The Utah Jazz have a lot of work to do — which is fine and it's expected. But it was made pretty clear in their 130-114 loss to the Sacramento Kings in the team's first game of the 2023-24 season.
While there are 81 more games and plenty of time to iron out some of the minute details the Jazz are having — communication and spacing issues along with problems defending in transition and losing open guys in the corners — the architectural problem the Jazz have is that the guard line still doesn't make sense. And on Wednesday night, one of the youngest players on the team made a pretty compelling case for himself as the future solution to the problem.
There has been a lot of talk this offseason about who is going to play point guard for the Jazz and what they're going to do with the guards on this team, and rightfully so. It's the spot on the roster that is the most uncertain and undecided.
Talen Horton-Tucker got the opening night start next to Jordan Clarkson and Jazz head coach Will Hardy explained prior to the game that the decision was based on the fact that the coaching staff was impressed with Clarkson throughout camp and that pairing Clarkson and Lauri Markkanen together was ideal. With that in mind, the Jazz thought the best person to pair with Clarkson in the back court was Horton-Tucker.
Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (10) blocks the shot of Utah Jazz guard Collin Sexton (2) in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. The Kings won 130-114. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (23) grabs a rebound from Sacramento Kings forwards Sasha Vezenkov (7) and Harrison Barnes (40) in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. The Kings won 130-114. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson (00) reacts after being called for a foul against the Sacramento Kings in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. The Kings won 130-114. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
Utah Jazz coach Will Hardy watches in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. The Kings won 130-114. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (23) is called for a foul against Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (10) in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. The Kings won 130-114. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
Utah Jazz forward Kelly Olynyk (41) lays on the floor after being fouled by the Sacramento Kings in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. The Kings won 130-114. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (23) looks to pass against the Sacramento Kings in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. The Kings won 130-114. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13) blocks the shot of Utah Jazz forward John Collins (20) in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. The Kings won 130-114. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
Utah Jazz Dancers fly through the air during a timeout in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. The Kings won 130-114. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
Utah Jazz guard Talen Horton-Tucker (5) fights with Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (10) for the ball in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. The Kings won 130-114. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
Utah Jazz guard Talen Horton-Tucker (5) tries to pass against the Sacramento Kings in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. The Kings won 130-114. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (23) blocks the shot of Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes (40) in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. The Kings won 130-114. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler (24) grabs a rebound over Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (10) in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. The Kings won 130-114. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
Utah Jazz guard Talen Horton-Tucker (5) drives on Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (10) in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. The Kings won 130-114. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
Utah Jazz coach Will Hardy watches in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. The Kings won 130-114. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
Former Olympic snowboarder and skateboarder Shaun White watches the Jazz game in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. The Kings won 130-114. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler (24) drives on Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13) in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. The Kings won 130-114. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (23) reacts after a basket against the Sacramento Kings in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. The Kings won 130-114. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
Utah Jazz guard Collin Sexton (2) competes for the ball with Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (10) in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. The Kings won 130-114. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (10) gets tangled up with Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler (24) in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. The Kings won 130-114. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (23) dunks against the Sacramento Kings in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
Utah Jazz guard Collin Sexton (2) gets tangled up with Sacramento Kings guard Davion Mitchell (15) in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
Utah Jazz guard Collin Sexton (2) is blocked by Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (10) in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
Importantly, Hardy also noted that this decision was not based on who was "better," but rather what players made sense together.
Collin Sexton and Kris Dunn subbed in after Horton-Tucker, but rookie Keyonte George also was brought in during the first quarter.
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Of those four guards (Horton-Tucker, Sexton, Dunn and George), the rookie had the best game and he earned 19 minutes in his NBA debut because of it.
"Keyonte stayed on the floor because I thought he was playing well," Hardy said. "I think Keyonte is a good player. I think we have high expectations for Keyonte and his future. But in no way are we going into these games just saying 'Hey, we're gonna play Keyonte to play Keyonte. "I thought that he was reading the game well and he made some really good decisions."
That's what this team needs. They need a point guard that reads the game well and is able to make good decisions while still being able to score. They need a reliable guard who is able to feel out the flow of the game, make sure that everyone is involved and that things don't get too chaotic, and who doesn't get into too many iso situations.
Unfortunately for Horton-Tucker and Sexton, they don't come across as that kind of player. But George does, and he showed a lot of confidence and readiness on a night that he should have been nervous and jittery.
"To be completely honest with you, I feel like I belong," George said after the game. "Since we've been playing (in summer and preseason) I think that was the most comfortable I've ever been in an NBA basketball game."
Considering that this was the first time George was playing in an NBA game in which the result mattered and that he was facing a pretty experienced team, George's confidence is impressive and it bodes well.
Hardy said he liked the idea of Dunn playing with George because the rookie could learn a lot from Dunn. One game does not provide enough data for the Jazz to base decisions on. And honestly, you don't want Hardy and his staff to be reactionary. But if things continue like this, George is going to need to take on a larger role, and he'll deserve it, just like he did on night one.
