Patrick Kinahan: Roles reversed, Jazz aspire to mirror Thunder
by Patrick Kinahan ksl · KSL.comKEY TAKEAWAYS
- The Utah Jazz aim to emulate the Oklahoma City Thunder's rebuilding success.
- The Thunder, with top draft picks, demolished the Jazz 146-111 on Sunday.
- Jazz management hopes to replicate Thunder's strategy for future championship contention.
SALT LAKE CITY — Harken back to a time the roles were reversed when the reigning NBA champions languished in full rebuild mode.
At that time, the Jazz were striving for a deep run in the playoffs in what would be the last time before breaking up. If nothing else, the current plight of each respective team proves that four years is a long time in professional sports.
The contrast between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Utah Jazz then and now was on full display during Sunday's game that was not competitive. The Thunder scored 146 points, demolishing the Jazz by 35 points.
With the best record in the regular season, OKC is eyeing a second consecutive championship. The Jazz, meanwhile, are three games away from repeating as the team with the worst record in the Western Conference.
As the Jazz try to emerge from a four-year building process, they can look to the Thunder for inspiration. Not that long ago, with a murky future, the Thunder were where the Jazz currently reside.
On April 6, 2022, the Jazz walloped the Thunder by 36 points. Four years ago, the defending champs, who won their first NBA title last June, went 24-58 and finished 14th in the Western Conference in Mark Daigneault's second year as the coach.
The roster that struggled that year featured incumbent MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luguentz Dort, neither of whom played in the game. Jaylen Hoard led OKC in scoring with 23 points, followed by 18 points apiece from Isaiah Roby and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl.
Included on the inactive list for the game was former Jazzman Derrick Favors, who played a significant role in management's decision to tank that season. As part of a trade to reacquire Favors, the Jazz will convey their first-round pick this June to the Thunder if it lands outside the top eight.
Two regular starters — Rudy Gobert and Bojan Bogdanovic — played for the Jazz. The other starters were Danuel House, Juancho Hernangomez and Trent Forrest.
One season removed from owning the NBA's best record, the Jazz won 49 games and lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the first round to mark another disappointing end. Believing the team had run its course, owner Ryan Smith and CEO Danny Ainge went about overhauling the roster fully aware several lean seasons were in store.
Gobert and fellow All Star Donovan Mitchell, who feuded with each other, were traded in the offseason to ignite the arduous rebuilding process that has continued into this season. Longtime coach Quin Synder also left, replaced by rookie head coach Will Hardy.
Fast forward to Sunday, one day short of exactly four years since the Jazz were prepping for the playoffs while the Thunder were finishing the second of three consecutive losing years. The Jazz, obviously, would love to follow the Thunder's path in winning the franchise's first championship in four years.
In building a contender, executive vice president and general manager Sam Presti cashed in on multiple first-round draft picks and augmented the team with a franchise-changing trade along with signing secondary free agents to fill various roles. The result has the team primed to contend for championships the next several years.
OKC's recent draft picks include two all-stars — Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams — who were selected the at No. 2 and No. 12, respectively, in separate drafts. Presti also signed Dort, who went undrafted after playing one season at Arizona State six years ago.
The crown jewel was acquiring Gilgeous-Alexander in a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers for Paul George and several draft picks. Gilgeous-Alexander, who was drafted No. 11 after his freshman season at Kentucky, played one year with the Clippers.
The Jazz, who likely will have a lottery pick this season, currently have six players on the roster drafted over the last three years. Their big trade landed Jaren Jackson, a two-time all-star who joined the team in February.
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.