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Apr 6, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Utah Jazz guard Isaiah Collier (13) shoots against the Atlanta Hawks in the third quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Utah Jazz Face One Crucial Question Looming Over Future

Originally posted on Utah Jazz on SI | By Jared Koch | Last updated Aug 4, 2025 12:50 PM ET

The Utah Jazz enter the 2025-26 season with clearly defined goals of maximizing this team's young talent and facilitating the best development that comes with it.

With multiple veterans like Collin Sexton, John Collins, and Jordan Clarkson out of the fold, it's officially a new era for the Jazz this coming season–– where the outlook appears to headline Lauri Markkanen, Walker Kessler, and a bundle of young talent that'll get the runway and increase in minutes to truly showcase their skillsets a bit more compared to their previous campaign.

However, concerning the Jazz's young core set to have a vastly increased responsibility next season, there's still one question to be had, specifically within Utah's backcourt, that NBA.com's John Schuhmann outlined in his latest Western Conference power rankings: "Is there a starter in the backcourt?"

"The Jazz’s most reliable and most intriguing players are all in the frontcourt, and it will be especially interesting to see what they have in Taylor Hendricks, who’s still just 21 years old, having played just 930 total minutes since being selected with the No. 9 pick in 2023. Kyle Filipowski was a second-rounder, but averaged 20.2 points and 11.4 rebounds per 36 minutes after the All-Star break last season."

"The backcourt looks relatively shallow. Keyonte George didn’t show much progress in Year 2 and is one of five players with an effective field goal percentage below 50% on at least 500 field goal attempts in each of the last two seasons. Isaiah Collier is a steadier hand, but was an even worse shooter than George. Clayton (the 18th pick this year) is another bite at the apple as the Jazz try to find a guard who can run the offense with some efficiency."

The Jazz do have several intriguing names with high potential brought in from the past three summers, but in that mix are also a few crucial lingering questions as to how each's future role could be both in Utah and the league as a whole.

Isaiah Collier showcased his flashes of being the lead ball-handler, playmaker, and perhaps already being one of the better facilitators this backcourt has seen since Mike Conley, but he has clear flaws as a shooter and with his turnover lapses that keep his offensive versatility limited.

Keyonte George, while also having his moments of offensive flashes through his first two seasons, has been far too inconsistent in his shooting efficiency, has his respective turnover flaws, and is still far from a high-impact defender–– all traits he'll be looking to present major strides forward in for his third-year pro.

And for Walter Clayton Jr., while a promising rookie and has proven he can already be a strong shot-maker and versatile pierce in the backcourt through summer league, but is still a large unknown with all things considered, and has yet to see the floor for a preseason game–– meaning we might need to pump the brakes a bit before labeling him as a future starter.

So, Utah is far from barren and hopeless in their backcourt; there's clear talent, but for any of those names to prove worthwhile as a starting-level guard in a tough Western Conference, it puts a lot on each's plate this season to prove themselves as that caliber now that they'll have another dose of opportunity and responsibility on both ends of the floor.