JazzSmack

Lauri Markkanen and Kyle Filipowski return to the Utah Jazz lineup in preseason game number three against the Dallas Mavericks. Lauri played fine in limited minutes but Kyle appeared reasonably rusty since he hasn't played a real game since NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

Utah Jazz enter the season with an eye on developing the young roster of players and evaluating which players receive future Utah Jazz NBA contracts. Jazz are loaded with developmental prospects and as a result, playing time for some of the veteran players is likely spotty.

This preseason game against the Mavs was competitive in the first half but the team lacked energy in half number two and Dallas was able to pull away for a comfortable win.

Ace Bailey, Walter Clayton Jr. and Brice Sensabaugh of the Utah Jazz played very well against the San Antonio Spurs in a preseason NBA game in San Antonio Friday night. The two Utah Jazz rookies played big minutes and delivered with efficient shooting and nice all around games.

For the second game in a row, Ace Bailey and Brice Sensabaugh led the way in scoring for the Jazz. Brice finished with 26 points while shooting 6-13 from the field and 12-12 from the free throw line. Ace totaled 20 points on 8-13 shooting from the field, hauled in 7 rebounds and also recorded 2 steals. Terrific all around games for both young Utah Jazz players.

Walter Clayton Jr. also played superb basketball. Walt notched 20 points on 6-12 shooting, grabbed 5 rebounds and dished out 5 assists. His late fast break dunk was one of the highlight plays of the night for the Jazz.

Cody Williams also had a nice game after struggling in the first preseason game against the Houston Rockets. Cody scored 12 points on 4-8 shooting from the field and 3-4 from the free throw line. Code also grabbed 4 rebounds and added 2 assists.

Keyonte George also filled the stat sheet with 9 rebounds and 8 assists.

Utah Jazz kicked off their NBA preseason in Houston against the Rockets and it was the highly anticipated debut of Ace Bailey and the long awaited return from a horrific injury for Taylor Hendricks.

This was a game that saw the Jazz shoot lights out from the three point line. Ace Bailey led the way with 25 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. Brice Sensabaugh also shot lights out and scored 24 points on 9 - 15 shooting from the field.

It was very nice to see Taylor Hendricks return to the court and put in some good minutes while playing well. Taylor shot 4 - 8 from the three point line on his way to 15 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. All things considered, Hendricks looked great. It appears he has moved past the injury mentally and is playing better, more composed basketball than he ever has. Truly impressive start to his third year in the NBA with the Utah Jazz.

Keyonte George also played well for the Jazz in the starting point guard position. Keyonte racked up 9 assists with zero turnovers and shot the ball from the field very well. Keyonte went 7 - 11 from the field for 16 points.

Georges Niang makes his return to the Utah Jazz where he started his NBA career. This is certainly a positive move for Jazz basketball and gets the team an important locker room presence and a skilled ball mover on the court. This Utah Jazz roster has needed a positive veteran presence both on and off the court and Georges can certainly provide that type of leadership to this mostly young group of players. The Jazz also received a couple of second round picks in the trade and any additional draft capital, whether first or second round picks, is always beneficial. This was a good trade for the Utah Jazz.

Cody Williams had a difficult rookie NBA season with the Utah Jazz. Cody's basketball skills on the offensive end of the court remain a work-in-progress, but his size and athleticism should enable Cody to make some positive plays on the defensive side of the ball. The focus for this coming season, and where Cody Williams can be a positive impact, is on the defensive end. What must Cody do to be this type of positive defensive player for the Utah Jazz?

The Utah Jazz franchise currently has three point guard possibilities for this upcoming NBA basketball season: Isaiah Collier, Walter Clayton Jr., Keyonte George. Of the three, the most likely scenario is that Isaiah Collier and Walter Clayton Jr. receive the bulk of the minutes at the point guard position this upcoming Utah Jazz season. Isaiah Collier should be the leading candidate to start the season at point guard for the Utah Jazz but Walter Clayton Jr. should receive significant minutes at the point during the season. By season's end, the rotations and minutes allotments are more than likely substantially different from where they are at the beginning of the season.

Kyle had a good first year in the NBA while playing basketball with the Utah Jazz and he was just named the Summer League MVP in Las Vegas for all of the NBA Las Vegas Summer League players. Kyle was far and away the leading scorer in the NBA Las Vegas Summer League averaging 29.3 points per game on very good efficiency.

Kyle Filipowski has some terrific skills on the offensive end of the basketball court. His offensive skills are diverse and he can do most of what coaches ask. But the defensive end of the basketball court is where he needs to improve and become a net positive player.

Let's go through some video clips and make the case the Kyle's ability to be a good player, a big minutes player, on a good team.

Malik Beasley is being investigated for sports betting allegations on NBA games. In addition to the NBA gambling allegations, a number of lawsuits against Malik Beasley seeking monetary damages have also been made public. Malik has played for several NBA teams including the Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, and Detroit Pistons.

The United States Federal Government is currently investigating the gambling allegations and Malik no longer has an NBA contract for this coming NBA season.

Kyle Filipowski of the Utah Jazz led all of Las Vegas NBA Summer League in scoring with 29.3 points per game. He did this while shooting very well from both the field overall and from the three point line.

Cody Williams was also one of the leading scorers in the Las Vegas NBA Summer League. Overall, he was the 15th leading scorer in Las Vegas. Considering where Cody ended the last regular season, this is a positive step forward heading into fall camp with the Utah Jazz.

Walter Clayton Jr. and Kyle Filipowski led the Utah Jazz to its 3rd victory in 3 games in the Salt Lake City NBA Summer League. Walt and Kyle led the Jazz in scoring and Kyle also dominated on the glass with 15 rebounds, 7 of those on the offensive end.

This wraps up the NBA Summer League for the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City, the team now head to Las Vegas where all 30 NBA teams will participate in the Las Vegas NBA Summer League.