talent, depth and balance to be competitive this season.

This is a team that will have to earn the respect of the national media throughout the season, but there’s reason to believe they’ll do that quickly.