The big-market bias has never been more obvious, and the Jazz are taking shots.
Big-market bias is far too prevalent in the modern NBA, and few organizations are more agonizingly aware of this fact than the Utah Jazz, a notoriously small-market team. Bigger cities, bigger celebrities, and more superstar signings are far more common for most of the NBA's elites. Take New York, Miami, or Los Angeles.
But until the Utah Jazz start winning basketball games, the best talent on their roster will be routinely disrespected in comparison to the bigger names of the sport, or at least those in a more glamorous setting.
And this is the case in ESPN's latest top 100 players article, where they made a definitive list of the best players in basketball -- in order -- for the 2026 preseason.
And in a massive stroke of good fortune (or shall we call it a shocking distribution of positive recognition), the Utah Jazz are represented by four players: Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr., Keyonte George, and Darryn Peterson.
First on the list is Lauri Markkanen, whose placement of 49th overall is incredibly ignorant.
Markkanen is an all-star level contributor who averaged nearly 27 points per game last season (a career-high), which would be good enough for 9th in the entire league, if his 42 games weren't too low to be fully considered.
A no-waste, high production scorer and one of the best three-point shooting 7-footers in NBA history, all of Markkanen's attributes point toward a player more capable of eclipsing the top 25, but falling no lower than the top 35. 49 is a crime.
Jaren Jackson Jr. being even further behind is telling.
Sure, JJJ hasn't been very present on the court in recent years, thanks to Memphis' rebuilding efforts and his season-ending surgery last season, but it's tough to see another all-star caliber Jazzman falling so low.
Especially considering how players like DeAaron Fox, Stephon Castle, and Kon Knueppel are all rated above these two Jazz veterans.
But both of these players didn't play the full season -- that dings your rating.
...Unless you're Walker Kessler, who can count the number of games he played last season on one hand, but inexplicably jumped from 98 to 73 over the offseason.
The only notable change for Kessler that could account for such a leap? Purple and gold.
For comparison, JJJ's shortened 2025-26 season dropped him 22 spots in total.
It's not surprising to see ESPN showing big-market bias. That's been an issue facing the Utah Jazz for decades. But I'm shocked to see it displayed so blatantly.
Fortunately, championships aren't decided by the media, they're decided by how these players perform on the court.
