Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
- The Jazz are positioned for top lottery odds after losing to the Rockets.
- Utah's loss, combined with the Wizards' win, secures their tanking strategy.
- Coach Hardy emphasizes building sustainable habits despite recent shooting struggles.
SALT LAKE CITY — Washington forward JT Thor drilled a 3-pointer with 40 seconds remaining in the game to help lift the Wizards to a surprise victory over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday.
That shot was more important for the Jazz than anything that happened during their own game in Houston.
With the Wizards' win, the Jazz now control their lottery odds destiny. Utah only needs to lose out to secure the top spot in the tanking race. And Utah seemed quite capable of pulling that feat off against the Rockets.
Houston made easy work of the undermanned Jazz, coasting to a 143-105 victory at the Toyota Center Wednesday night.
Having the pole position doesn't impact the race for Cooper Flagg — each of the bottom three teams will have the same odds — but it does help Utah stay in the top five, no matter how the lottery turns out.
Being at the top of the reverse standings assures a pick no worse than No. 5. Based on the team the Jazz played on Wednesday, that alone could be pretty impactful.
Houston has surged into contender status this season with the help of some of their recent top lottery picks maturing.
Jalen Green (No. 2 pick in 2021) is averaging 21 points per game; Amen Thompson (No. 4 pick in 2023) is averaging 14 points and 8.2 rebounds, and is already one of the best perimeter defenders in the league; Jabari Smith (No. 3 pick in 2022) is a 30-minute-per-night stretch big.
Funny enough, the team's lone All-Star, Alperen Sengun, was drafted No. 16 in 2021, so it's not a perfect science.
Still, it was a long rebuild for the Rockets, and now they are on the other side. As for the Jazz ... well, it feels like it has only just begun.
Utah had just 10 available players against Houston, eight of whom were 24 or younger. Yes, there will be development, but the Jazz are lacking a true blue-chip prospect.
They have good young players — Walker Kessler looks like he can be a defensive center for a contending team, Isaiah Collier has a true NBA skill, Keyonte George is great at drawing fouls, Kyle Filipowski has a well-rounded game — but Utah has yet to find a young player it can truly build around.
That player may come this summer in the draft. In that end, Utah has only five games remaining in this tank-filled season — though, it's already likely over for a few Jazz players.
Lauri Markkanen had an MRI on his knee that "revealed patellofemoral chondrosis with associated subchondral edema, with no other structural damage" (note the specifics after the Jazz were fined due to sitting Markkanen earlier this season).
He will be reevaluated in 7-10 days after he completes an off-court rehab program. That timeline takes him right to the end of the season.
The same goes for John Collins, who will have his sprained ankle re-evaluated in a week. That means he could potentially play in the final three games of the year.
Cody Williams, meanwhile, has officially been ruled out for the season after testing positive for mononucleosis. He finished his rookie year averaging 4.6 points and 2.3 rebounds while shooting 32% from the field.
As for the game itself, well, the Jazz shot 25% from 3-point range. It was the third straight game they've shot under 30% from deep, and that's made it tough for a young team to keep things close. Head coach Will Hardy, though, thinks there's a lesson to be learned from that.
"We have to take the shooting piece out, and we have to focus on all the things that we can continue to do from a foundational standpoint, and trying to continue to build really good, sustainable habits for all of our young players," he said. "We can't just wait for a game when we shoot well because then we're wasting this opportunity to continue to improve."
So what are those things, specifically?
"We have to maximize our physicality," Hardy said.
He said a game is a series of battles, from individual conflicts up to five-on-five play. Some will be mismatches, but he wants his team to learn how to approach those better.
"Every situation we have to maximize our physicality, do everything in our power to give ourselves the best chance to be successful," he said. "And you understand that some possessions, some games, won't go your way, but I can know afterwards that I gave myself the best chance possible."
The Jazz have given themselves the best chance at one thing this season: Cooper Flagg.
