The Utah Jazz will begin their Summer League slate with the Salt Lake City Summer League on July 4, 6 and 7 before heading to the Las Vegas Summer League, which will run from July 9 to 19.
To get ready for all the Jazz’s summer league action, here’s everything you need to know.
When do the Jazz play?
During SLC Summer League, held at the Huntsman Center, the Jazz will play against the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday at 3 p.m. MST, then face the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday at 7 p.m. and finally take on the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
All of the Jazz’s SLC Summer League games will be broadcast on KJZZ. Non-Jazz games will have other broadcast and streaming options available.
In Las Vegas, the Jazz will kick things off July 9 with a primetime game against AJ Dybantsa and the Washington Wizards at 7 p.m. on ESPN.
The Jazz are then slated to play the Los Angeles Clippers on July 12 at 8 p.m. on Prime, the Chicago Bulls on July 13 at 7 p.m. on ESPN and the San Antonio Spurs on July 15 at 7:30 p.m. on Prime.
The remaining Jazz schedule in Las Vegas will be determined by their place in the Summer League standings.
What players will be on the court?
The Jazz’s summer roster is highlighted by rookie Darryn Peterson, second-year wing Ace Bailey and third-year wing Cody Williams.
Also on the Jazz roster is returning two-way player Blake Hinson along with Tamar Bates, who signed a two-way deal with the Jazz on Friday.
Bates spent two collegiate years at Indiana and then two at Missouri before going undrafted in 2025. Last season he was on a two-way deal with the Denver Nuggets, but before he could make his NBA debut, it was announced he would be sidelined at least three months with a broken foot.
What to expect from Darryn Peterson, Ace Bailey and Cody Williams
How much time the Jazz’s most prized players will spend on the court or how many games they will play is a bit of a mystery at this point, and summer head coach Steve Wojciechowski said that it won’t be up to him.
“That’s one of the things that that’s been discussed,” Wojciechowski said. “We have three games in four days, and I think it makes a lot of sense for us to take a look at what that back-to-back means. But ultimately, that’s a decision that I’ll be told what the answer is.”
If previous summer schedules are to be taken as an indication of what to expect, the Jazz are likely to sit some or all of Peterson, Bailey and Williams in the final SLC game, and some or all of them after the second game in Las Vegas. Fans will have to wait to know for sure.
On the court, Bailey and Williams, who are familiar with the Jazz’s style and schemes, are expected to play at an elevated level compared to where they were last season.
They will also have an opportunity to take on bigger roles in the offense and will likely have the ball in their hands more than they would with the regular-season Jazz.
For Peterson, this is huge learning period. He needs to get as up to speed as possible with the Jazz’s terminology, while getting his feet wet with the first competitive games he will have played since March and the only ones he’ll play until the 2026-27 preseason is underway.
New rule and ball being tested
Summer League games across the league (Northern California, Salt Lake City and Las Vegas) will have a bit of a different look as the league tests out a new rule.
The one free throw rule will be tested during summer games. According to the league, with the new rule, “any foul that would normally result in one, two or three free throws under standard NBA rules will instead result in a single free throw attempt. That attempt will be worth the same total number of points as the free throws it replaces. Standard NBA free throw rules will apply during the last two minutes of the fourth quarter and throughout overtime.”
The one free throw rule has been used by the NBA G League since the 2019-20 season.
In addition to trying out the new free throw rule, a new ball will be tested out during summer league. Although the ball will look, feel, and be imperceptibly different, the differences are inside.
In the future, this could be used to help officials with last-touched out-of-bounds calls.
Keyonte George joining coaching staff
As if the Jazz’s first contest in Las Vegas needed any more juice — it already pits No. 2 overall pick, Peterson, against No. 1 overall pick Dybantsa — Jazz guard Keyonte George has signed on to join the coaching staff for the game.
As a volunteer, for a single game, the league has given a green light for George to step in as an assistant coach for the Jazz, an idea that was floated after George was helping out at recent Jazz summer practices.
