The Utah Jazz are 2-1 in the preseason as they approach their final exhibition battle with the Phoenix Suns. Of course, that memory will be of little importance since this game ends – the preseason event being thrown into a huge fire at the right time. I haven’t gotten your RSVP yet — you’re still coming, right?
The Suns, on the other hand, enter this game with a 1-3 record in preseason play, losing their first two matchups against Detroit and Chicago, and coming off a third loss against San Antonio.
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Their only wins came at the expense of the same Spurs team, a team that ran out of help from the start against the Utah Jazz, but in both of those games the Phoenix started. Was the plan to put his stars against Utah in the spotlight? Keeping the matchups a mystery for the new Jazz? Not Wemby, not Castle, not Harper, not Fox — not a single one went first on the court for the reigning Western Conference champions. Power to move? A declaration of excellence?
I don’t want to say. Considering how Phoenix has kept its stars — eternal sunshine Devin Booker, Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, and the recently born Milos Bridges — on the sidelines, I’m leaning more toward extreme caution. The Suns certainly struggled with the spurs in the second leg of their series.
The Utah Jazz looked their best in their first preseason contest. Keyonte George has grown into a fourth-year man and is now the steady hand that holds the steering wheel of Will Hardy’s offense. But the engine, wheels, body, and suspension are the remains of a rotating pair.
Lauri Markkanen hopes to return to All-Star form next year in which he averaged 27 points per game in 42 appearances.
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Jaren Jackson Jr. stabilizes the front after excellent defense and a leap into the floor-space.
Ace Bailey has put on some muscle over the offseason and is picking up his spots on the bench in the first game of the season.
And Darryn Peterson, of course, is the piece that could raise Utah’s roof from that scrappy Play-in fodder to a potential Playoff threat. Playing for the Tasmanian Devils and storming through the Western Conference straightaway, if Peterson rises to stardom quickly, it’s hard to imagine any team boasting the Jazz’s versatile defensive attack being able to stop.
But now, the Jazz have the luxury of patience.
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Each of George, Markkanen, Jackson, Peterson and Bailey have three or more years left on their contracts, meaning Utah has already added all the ingredients and can sit comfortably and provide the dough for some time to rise.
Meanwhile, the Phoenix wins in style, whether they are ready or not.
The circumstances of the voyage brought many of the former to comfort, with the most recent of their exchanges being sent undefended first to Charles for the return of Milon Bridges.
Otherwise, this is largely the same as the 8th-seeded team in the West, fighting to stay in the playoffs after the future is already sunk for an immediate payoff. They hesitate – there is no way around it – and they have no choice but to go all in now. We’ll see how another year of Devin Booker, Jalen Green, and Dillon Brooks worked out in Phoenix. Maybe Koa Peat’s broken jump shot can be repaired in time for this year, or Ryan Dunn can climb out of the slump by recapturing the magic he displayed in the first few weeks of his rookie season.
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They were wiped off the face of the earth in a 4-0 blowout at the hands of Oklahoma City last season. The chances of significantly better results in 2027 are not high from where I see it.
ESPN agrees that things are dire for Phoenix; the suns counted as the most desperate team in the entire NBA. Not good.
We’ll see who makes an appearance on the court in this Utah’s final preseason game. Either way, the meeting of freedom with all its foreboding futures and other desperate needs to be believed.
Calvin Barrett is Associate Editor for SLC Dunk. Originally from Springville, Utah, he currently lives in Japan and has covered NBA and college athletics since 2024.