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  "path": "/sports/2026/06/06/utah-jazz-starting-five-who-will-make-the-cut/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-06-06T22:15:12.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.deseret.com",
  "tags": [
    "Jazz Insiders",
    "a contractual agreement with Walker Kessler",
    "Jaren Jackson Jr.",
    "Lauri Markkanen",
    "Keyonte George",
    "Ace Bailey",
    "AJ Dybantsa corrects former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas: ‘Utah’s also not a city’",
    "Darryn Peterson",
    "AJ Dybantsa",
    "Jordan Clarkson returns home to San Antonio for NBA Finals, but with the Knicks",
    "A look at Cam Boozer and Caleb Wilson as potential No. 2 picks",
    "The Jazz are unlikely to trade up for the No. 1 pick — and they shouldn’t",
    "Deseret News",
    "Silver says Clippers investigations needs to wrap up",
    "Fan gets lifetime ban after storming court",
    "Spurs reached the Finals ahead of schedule"
  ],
  "textContent": "_This article was first published as the_ Jazz Insiders_newsletter. Sign up to receive the newsletter in your inbox each Friday._\n\nNo matter who the Utah Jazz end up taking with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, they are going to have a bit of a dilemma on their hands: Who will make up the 2026-27 starting five?\n\nAssuming the Jazz come to a contractual agreement with Walker Kessler (which it is assumed they will), the starting five would definitely include him, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Lauri Markkanen. That leaves room for two more players, and there will be three players vying for those spots — Keyonte George, Ace Bailey and the incoming 2026 draft pick.\n\nThis is a luxury of a problem.\n\nHaving either a No. 2 pick, No. 5 pick or the No. 16 pick, who just had a breakout third season, as the first man off the bench is a great place to be, especially considering where the Jazz were for the last four years.\n\nAJ Dybantsa corrects former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas: ‘Utah’s also not a city’\n\nThere are a number of the ways the Jazz could approach making a decision about who will start, and there are a number of factors that will go into that decision-making process.\n\nPosition will matter. Are the Jazz going to pick Darryn Peterson? And if so, are they going to want him to play point guard or at the two spot? Are they taking AJ Dybantsa? How would the BYU star fit alongside the rest of the frontcourt?\n\nThe readiness of the incoming rookie will also matter. It would not surprise me at all if the season started with the newest draft pick on the bench and then changed once he got some NBA reps.\n\nOne thing that could also play a role is going to be where Kessler is post-surgery recovery-wise. By all accounts, he is well-recovered, looking at a healthy offseason and will be 100% ready to go, but he hasn’t played NBA ball for an entire season, so there might be some ramp-up time for the center, depending on how he’s feeling and how cautious the Jazz want to be with him.\n\nNo matter what, the Jazz are going to have to make a tough decision with one of their young players, but it’s a great spot for the team to be in that these are the kinds of problems they’re facing as we look ahead to the 2026-27 season.\n\n### New with the Jazz\n\nJordan Clarkson returns home to San Antonio for NBA Finals, but with the Knicks\n\n### From the archives\n\nA look at Cam Boozer and Caleb Wilson as potential No. 2 picks\n\nThe Jazz are unlikely to trade up for the No. 1 pick — and they shouldn’t\n\n### Extra points\n\n  * AJ Dybantsa certain he will be the No. 1 pick in June NBA draft (Deseret News)\n  * What to make of NBA’s attempt to curb tanking (Deseret News)\n  * The curious case of Darryn Peterson (Deseret News)\n\n\n\n### Around the league\n\n  * NBA commissioner Adam Silver says Clippers investigations needs to wrap up soon\n  * Fan gets lifetime ban after storming court for selfie in Game 1 of Finals\n  * How the San Antonio Spurs reached the Finals ahead of schedule\n\n\n\n### Up next\n\n  * NBA Draft | First round | June 23 | 6 p.m. | ABC/ESPN\n  * NBA Draft | Second round | June 24 | 6 p.m. | ESPN\n\n",
  "title": "Starting lineup decisions loom for Jazz"
}