Infernal Affairs 2.0! A secret battle between father and son! How will the Jazz go in the new season?

For the NBA, if we say which team is the strongest in recent years, this is a difficult question to decide; but if we say which team ranks first in terms of bad performance, it must be the Utah Jazz.

The Jazz last season really stopped pretending. They had a complete showdown at the beginning of the season, but the result was embarrassing. After losing desperately for a whole year, they finally managed to sit at the bottom of the Western Conference. However, they were slapped by fate during the lottery. They didn't even get the top three picks, and only got the fifth pick.

In all kinds of embarrassing situations, the question arises:

In the new season, should the Jazz try to win, or continue to mess up without any limit?

To answer this question, you need to look back at the 2024-25 season. The Utah Jazz secretly staged an NBA version of Infernal Affairs. On the surface, the team said it wanted to train young people and train for the future, but in fact, every game seemed to be controlling the situation. It was obvious that the team had a certain level of combat power, but it could not win too much. In the end, it slid steadily into the bottom of the Western Conference.

Last season, their offense ranked sixth from the bottom in the league, and their defense was even worse. But even if they performed well enough, they only got Ace Bailey in the end.

Of course, the talent of this rookie still exists. Before the draft, various voices even regarded him as a combination of McGrady + Durant, but the question comes back:

Have the Jazz really established a new young master?

From a long-term perspective, the answer may still be undetermined. But what's more troublesome is that their first round this year comes with a top-eight protection clause. Once they have a good record in developing rookies, this pick is likely to be taken away directly by the Thunder.

In short, for the Jazz in the new season, they are facing an embarrassing situation. If they want to develop rookies, they may win, but if they win, they may lose; but if they continue to lose, years of bad performance will likely attract fans' opinions.

Based on the changes in the team's lineup during the offseason, Clarkson, Sexton, and Collins, the main offensive players, have left the team one after another, and have been joined by veterans such as Kyle Lee, Love, and Nurkic, as well as a number of young people in the draft.

From this perspective, it is very much like transforming a team that mainly focuses on scoring points into a transmission and control laboratory overnight. Coach Hardy's philosophy happens to be to pass more passes, run more, and pursue offensive space. What he relies on is not individual singles, but a stable system.

But there is another question: Who will control the field in the new season? Who will break through?

Clarkson is gone, and Sexton is gone. The current Jazz guard line seems to be the only rookie who can serve as an outside breakthrough and attack the basket. However, judging from his rookie season, his organizational ability is online, but his three-point shooting is basically non-existent, and the defensive end is also good and bad.

But Collier is only 21 years old after all, and his future potential is on the line. If he can really develop a stable outside line, the Jazz's offensive situation has a chance to take on a new look. However, before that, the Jazz's weakness still exists. They lack a core point guard who can create a threat.

From a coaching perspective, although the team's record has been poor in recent years, coach Hardy's coaching ability is definitely worthy of recognition. His tactical ideas are modern. His philosophy is that everyone can open up space, execute passes and transfer the ball. This kind of offense is indeed much better than many bad teams, but in the final analysis it is still too systematic. It has an offensive system but no offensive threat. The players can stably execute every link, but at the critical moment of the game, they lack the person who can execute the key shot.

Compared with the offense with a huge gap between the upper and lower limits, the Jazz's defense may actually give people some hope.

Ace, Hendricks, and Cody Williams, three young forwards are on the court, and their defensive coverage can almost cover the top of the key to the bottom corner. In addition, Kessler guards the interior, and Love and Lee Kyle rely on game experience to assist in the sweep. This lineup, at least on paper, has enough defensive potential to be worth looking forward to.

But the question is, do the Jazz dare to really defend with all their strength?

Once the defensive intensity stabilizes, the team's record will also have the opportunity to rise, but this will touch the Jazz's red line for failure. This is also the embarrassment of the Jazz in the new season.

As for Hardy, this is an underrated coach. In recent seasons, he could obviously lead the team to win more goals, but he was forced to perform poorly. Players are traded when they are in good form. If the team wins too much, the management passively rests the core lineup. Judging from these bad seasons, as long as Hardy can be given a complete lineup, he will definitely be able to win 50 games. This may be why the Jazz are willing to offer him a long-term contract until 2031.

In today's league, there are really not many coaches worth such a long contract. From this perspective, Hardy is young enough, has ideas, and is bold enough to use new players. If the Jazz really decides to go all out one day in the future, Hardy will definitely be able to turn these young people into a new iron army.

The last team management team, since Danny Ainge took office, the old fox has always been known for his sophistication. During the offseason, his son Austin Ainge officially took over as the new general manager of operations for the Jazz. But there seem to be differences between the father and son duo. Father Danny Ainge insists on hoarding draft picks, while son Austin Ainge declared as soon as he took office that "the team will never mess up."

As soon as this statement came out, it was indeed enough to arouse the fans' response. However, judging from recent seasons, it is not credible to say that it is not a bad show. There is still a question mark if it is true.

From the perspective of team building strategy, the Jazz have not yet reached the stage of fully impacting the playoffs. They still need high-ranking newcomers to supplement their talent.

Austin’s positive speech sounds more like a public relations method to appease fans.. After all, he is Danny Ainge's son. Whether he will talk about winning like his father, but still secretly lose and mess up, depends on the tacit understanding between him and coach Hardy.

From the perspective of fans, if you want to know whether the Jazz are playing for real or fake in the new season, it may not be difficult to judge. Refer to two basic data:

One is the team's defensive efficiency ranking; the other is Markkanen's playing time.

In the past two years, the Jazz's defensive efficiency has been at the bottom of the league. If the defense can be improved in the new season, and if Markkanen, as the team's first core, can fill up his attendance and playing time in the new season, it will basically mean that the team is starting to get serious.

But if injuries and accidents occur frequently, then the script will be obvious.

To sum up, for the Utah Jazz in the new season, the biggest attraction of this team is not on the court, but in the minds of the traders. The team must find a balance between reconstruction and competition. It must cultivate new players without losing too obviously. It must win the trust of fans while retaining future opportunities.

This is a bet that is patient enough. Maybe they will experience another trough, or usher in the first glimmer of light in the rise of new players. For coach Hardy, Angie and his son, and even the entire Utah fans, the new season is a challenge.

From the perspective of fans, the Jazz are not afraid of another year of bad performance, but what they are afraid of is that they will never be able to make a bad future.

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