Utah Jazz Mailbag: From the potential of the Jazz core to the 2026 NBA Draft, Walker Kessler, defense and everything in between

It’s time for another edition of answering questions from the Utah Jazz mailbag!

First, I look into my crystal ball to answer a more speculative question:

So many variables. If that’s the core, who is the supporting cast? Who is coming off the bench? Have the Jazz added any other big names through trades? Are we assuming that huge of a leap from Ace Bailey in Year 2? Assuming an incredible rookie season for one of the top picks?

Let’s try not to assume anything too outlandish as we work through this thought experiment. We don’t know what Bailey’s first few years are going to look like, so I’m going to just assume gradual progression to be on the safe side.

I mean, the guy is still trying to learn not how to foul like a rookie. I think we’re quite a bit away from assuming All-Star in the Western Conference.

Also, we don’t know what Walker Kessler is going to look like post-surgery/offseason. It’s going to take him some time to get back into the swing of things.

And an incoming rookie? Even Victor Wembanyama wasn’t ready for postseason action in his first year, so let’s have some realistic expectations about who and what the Jazz could get in the 5-8 range of the 2026 draft.

With all of those things in mind, let’s also not jump to conclusions about the supporting cast. Until the Jazz prove they can make a deal that lands them some help, we can’t assume it will be happening.

So, how good could that team be? I hope they’re drafting someone who will play some defense, because Kessler can’t take care of it all. We’ve seen that story in Utah. Just because you have a great defensive anchor at the center position doesn’t mean the perimeter can be defended.

I think that team can be fun and maybe make a little bit of noise, but the Jazz are going to have to make a lot more moves, either creating the kind of depth we see on a team like the Indiana Pacers or bringing in top-tier talent if they want to be even remotely considered to be a threat in the West.

Of the guys who could go 7th in the draft, there are three people that immediately come to mind — Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr., Arizona’s Koa Peat and UConn’s Braylon Mullins.

I’d like to know more about what scouts and insiders say for Brown’s defensive potential. Offensively, he’s probably my favorite player in the mid-top of the draft, but I hate the idea of drafting someone who isn’t going to carry their weight on defense.

Peat is the kind of do-it-all guy that grabs your attention even when he’s not scoring or is having a bit of an off night. I feel like the Jazz need some dogs on their team and Peat checks that box.

Mullins is a really interesting player who needs to be watched closely over the next few months. Post-injury he very quickly worked into UConn’s starting lineup and his size and skill are super NBA-friendly.

I’ve got a feeling that the more people see of him the higher he’ll probably end on people’s draft boards.

It is never not important to get a No. 1 or No. 2 draft pick if you can. There’s never been an NBA team that has said, “Oh no, we have too many good players at one position.”

Keyonte George has had a great start to the 2025-26 season, but that doesn’t mean he can or will do all of the ball-handling, initiating, playmaking and secondary scoring for the Jazz for 48 minutes every night en route to a title.

George’s improvements only mean that it’s more likely the Jazz want to keep him, not that it’s less important to add top-level talent.

Well, the Jazz’s defensive rating is second-to-last in the league, they allow the third most 3-pointers in the league, they allow the most 3-point makes in the league and they have the third-highest opponent 3-point percentage in the NBA. So, not great.

Kessler has been at the arena and watching the games. Sometimes he’s been back in the team room and sometimes he’s been in the tunnel or sitting next to Austin Ainge.

The Jazz have trouble fitting people on the bench, for whatever reason. Often the two-way players or end-of-bench guys end up sitting in the front row of the baseline seats, next to fans. It’s really weird.

So not seeing Kessler specifically on the bench does not mean he’s not around. He’s also been at practices and in film sessions with the team, so he’s very much involved. And, a little shoulder update — he’s not wearing his sling anymore! So there been recovery progress, too.

I’d prefer to look at Walter Clayton Jr. as a multi-tool or needle-nose pliers and George as the hammer.

I’m very partial to needle-nose pliers because they can be used for so, so many things. It’s really an underrated tool that not a lot of people think about. It’s mostly about getting comfortable using it in different situations. Then, once you realize it’s capabilities and are confident, it’s awesome.

