Who Closes Games at Center for Jazz This Season?

Jusuf Nurkic started at center for the Utah Jazz in their first preseason game against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday night.

Nurkic finished with four points, five rebounds, four assists, one block and one steal in 11 minutes in Utah's 109-97 win.

Jaxson Hayes, the newly acquired big in free agency after spending the last three seasons in Los Angeles, played 19 minutes off the bench and blocked three shots.

Preseason minutes are known to many as a messy sample size for what's to come in the regular season. But the split is an early look at what the center rotation might be for Utah, at least for the foreseeable future.

The Jazz traded Walker Kessler to the Lakers for a package of picks and swaps, which then left Nurkic as the clearest option to start. Early signs point to him suiting up at the five for opening night, even if his are not on par with a normal starter's minutes.

Nurkic initiated some offense for the Jazz on Sunday night, with his four assists coming in 11 minutes. A big man like that is a change of pace from an interior lockdown defender like Kessler.

Behind Nurkic and Hayes, the rotation is still working itself out. Mo Bamba had six points and seven rebounds during his minutes, and Kyle Filipowski, another center option, was held out because of an injury.

The Jazz have many different looks they can throw at teams with their length and athleticism up and down the roster. In the second half, Utah replaced Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Nurkic with Hayes, Ace Bailey and Josh Okogie.

Jackson, who started next to Nurkic at power forward on Sunday, has played center at times throughout his career and won Defensive Player of the Year in 2023 with Memphis. If coach Will Hardy wants more spacing and wants to keep Markkanen and Jackson on the floor at the same time, Jackson can surely fill in at the five.

Hardy hasn't made any comments on the different frontcourt mixes he can give teams. Over the last few seasons, only one of four first preseason games features the same starting lineup, which is a good reason to not take Sunday's lineup to heart.

The Jazz have three preseason games left, including a rematch against Denver. Watch for the different types of frontcourt tandems Hardy decides to roll with. 

If Hayes keeps outplaying Nurkic, their minutes may start to coincide with each other by November.