What Will Be The Jazz’s Starting Lineup?
If the Jazz were to make Jackson their starting center, it wouldn’t be all about Kessler’s free agent status. Among players with at least 200 drives this season, there are three Jazzmen with a passing rate below 25 percent: Jackson (11.5%), George (23.0%), and Markkanen (23.4%). That lack of ball-movement among three projected starters could lead to quite a few ill-advised field goal attempts.
With that in mind, Kessler did show himself to be an evolved facilitator this season, averaging 3.0 assists per game. However, Kessler’s ability to operate as a fulcrum pales in comparison to Collier’s mastery as a maestro. If Utah wants to maximize their movement with Jackson, George and Markkanen as core players, then Collier is key.
In that event, the Jazz would start Collier at point guard, George at shooting guard, Bailey at small forward, Markkanen at power forward and Jackson at center. As previously mentioned, this will limit the starting lineup’s presence on the glass. However, if not only Jackson but Bailey and Markkanen make a more concerted effort to pull down boards, it won’t be a weakness.
There’s a benefit to Utah starting Collier at the defensive end, too.
Though George has been much sharper this season, opposing ball-handlers still get by him too easily. That can’t be said of Collier, a thickly built point guard who plays staunch point-of-attack defense. With that being said, the basic premise is that Collier is a better defender than George. However, considering that point guards often one of a team’s better scorers, having Collier hounding them goes a long way towards the Jazz being a more balanced team. To that point, Utah currently has the sixth-highest scoring average (118.3) in the NBA. Yet, they rank 30th in opponent’s points per game (126.8) and defensive rating (123.3).
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