Jazz projected lineup and rotations heading into 2023-24 season
Utah Jazz starting power forward: John Collins
The Hawks shipped John Collins to Utah for pennies on the dollar, ending his turbulent and unfulfilling stint with the Hawks. Collins’ reputation has been on the downturn for a while but last season it bottomed out. His numbers caved across the board: he averaged 13.1 points and 6.5 rebounds on career-low .508/.292/.803 splits. On a per-minute basis, his worst offensive season since he was a rookie, and even then his percentages were much better in year one.
So, why should Utah have any optimism? Because John Collins is good. Some might say, very good. He was not well-deployed in Atlanta last season, with the Hawks almost deliberately straying away from Collins’ offensive strengths. The Jazz don’t have a pick-and-roll creator of Trae Young’s caliber, but Utah should lean heavily into Collins’ vertical presence at the rim.
On the perimeter, Collins provides more dynamism than one might expect. He’s a good enough shooter to draw out the defense. Once he does, he can attack the rim with long strides and nimble footwork. He has progressed into a fairly reliable pull-up shooter in the mid-range and he’s a tremendous cutter. Utah’s offense thrives off movement and Collins is going to frequently make himself available at the basket, where he possesses one of the widest catch radiuses in the NBA. He’s a true one-percent vertical athlete.
The cherry on top is Collins’ rebounding. His numbers tanked with his minutes last season, but Collins is a committed rebounder. He vacuums up second-chance points on the offensive glass and frequently ends possessions on the defensive glass. Paired with Kessler and Markkanen in the frontcourt, Collins will make Utah one of the most formidable rebounding teams in the NBA. That’s without mentioning the inherent value of his 6-foot-11 wingspan in Utah’s frontcourt defense.
Primary backup power forward: Taylor Hendricks
The Jazz turned heads with the decision to select UCF’s Taylor Hendricks with the No. 9 overall pick in June’s NBA Draft. It wasn’t surprising that Hendricks went so high, only that he went to Utah. The Jazz aren’t exactly short on frontcourt depth — especially not with the Collins trade — and many thought the resources would be better spent on the backcourt.
Of course, Utah addressed those concerns with the George and Sensabaugh picks later in the first round. Hendricks will face an uphill battle for minutes given the breadth of talent in the Utah frontcourt, but the 19-year-old projects as an instant-impact contributor. At 6-foot-9, Hendricks fits the 3-and-D archetype the modern NBA covets.
Hendricks doesn’t offer much as a self-creator, but he checks most other boxes. He’s one of the best shooters in the draft, which isn’t common at his size. He’s also a bouncy interior finisher who cleans up the offensive glass on a regular basis. On defense, Hendricks might be one of the few genuine five-position defenders. He can switch on the perimeter and hang with guards, or hover around the paint and protect the rim. If he ever shares the frontcourt with Walker Kessler (he will), opposing offenses will not find much airspace when driving the lane.