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Who From Salt Lake City Stars Will Get A Shot with Jazz?
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- Who From Salt Lake City Stars Will Get A Shot with Jazz?
(Rob Gray-Imagn Images)
Through two games of the Utah Jazz preseason, most of the focus has been on Darryn Peterson and Ace Bailey.
Veteran big man Jusuf Nurkic will miss about the first four weeks of the season because of a partial plantar plate tear in the second toe of his right foot.
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Jaxson Hayes and Mo Bamba will more than likely pick up the slack for the first few weeks of the season while Nurkic heals up. Coach Will Hardy may also tinker with a lineup, mixing up Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Kyle Filipowski as part of a double stretch-four look.
Less noticed is the roster battle at the end of the bench.
Utah enters the 2026-27 season with three players on two-way contracts: Blake Hinson, Tamar Bates and Trey Alexander.
Two-way players split time between the NBA team and its G League affiliate and can play up to 50 NBA games.
Hinson, 26, is the "veteran" of the group. He signed a two-way, two-year deal with the Jazz in February 2026, which makes this upcoming season the second year of his contract.
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He had an impressive outing against Denver on Sunday, scoring 18 points in 20 minutes off the bench, and went 6-for-9 from the field.
The Jazz signed Bates, 23, to a two-way contract this past July. He has played about 25 minutes this preseason and has no points.
Alexander, also 23, rounds out the trio. He has appeared in one game this preseason and scored 7 points off the bench for Utah.
Last season, two-way members Oscar Tshiebwe and Elijah Harkless played 20-plus games each. Neither is under contract with Utah currently, but they proved that two-way players can make a contribution in the NBA.
Utah, which had injury problems last season, needed those two-way guys to step in and play large chunks of minutes.
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The Jazz carry 14 players on standard contracts alongside three two-way players, which leaves one standard spot open.
A dominant stretch of games with the Salt Lake City Stars, or a run of injuries, could turn one of these players into a full-time Jazz member.
Camp invitees complicate that process. Harrison Ingram, for example, is on an Exhibit 10 deal, which usually points to a G League assignment if he doesn't make the final roster.
Ingram is using the limited minutes to his advantage at the start of the preseason, averaging 7.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1 assist through the first two games. He played 12 minutes in the first contest and 8 in the second, making an impact on the floor even with a short appearance.
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With Peterson, Keyonte George and Isaiah Collier in the mix on the perimeter, minutes for the two-way guards will probably come only when the rotation gets disrupted.
Disruption makes the G League their proving ground, and production in the minor leagues is the most direct route to a call-up.
Watch for Hinson's experience and how Bates and Alexander handle the NBA's speed in the final preseason games. If Ingram keeps up his production, it could create a good but difficult wedge in final roster decisions. The Jazz front office may need to find room for him.
