Utah Jazz Have Clear Standing Ahead of NBA Training Camps

The Utah Jazz and the rest of the NBA are just a couple of weeks away from kicking off their training camps, and thus, marking the start of the league action ahead of the regular season looming just over a month away.

And while there's a few teams around the NBA shrouded in a bit of mystery to begin the year (look no further than teams like the Philadelphia 76ers or Boston Celtics), for the Jazz, they have their expectations pretty clearly outlined for the season ahead: focus on developing young talent, and more than likely, get a strong placement in the draft lottery.

After a busy offseason of shipping out veteran talent and adding more young pieces for the future, NBA.com's Shaun Powell shared a similar projection for the Jazz when stacking up "where all 30 teams stand" at the start of training camp. However, also pointed out one key task remaining in the balance for Utah's offseason: a Walker Kessler extension.

"Another long season lies ahead for the Jazz, who at least acknowledged their fate and got started on the rebuild this summer, shipping out Sexton, Jordan Clarkson and John Collins. It’s all about the youngsters and their growth … as well as what the 2026 NBA Draft, which projects as rich, will bring," Powell wrote. "Utah should, and probably will, make a long-term commitment to center Walker Kessler, who escaped the summer red-tag sale and appears to be a keeper."

With Collin Sexton, John Collins, and Jordan Clarkson moving out over the course of the summer, Will Hardy has an array of young talent he can hand an extended opportunity to for what will be year four of the Jazz's ongoing rebuild.

It'll act as a positive step in Utah's process, but for the season ahead, that youth could have its growing pains, especially in the West, and effectively place them near the depths of the league standings once again.

The Jazz have been linked to trying to be more competitive this season, but in the best interest of their long-term hopes and top-eight protected pick in the hands of the OKC Thunder, a season similar to their last appears to be the overwhelming expectation.

That Kessler extension is a factor to take note of leading up to the new season, though. All signs point to the Jazz being willing to extend their center of the future to a multi-year rookie extension, but with training camps on the horizon, pen has yet to hit paper on that signing.