WE ARE SO BACK! Almost, at least… The Utah Jazz will begin preparations for the highly anticipated 2026-27 season this week, starting Monday, September 28th, with media day. It feels like years ago that we sat in our living rooms together on Mother’s Day and watched as the Utah Jazz won the second overall pick in the NBA draft. Somehow it feels even longer ago that the Jazz used that second overall pick to select the highly touted guard from Kansas, Darryn Peterson. After watching Summer League and analyzing
every workout video the Jazz and various player development coaches posted on socials, we finally reached the eve of the 2026-27 season, which is finally getting underway.
So now that we’re here, here are the most intriguing storylines to watch as training camp unfolds.
The Keyonte, Lauri, JJJ Connection
Keyonte George, Lauri Markkanen, and Jaren Jackson Jr. are the unquestioned three best players on this Jazz roster. All three are locked in with long-term contracts, and all three seem to have something to prove to the NBA ecosystem. Lauri has never made the playoffs and, in fact, is the most experienced active NBA player who has never done so. Jaren Jackson Jr. has had some amazing years in the league. He has accolades like All-Star appearances and a Defensive Player of the Year award. But after some rough years in Memphis, riddled with injury, team-wide underperformance, and well… The Ja Morant stuff… JJJ is looking to bounce back in a big way and remind the league who he is. The Utah Jazz front office just rewarded Keyonte George with a brand-new 5-year contract for his hard work and production. His year on a tanking team was impressive, no doubt, but he is out to prove he can bring that same production to a team looking to make real noise in a crowded Western Conference. The one thing that you can count on this season is that these three guys will be in the starting lineup on opening night. As exciting as Darryn Peterson and Ace Bailey are, these three need to rise to the top and be the all-star-caliber players they are if this team wants to compete for the playoffs this year. They haven’t played much together at all, but their chemistry and connection will be vital, ESPECIALLY early this year, as the pieces fall into place around them.
Who Fills Out the Rotation?
The Jazz have around 7-8 pretty surefire rotational players, depending on who you ask. One of the bigger storylines to watch as preseason and training camp progress is which players rise above the rest to solidify regular minutes once the regular season starts. Names to watch for those final few rotation spots include Brice Sensabaugh, Svi Mykhailiuk, Josh Green, and Josh Okogie. That doesn’t even include other guys like Isaiah Collier and Kyle Filipowski. Those minutes will likely come down to who can play defense, since the Jazz already have plenty of shots, but if a guy like Brice Sensabaugh improves his defense by any meaningful amount, he will be hard to keep off the floor given his nuclear shooting.
The Ceiling Raisers
It is no secret who the most important players are on the Utah Jazz. If the Jazz want to get to where they have their sights set, Darryn Peterson and Ace Bailey need to be NBA stars. The only short-term issue is that Darryn is 19 years old, and Ace just turned 20 in August. Their talent is undeniable, but they’re very young, and players that young rarely help you win much. That being said, there are always outliers. We all saw Donovan Mitchell take the NBA world by storm in his rookie year, ultimately leading the Jazz to a playoff series win. I am personally endlessly intrigued and excited to watch both Darryn and Ace learn and grow under Will Hardy. Darryn is one of the best guard prospects that we have seen in the last 10 years. Ace is an absolute monster who can get a bucket from anywhere on the floor. What if those two just pop? What if training camp starts and they look like budding superstars ready to be unleashed? I am not saying that it is likely or that you should even count on it, but I will be watching very carefully how those two look together because if they look ready? The league better watch out…