Hammers are interesting because a lot of people just think hammer = smash, but think about how swiftly and carefully the pronged side of a hammer can remove a nail or can be used to pry out something.

Also, hammers only work to the degree of the person holding them. More pressure sometimes means big-time results, but it doesn’t always take a big swing. At times, there is a gentler approach that works just as well.

This question and the one below are necessarily linked. What’s the amount of alarm about horrible defense? Well, there’s so much context. Obviously the Jazz’s defense being bad is something that everyone is well aware of and it is certainly a point of concern, but there’s so much context.

The Jazz drafted some players knowing that they were defensively deficient — George, Isaiah Collier, Brice Sensabaugh — and some of the players they drafted because of defense have either been injured or not played very well — Taylor Hendricks, Cody Williams.

Plus, Kessler having shoulder surgery is something to keep in mind.

I don’t think we’ve gotten to a point, considering the personnel of the roster, to know how good or not good Hardy is coaching defense.

Honestly, there’s so much we don’t know about what Hardy can do because he’s been given such weird teams and been asked to coach them with his hands tied.

So, I think there is tempered alarm.

And, with that in mind, other coaches and players from other teams love Hardy. He’s a gregarious guy who is well-liked, and players and coaches all like to talk about how good of a coach they think he is.

There is a general belief that some of the stuff Hardy runs is completely unique and is well-suited to teams without a lot of individual ego. Lots of off-ball screens, movement, cutting, etc.

There’s a chance the Jazz could benefit from hiring someone who was specifically defensive-minded, but there’s also benefit to having a committee type approach to something like defense.

Really, until the Jazz are serious about trying to win and really evaluating the roster, it’s not possible to evaluate the coaching wholly.

There are definitely some bad feelings between the Kessler camp and the Jazz front office, but that doesn’t mean that there are bad feelings between Kessler and the coaches or his teammates. That’s an important distinction here.

I don’t think that this is an unsalvageable situation. There is a road to happiness.

Another reader asked if the Jazz would be willing to match any offer made in restricted free agency, and what to expect this summer.

I think Kessler’s injury, surgery and recovery plays a big part in this. Obviously after being out for the season and coming back from surgery, there is going to be some trepidation from outside teams and it has probably brought numbers down when it comes to potential earning power.

I don’t think the Jazz would just match any offer made, but I think they value Kessler and will probably pay him appropriately. I would guess that it’s going to probably be something around $25 million per year, but it will also depend on how conversations go leading up to a final number.

The Kessler camp is certainly going to want and expect more, but that’s how nearly every contract negotiation goes. The players and agents always want more.

This question came with a first part that pointed to the trade the Jazz made to dump Derrick Favors in 2021 and understanding that in the NBA, business decisions are sometimes tough. But that led to the above question.

That trade, for context, sent a 2024 top-10 protected first-round pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder. If the pick didn’t convey in 2024, it would become a top-10 protected 2025 pick.

If still not conveyed it would become a top-8 protected 2026 pick. If still not conveyed after 2026 the obligation extinguishes.

That’s where we are now. The Jazz have kept the pick the last two years and they want to keep it again this year by losing enough games to stay in the top eight of the lottery.

So, was this done just to avoid the luxury tax? Actually the Jazz didn’t avoid the luxury tax by getting rid of Favors, they just lessened the tax penalties they had to pay. They were still in the tax, just not as much.

This deal has certainly seemed to handcuff the Jazz through the rebuild, but I think any NBA owner or executive would likely take this perspective: If the Jazz were going to remain a good playoff team, then the pick would have conveyed in the first year of the obligation and then the deal would have been over with.

If they ended up blowing everything up and needing to rebuild, they would want top draft picks anyway.

Sure, hindsight has us thinking that if the Jazz didn’t have the top-8 protected pick hanging over their head this season that they might just play out and try to add to the roster, but a lot of things happened between then and now, including Lauri Markkanen being a revelation, the Mavericks winning an unlikely lottery and the Thunder becoming NBA champions.

I think drafting a center and then paying Favors the full mid-level exception at the end of his NBA career were the first bad decisions, then they were covered up by dumping Favors, not knowing really how much the protections on the pick would look like the worst part of all of it.