This season, the Utah Jazz closed the door on one of the most grueling chapters in the team’s history.
Since the 2022-23 season, Utah has been stuck in rebuild mode. During this time, Jazz fans endured terrible seasons, poor play, and a lot of bad draft luck. However, some positives did come out of the process.
How Did They Get Here?
Jazz Nation views the Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell era with mixed feelings. Many look back fondly on the years they spent watching four-time Defensive Player of the Year block shots.
Others will remember Mitchell’s high-scoring games and his victory in the Dunk Contest. The peak of this era came when Mitchell led the Jazz in a playoff series win against the Oklahoma City Thunder as a rookie.
It was a very exciting time in Jazz history; however, this team came crashing down at the end.
Mitchell and Gobert went through a rough patch, creating a rift between the rest of the team. Later that season, in the 2020 Bubble Playoffs, the Jazz had a three-to-one lead on their neighbors to the east, the Denver Nuggets. Jazz fans were ready to celebrate another playoff victory, but too many blown leads and a rimmed-out shot by Mike Conley lost the team the series.
Next year was different, though, as the Jazz ended the regular season as the number one team in the West. In the first round of the playoffs, they knocked off the Memphis Grizzlies. The Jazz returned to the second round, only to collapse completely against Paul George and the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Tear Down
Time after time, the Jazz blew leads, and discontent on the court seemed to be growing. The 2022 series against the Dallas Mavericks was the last straw for general manager Danny Ainge, who was hired that season. Ainge and owner Ryan Smith dismantled the previous iteration of the team’s roster to the studs, starting with the trades of Gobert and Mitchell.
Ainge got a hall of assets from these trades, and with that stash, the Jazz were ready to try their hand at tanking.
The Journey of Pain
Each year of the tank, the Jazz got worse and worse. In the aforementioned 2022-2023 season, the Jazz actually started off well, but maybe a little too well. By the season’s trade deadline, the Jazz were 27-29.
The Jazz traded away pieces like Mike Conley and Jarred Vanderbilt to continue their tanking journey. For the rest of the season, fans were treated to Collin Sexton, Jordan Clarkson, and Talen Horton-Tucker chucking up shots. In the end, the Jazz fell to ninth in the draft to pick Taylor Hendricks, whom they traded away two months ago.
In the 2023-24 season, the Jazz continued tanking. Ultimately, they finished 31-51, with Sexton, Clarkson, and Horton-Tucker still getting the ball plenty. With more failed lottery luck, the Jazz fell to tenth in the draft, picking up Cody Williams.
The Worst Season of Them All
How bad was the 2024-25 season? It takes a special team to achieve a 17-65 horrendous record. To date, the season ranks as the worst in recorded Jazz history. It felt like nothing clicked for this team. Keyonte George experienced a sophomore slump, Cody Williams could barely score, and every game felt passionless.
To make matters worse, Hendricks sustained a season-ending injury in a game against the Dallas Mavericks only three games into the season. With the worst record in the NBA, the Jazz proved to be unlucky once more, falling to the fifth pick in the lottery.
However, after the franchise hit its darkest moment, luck may have begun to shine on the organization. They drafted dynamic talent Ace Bailey with the fifth pick, and he’s looking to be a huge help to the team going forward.
Pieces Coming Into Place
Despite Utah’s poor draft fortune, the front office has managed to find talent wherever they pick. George was the sixteenth pick in the 2023 draft, and he’s developed into a near All-Star and a leader for this Jazz team. His teammate, Isaiah Collier, turned into an assists machine despite being only the 29th pick. In fact, he even broke John Stockton’s rookie assist record.
Williams, after a terrible rookie season, has since bounced back. In the last two months of the 2025-2026 season, Williams averaged 15.4 points per game, 1.6 steals, 4.8 assists, and a 45% field goal percentage.
He became one of the Jazz’s best comeback stories this year.
Finding Stars
Possibly the best part of the Jazz’s rebuild, though, has been their diamond in the rough, Lauri Markkanen. After being drafted seventh overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves, Markkanen didn’t meet lottery pick expectations.
He was dubbed a role player until he was traded to Utah for Mitchell. On the Jazz, Markkanen won the Most Improved Player award in 2022, played in the All-Star game in Utah, and now averages 26.7 points per game.
To give Markkanen help, the Jazz shocked the NBA world by trading for Grizzlies star Jaren Jackson Jr. at the 2026 trade deadline. Jackson Jr. has embraced his new home in Utah and will almost certainly elevate the team’s play.
Jackson Jr.’s sample size is small, as he only played in three games for the Jazz this season. But in those games, he averaged an impressive 22.3 points per game, 2 steals, 0.3 blocks, 2.6 assists, and 4.3 rebounds.
Reviving Careers
An added bonus to the rebuild was the Jazz’s ability to revitalize the careers of players like Kris Dunn and John Collins. Dunn, the former lottery pick, was cast off into the G League after a failed first attempt in the NBA.
Dunn then signed a 10-day contract with the Jazz, where he proved his defensive importance and stuffed the stat sheets. The Jazz were so impressed that they signed him to a full contract. Once the deal was finished, he found a home with the Clippers.
The same happened to Collins. After receding in stats like points, blocks, and rebounds, the Atlanta Hawks jettisoned Collins for Rudy Gay and a future second-round pick. Collins thrived in Utah, averaging 17.1 points per game, 0.8 steals, 1 block, 1.6 assists, and 8.4 rebounds. The Jazz soon moved on, as they traded the forward to the Clippers, where he rejoined Dunn in Los Angeles’ rotation.
Looking To the Future
This rebuild was the worst period in Utah’s history. The Jazz succumbed to horrible seasons, poor draft luck, and a multitude of fair-weather fans leaving the team.
Through all the pain, plenty of hope came out of the rebuild. Stars found a new home in the state, the Jazz proved they can develop talent, and the Jazz faithful have remained steadfast. A new era of competitive Jazz basketball is about to begin, hopefully with another lottery pick to bolster the roster. As for next year, they can finally start striving for the playoffs.
There are questions lingering about Walker Kessler‘s potential departure, Markannen’s production alongside a new cast, and whether rookies like Bailey will continue to develop. However, Jazz fans can hang their hats on one thing: the team is trying to win. New memories will form, fair-weather fans will return, and the Delta Center will rock once again.
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