A recent quote from Utah Jazz president Austin Ainge all but confirmed as much.
Losing Walker Kessler was never part of the plan. No, the Utah Jazz traded for Jaren Jackson Jr. at last season's trade deadline in the hopes of creating a towering starting lineup that could crush anyone in their path. A matchup nightmare capable of looming large position-by-position.
Just begin to think, for a moment, how impossible it would be to pair up your lineup with Utah's that consists of 6'4" Keyonte George, 6'10" Ace Bailey, 7'1" Lauri Markkanen, 6'11" Jaren Jackson Jr., and 7'3" Walker Kessler.
What do you even do about that?
But since drafting Darryn Peterson -- a combo guard -- with the second overall pick and eventually losing Walker Kessler through restricted free agency, the Utah Jazz death lineup will never come to fruition. Forever a fantasy for Jazz fans to ponder, but never one they'll actually witness on the basketball court.
And worst of all, Kessler's absence leaves the Jazz with a lineup issue.
With no clear starting center, the question becomes one of concessions. Do you scoot Jackson down to the 5 and hope that he can deliver as he did in Memphis? Do you keep him at the four and bump a true center into the starting 5? And if so, does that mean Ace Bailey will be relegated to the bench?
It's difficult to forecast how Will Hardy's lineup will look as we're still about a month away from the first tip-off of the regular season, but a recent quote from Austin Ainge painted a pretty clear picture about Utah's intentions with the vacancy at center.
When asked about the team's options at center, Ainge had the following to say:
"Nurkic was a priority for us. He had a really good year for us, and we think he fits well in Will [Hardy's] system. The way that we run some things through our bigs-- his decision-making ability really helped a lot of our guards get open and get shots. He's a great screen-setter and passer. He's obviously an unbelievable rebounder."
"Jaxson Hayes is a rim-running athlete, he can bring a lot of energy and athleticism. [...] Mo Bamba had a really good year for us with the Salt Lake Stars last year... He has length, shooting, there are a couple of different styles."
Glaringly, Ainge doesn't mention JJJ once in this quote. It would appear that the new Jazzman is not even a consideration for the opening at the 5 position -- he's better suited to play the 4.
And that makes sense. Even with the Grizzlies, a team that helped him make a name for himself as a shot-blocking force, Jackson proved to be at his most effective when sharing the floor with a bigger, bulkier center (Stephen Adams, Zach Edey). Still, it's incredibly telling of the Jazz's intentions in Kessler's absence, and if I had to make a prediction today, I'd forecast Will Hardy's starting lineup will showcase Jusuf Nurkic at the 5.
