MMBets: Are the Jazz Back?

Utah went 22-60 last season, but this roster looks completely different. They moved up to No. 2 in the draft. They landed Darryn Peterson, added Josh Green, Jaxson Hayes, and Josh Okogie, re-signed Jusuf Nurkić, and already had Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr., Ace Bailey, and Keyonte George in place. Peterson is obviously the biggest addition, but there is enough NBA talent here now that another sub-30-win season would be hard to understand.

The case for the over starts with Peterson. I have extremely high expectations for him immediately. Utah did not just draft another developmental prospect. They drafted one of the best shot-makers in the class and someone I think can impact winning from Day 1. Put him next to Ace Bailey, who now gets another year of development, and suddenly Utah has two legitimate young building blocks instead of just a collection of prospects.

Then there is Markkanen. Health has obviously been the issue, but when he plays, he is still exactly the kind of offensive player you want around Peterson. He can shoot, score without dominating the ball, and punish defenses that load up on a primary creator. Jaren Jackson Jr. gives them another proven frontcourt piece, and even though I don't love Keyonte George defensively, he averaged 23.6 points and 6.1 assists while shooting 37.1 percent from three. This roster has real scoring now.