2014-15 NBA Season Preview: Utah Jazz

Welcome to theScore's preview of the 2014-15 Utah Jazz. Visit our preseason hub for previews of all 30 NBA teams.

Utah Jazz

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2013-14

Losing is all part of the plan for the Utah Jazz. They're in the midst of a rebuild and, while they've yet to unearth an elite talent, there's hope in Utah that the Jazz can soon return to their once-customary level of success.

Last season was about developing the team's young prospects. Although their progress didn't necessarily translate into wins, the improvements made by the young trio of Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter and Gordon Hayward were encouraging. Favors developed into a quality rim-protector, Kanter's post-game expanded out to the mid-post and Hayward flashed the ability to distribute and initiate offense.

The problem for the Jazz, is that none of their prospects have yet to develop into truly elite players. Favors remains limited offensively, Kanter is still too slow to play solid defense and a heavier workload caused Hayward's efficiency numbers to drop. Utah finished with the worst record in the Western Conference for a reason.

Offseason Roundup

The biggest question mark for the Jazz going into the offseason was the status of Hayward, who entered the market as a restricted free agent. Hayward was challenged to shop around for a deal, and found a taker in the Charlotte Hornets. But the Jazz matched Charlotte's maximum offer, thus inking Hayward for the long haul.

With Hayward in tow, the Jazz let go of a trio of useful veteran wings in Marvin Williams, Brandon Rush and Richard Jefferson. They also added sharpshooter Steve Novak in a salary-dump trade with the Toronto Raptors, and filled out the remainder of their roster with fringe D-League players.

The Jazz hired head coach Quin Snyder to oversee their rebuilding efforts. Snyder hails from the collegiate ranks, and has a strong reputation for play calling and player development. The hope is that Snyder helps foster the development of existing and incoming talent.

Arrivals

PF Trevor Booker (2/$9.8M)
SG Carrick Felix (trade)
*SG Gordon Hayward (4/$63M)
PG Toure' Murry (2/$2 million)
SF Steve Novak (trade)

*Re-signed

Departures

PG Diante Garrett (trade)
SF Richard Jefferson (free agency)
PG John Lucas III (trade)
PF Erik Murphy (trade)
SF Brandon Rush (free agency)
PF Malcolm Thomas (trade)
PF Marvin Williams (free agency)

2014 Draft

PG Dante Exum (1st round, 5th overall)
SG Rodney Hood (1st round, 23rd overall)

The Jazz surprised many with their selection of Exum with the fifth pick in the 2014 draft. Utah already had an incumbent in Trey Burke - one of the team's lone bright spots last season - entrenched at point guard, and it's unclear as to whether the two can coexist.

But it's not hard to see why the Jazz were enamored with Exum. The Australian point guard is just 19 years old and stands 6-foot-6. Not much is known about his play and he struggled in brief stretches in the Las Vegas Summer League. Exum, though, has the size and athleticism to develop into a dynamic guard.

Hood, on the other hand, is a promising sharpshooter. The 6-foot-8 wing impressed at Duke last season, averaging 16.1 points and 3.9 rebounds while connecting on 42 percent of his 3-pointers. Hood needs to fill out his slim frame, but has the potential to be an athletic spot-up shooter on the wing.

Starting 5

• PG Trey Burke
• SG Alec Burks
• SF Gordon Hayward
• PF Derrick Favors
• C Enes Kanter

Breakout Player: Enes Kanter

Due to the changing expectations for bigs around the league, post-up players of Kanter's ilk are becoming increasingly rare. Kanter is too slow to effectively defend outside the paint and can't stretch the floor on offense.

Kanter is a throwback big. He's a load to handle in the post and has good touch with either hand around the basket. After a disappointing rookie campaign, Kanter managed to push his points-per-game average to 12.3 last season. He drew the occasional double-team and even flashed signs of a reliable mid-range jumper.

This upcoming year will be a pivotal one for Kanter. He's entering the fourth year of his career, and his continued development could help him land a long-term extension. His skillset is an awkward fit alongside Favors, though, as the jumper-deficient pairing kills interior spacing. But if Kanter continues to hone his shot, the situation could work itself out. 

Season Expectations

Realistically, there's no chance that Utah improves enough to qualify for the playoffs this season. The Jazz are too young and the West is too tough.

Much like last season, the Jazz will be looking for their prospects to improve. A huge breakout season by one of the team's young talents will help clarify Utah's path going forward. As of now, the Jazz appear to have too many solid, albeit not quite elite talents on the roster. 

Snyder, entering his first season as an NBA head coach, faces the challenge of developing a handful of budding talents.

One to Follow on Social Media

For a 19-year-old, Exum has good stage presence, as evidenced by his commercials. His tweets are few and far between, but he has a good sense of humor. This is another way of saying that Utah's players are pretty boring.