The Utah Jazz have made some lineup changes, taking two crucial players out of the rotation.
We’re approaching the halfway mark of the NBA season, which means the majority of the league’s lineups and significant players have shifted. For the Utah Jazz, it’s taken some trial and error, but their recent lineup has looked fantastic.
Their starting lineup of Kris Dunn, Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen, Kelly Olynyk, and John Collins has resulted in a 5-1 record over the last six games, putting them just behind the Los Angeles Lakers for the 11th spot in the Western Conference, only a half-game away from a Play-In Tournament appearance.
Nonetheless, their recent rotational switch-up has left a handful of individuals short on opportunities. Given the Jazz’s tremendously deep roster, it’s likely that a few players may forego playing time that they would otherwise receive. Now that this roster is totally healthy, which has been difficult to come by this season, we can finally see things begin to develop.
Here are two Jazz players that have seen a decrease in minutes over their recent stints of games:
Talen Horton-Tucker
Talen Horton-Tucker has had a difficult few months this season, going from being the team’s first-day starter to logging a couple DNP-CDs in Utah’s most recent run. He has played zero minutes in eight of the Jazz’s last ten games. He played a total of 18 minutes on the floor throughout the course of two games.
However, the Jazz have achieved significant success even without Horton-Tucker in the lineup. Utah has won all eight games while not in the lineup. With this run of success, it’s difficult to imagine him resuming his major role from earlier in the season; if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Horton-Tucker’s first half of the season has been marred by bad shooting splits at high volume when given the opportunity. He’s only shot 41.1% from the field and 33.3% from deep while ranking fifth on the team in shooting attempts.
His long-term situation on this team is something to keep an eye on as the trade deadline approaches next month. He’s due to become a free agent this summer, so it wouldn’t be surprising if an opposing team took a chance on THT mid-season to see if he still has promise as a future lead guard.
Taylor Hendricks
Taylor Hendricks’ rookie season has been a roller coaster so far. After being taken ninth overall in the 2023 NBA Draft, fans may have expected the lottery pick to play a key part in his debut season for a franchise that was continuing to establish its youth movement.
That is still not the case after 38 games. Hendricks has played 11 games, totaling 175 minutes. Instead, he has spent the most of his time in the G League with the Salt Lake City Stars. It’s unusual to see a player as highly drafted as Taylor banished to the league’s lesser levels, but that’s the course head coach Will Hardy and the rest of the executive office have opted to take.
During his time in the NBA, Hendricks had some promising signs of being a top-tier talent. However, gaining more experience is critical for his development and should be at the top of this team’s priorities. The G-League potential is appealing, yet there is a wide range of quality when compared to the league’s elite players.
With the trade deadline approaching, it’s likely that the Jazz may trade a few older players on the roster to give their youthful prospects more playing time, including rookie wing Brice Sensabaugh. When considering where this Utah club stands in the great scheme of things, it’s definitely the best move to make.
