Utah Jazz stock up, stock down
After taking the league by storm with a 12-6 start to the NBA season, the Utah Jazz eventually plunged back down to reality, ending the year with a 37-45 record. Here are four Jazz players whose stock is trending either up or down:
Stock Up
Ochai Agbaji, G: A relative afterthought in the Donovan Mitchell trade, Agbaji's tenure in Utah didn't get off to the smoothest of starts. The former Big 12 Player of the Year began his rookie year on the outskirts of the Jazz rotation and bounced around the G League for multiple stints.
He ultimately became a regular in Utah's rotation on January 5. From that point he never looked back, knocking down 36.7% of his shots from three the rest of the way and starting the final 20 games of the season. Agbaji scored 19-plus points in five of Utah's final 12 contests and is currently penciled in as the team's starting shooting guard heading into 2023-24.
Lauri Markkanen, F: It doesn't get more obvious than this selection. The league's reigning Most Improved Player, Markkanen is fresh off a prolific campaign where he notched a new career high in points with 25.6 per game — a 10.2 ppg increase from his career average entering the season. He also chipped in with a 39.1% 3-point percentage, 8.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists for good measure.
Markkanen may ultimately profile better as an elite second option on a contending squad. Nevertheless, "The Finnisher" has cemented himself as a building block in Utah.
Stock Down
Rudy Gay, F: At 36 years old, Gay is at the twilight of his NBA career. In 2022-23, the UConn product set career lows in every major statistical category, including minutes (14.6), points (5.2), field-goal percentage (38.0%) and rebounds (2.9).
Gay's best attribute at this point is fostering the youth and serving as a veteran presence for a Jazz team that rosters eight players 25 years old or younger.
Juan Toscano-Anderson, F: Toscano-Anderson landed in Utah as part of the three-team Russell Westbrook trade.
The high-flyer brought a championship pedigree with him from his time with the Golden State Warriors but left much to be desired beyond that. While Toscano-Anderson has never been a natural scorer, he did shoot 36.1% from deep with the Dubs. That number plummeted with Utah where he knocked down just 17% of his shots from beyond the arc.
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