Utah’s newest star arrived in Salt Lake City with dreams of future playoff runs with the Jazz.
“My goal is to come here and win a championship,” Jaren Jackson Jr. said. “And when you look at who we have, I just really like what I see.”
But before chasing a championship, the Jazz have one more objective to take care of: locking down their top-eight-protected pick in this year’s NBA draft lottery.
That draft prospect, the Jazz believe, could be the final piece to their newly formed playoff puzzle.
In the meantime, though, the Jazz will have to deal with allegations of tanking.
On Thursday, the team announced Jackson would undergo knee surgery. He could miss the rest of the season, according to one report.
With the two-time All-Star on the floor, the Jazz had been too good to lose and keep their pick. When Jackson did play, head coach Will Hardy simply benched the former Defensive Player of the Year in the fourth quarter.
Jackson scored at least 20 points in three quarters in each of his three games with the Jazz. He then watched the final frame from the sideline. Utah won two of those three games.
How did Jackson feel about the move?
“I mean, as a player, you always want to be out there,” he said. “But if you’re out in the first quarter, out in the second quarter, third or fourth, you just have to make an impact when you’re in the game.
“That’s what you have to focus on,” he continued. “If you focus on when you’re not out there, you’re going to struggle as a player. If you’re a rookie, a young guy, and you wanted to play in the first half but you didn’t, you play in the third. All that comes into play, man. This is my eighth year, so stuff always is getting thrown at me.”
For now, Jackson is toeing the company line — even if others are upset.
One NBA analyst, ESPN’s Bobby Marks, said it was hurting the “integrity of the NBA.”
“I think what Utah is doing right now is messing around with the integrity of the NBA,” he said this week. “The ability to sit players, starters, in the fourth quarter and now call timeouts [is hurting the NBA].”
That is the present for the Jazz.
But in the future, Jackson remains optimistic.
While in Memphis, he made the playoffs four times and went to the conference semifinals. Now, he sees the bones of a playoff team in Utah.
Being paired with a massive front court — including 7-footers Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler — Jackson thinks size will be a distinct advantage.
“There’s not much he can’t do on the floor,” Jackson said of Markkanen. “You can’t go under [ball screens], he puts the ball on the floor. You have to respect him. When you’re driving at him, you have to make a choice. Stay home, or it’s kind of lights out.”
How are teams going to defend such a big lineup?
“I mean, it’s a blessing to be on this side of it. How could I guard it?” he joked.
One day, that will be a headache for opposing coaches in the fourth quarter as the Jazz try to win.
But for now, there will be waiting and dreaming about the future.
