The rumored Utah Jazz starting lineup may be the team’s worst case scenario
Could this really be the starting lineup for the Utah Jazz?
The Utah Jazz and its fans know what their starting lineup is going to look like. For the most part. We’re looking at a starting five that will include Walker Kessler, Lauri Markkanen, and John Collins. Outside of the frontcourt, we aren’t entirely sure what the team will look like. There are a lot of options for the guard spots; Jordan Clarkson, Collin Sexton, Kris Dunn, Keyonte George, and Talen Horton-Tucker.
And frankly, any combination of the first four names would be interesting but fans largely accepted that it’d be either Clarkson, Sexton, or Dunn filling out the starting roster. But thanks to a Tweet, and some suggestive thinking from Sports Illustrated’s Patrick Byrnes, we now have concerns that the Jazz may in fact be putting out the worst possible starting five imaginable.
In a recent Tweet from the Utah Jazz, we see what looks to be first-teamers against second-teamers in a scrimmage. On one hand, we have the three obvious starters; Markkanen, Kessler, and Collins, and a fourth potential in Sexton. They’re the ones in black. Across from them was the grey-shirted squad, anchored by the obvious backups and Clarkson of all people.
A lineup that included Sexton and Clarkson at the guard’s spots was considered the most likely scenario. So seeing Clarkson playing with the reserves was a bit odd. What was even more odd was that it was Horton-Tucker, not Clarkson who was playing with the potential starting five.
And that’s concerning. Of all the potential guard-fits, Horton-Tucker makes the least sense. He’s not a great defender like Dunn, he’s not a natural scorer like Clarkson or Sexton, he doesn’t have a three-point shot and he’s not athletic like George.
So why is he in the presumed starting rotation? He is still young, just 22 years old, he’s already an NBA Champion, and he’s a solid passer. But is he the best passer on the team? And if he is, what does that say about the team as a whole?
Horton-Tucker is the least exciting possibility the Jazz have at the point guard position but maybe Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy can unlock a more efficient version of the guard.
