Who is expected to start, rotate in, on opening night for 2024-25 Jazz

The NBA preseason is not always the best place to look when trying to get a glimpse at what a team can be in the future, even the near future. But there are definitely things that happen in the preseason that can be foreshadowing and in the case of the Utah Jazz, we learned a lot about what to expect as far as rotations are concerned.
In five of the Jazz’s six preseason contests the starting lineup was Lauri Markkanen, Keyonte George, Collin Sexton, Walker Kessler and Taylor Hendricks. The only time this differed was in San Antonio, when Markkanen and George were sidelined and watching in street clothes. This is the starting lineup that fans should expect on opening night and for the foreseeable future.
This means that John Collins and Jordan Clarkson have been moved to the bench. For Clarkson, this is familiar territory. He had the best season of his career as a sixth man and has made a name for himself in that role, while also proving that he can be an effective starter. But, for Collins, this is a big change.
On media day, Collins said that starting was really important to him, not really knowing what the rotations would look like for the 2024-25 season.
“I love being a starter, appreciate and value being a career starter outside of my first year,” he said. “It’s definitely something that I hold dear, for sure.”
But as Wednesday’s season opener nears and it’s become clear that Collins will be coming off the bench, the seven-year veteran is starting to wrap his mind around his new role.
“I wouldn’t say it’s the biggest deal but like I said before, it does matter, it’s something I feel like I’ve worked for and earned,” Collins said this week. “But part of what makes me a great pro is my flexibility and ability to continue to be a pro regardless of circumstances and situations. That’s what I’m going to continue to do and I’m going to continue playing like a starter as well. You know, I gotta do what I gotta do.”
The switch to moving Hendricks and Kessler into the starting lineup is one that aligns with the Jazz’s philosophy of the 2024-25 season — prioritizing development in order to evaluate what they have in their seven players who are 23 years old or younger.
Hendricks averaged a team-high 25.6 minutes per game in the preseason, and after a rookie season that was largely spent in the G League, is poised to be announced in the starting lineup on opening night.
“Nothing more than blessed,” Hendricks said. “Just seeing where I was a year ago, the first game, and not really getting many reps in practice and just hoping that I see the floor. So to have a 180 change to now is a blessing.”
The starting lineup could definitely evolve and change throughout the season and with injuries, rest and anything else that happens, Jazz coach Will Hardy will adapt and give opportunity to other players.
More often than not Collins has been the first sub off the bench, along with rookie Cody Williams, and that’s a trend that I think will continue into the regular season.
Hardy has praised Hendricks and Williams as being the Jazz’s best on-ball defenders throughout the preseason and the way that Williams has shown his readiness despite his age has earned him regular minutes. Additionally, in the Jazz’s most competitive preseason game, Williams was on the court in the closing lineup. While starting lineups can tell us a lot about direction and approach, closing lineups often are more telling when it comes to trust and potential.
Rounding out the Jazz’s expected 10-man rotation, alongside Clarkson, Collins and Williams are Brice Sensabaugh and Isaiah Collier. There could be some variance here depending on opponent, certain matchups, and even progress behind the scenes. For the final spots we could see some of Johnny Juzang, rookie Kyle Filipowski or Drew Eubanks. But, those final three players are kind of on the fringes of the rotation.
We’re probably not going to see a lot of Svi Mykhailiuk, who seems to be more of an insurance player on the roster than anything else, and Patty Mills isn’t going to feature prominently in the rotation, though his role on this roster is incredibly valuable, especially in the locker room.
Two-way players Micah Potter, Oscar Tshiebwe and Jason Preston will spend a lot of their time with the SLC Stars this season, but Hardy is going to feel really comfortable calling up Potter should injuries arise for the Jazz’s front court.
It wouldn’t be surprising if Filipowski was sent to the Stars on assignments this season, much like Sensabaugh and Hendricks last year. I also wouldn’t be shocked if Collier spent a little bit of time with the Stars. If it starts to get harder to find some minutes here and there for Collier, it might make sense to get him some extra run with the Stars, so he’s at least getting a decent amount of reps. But that’s something that will be made more clear in the next couple of weeks.
Of course, the biggest caveat to all of this is that nothing is written in stone. The Jazz could make moves that change the makeup of the roster, injuries can impact minute distribution and players can earn or lose minutes. But as things stand, this is what fans should expect in the early days of the season.