The NBA Summer League is almost upon us, and some of the best who ever stand on the court will get another chance to play the game we love to watch. The Utah Jazz will run for two weeks to show the other teams what our roster can do. We will get the opportunity to watch Walker Kessler, Keyonte George, Taylor Hendricks, Brice Sensabaugh, Cody Williams, Isaiah Collier, and Kyle Filipowski dawn the Utah jersey with the mountains behind them.
The Utah Jazz Are Charging into the Summer
The Utah Jazz’s centerpiece has been Sean Sheldon. His career almost ended after a horrible shoulder injury he sustained while playing in Europe. With his future uncertain, Sean preached forward because he loved the game.
He mentioned what drove him when he said, “Honestly, the love for the game and where it kind of started was I played in a lot of 3-on-3 tournaments when I was a kid. … They were super big in Michigan. All summer, I would play with my brother, sometimes on his team and sometimes on my own team. We would be driving around Michigan—my parents, brother, and I—and playing in different tournaments, so that’s really where it started.”
This being the Summer League, the players will rotate, treating and trying combinations and building team character. “We don’t want to blow the guys out before we get to Vegas,” Sheldon said. “So there will be some nights where some of the Jazz guys take nights off, and then we’ll get some of the (Exhibit-10) guys and two-ways into the games.”
With Lauri Markkanen‘s future uncertain at this point, it will be interesting to see who emerges shining and who is eaten by some of the tallest giants on the court.
The Jazz will have the chance to face off twice a day against the Philadelphia 76ers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Memphis Grizzlies, and other great teams before the season starts.
During this time, the Jazz will also be feeling out three rookies and seeing how they size up. Williams, Collier, and Filipowski. Not much will be expected from the beginning for these players, but for them, we might expect the opposite. There is a lot of pressure to show their skills in defense, passing, and shooting and become the life of the game.
Utah Jazz Summer League Roster
The Utah Jazz Summer League squad is LOADED with talent 🤯
Kenneth Lofton Jr.
Max Abmas
Armand Bacot
Darius Bazley
Isaiah Collier
Kyle Filipowski
Keyonte George
Walker Kessler
Jason Preston
Cody Williams
& More(via @swishcultures_) pic.twitter.com/feI5R4PRTQ
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) July 8, 2024
Some of the Utah Jazz’s second-year players have used their summer to improve where they need it. Hendricks and George have been striving to improve their strength, timing, and pace now that another year is ahead of them.
George lamented, “There were many times last year when coming off the pick-and-roll, I was going too fast, not letting the reads develop, coming off and shooting a pull-up almost every time. I’ve added a lot to my game…been really just simplifying my game — making it a lot easier and slowing down.”
Kessler is another person who is using his summertime to improve. “What made my rookie year successful, to me, was that I went into it with the mentality of just trying to learn as much as I could. When you look at it that way, even when you fall short, make mistakes. If you look at it as trying to learn, there are no failures.”
The Utah Jazz are also working on making Kessler a court leader who can make the plays with Kelly Olynyk. Sheldon spoke of his upcoming importance. “We want to see how he passes it. He’s been doing a good job with it. So we’ll put him in some of those opportunities where he’s the passer and decision-maker, and then defensively, we want to keep pushing him. He knows he’s a very good defender, but I try to remind him, the staff tries to remind him, that he can do even more.”
With the Summer League primer approaching, we will get a taste of what’s to come as each player shapes his future with the team and its chemistry. Let’s see how each of them takes their game higher.
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