October 26, 2026
October 26, 2026
Utah Jazz’s 2025-26 Season: Fifty Points, a Fine and a Lottery Leap
The Jazz’s 2025-26 season was never about the standings. Utah entered the fourth year of its rebuild with a protected first-round pick, a roster full of prospects and a front office focused on the long game. The 22-60 record that followed looked bleak on paper. Underneath it, Lauri Markkanen produced a night not seen in Salt Lake City since Karl Malone, Keyonte George grew into a lead guard and a bold deadline trade reshaped the frontcourt. The year ended with a league fine, a crowded training room and a lottery jackpot that changed the franchise’s outlook.
Utah’s summer was built around youth and flexibility. The Jazz selected Rutgers forward Ace Bailey with the No. 5 pick, the highest selection of their rebuild to that point. They also added Illinois wing Will Riley at No. 21 and Florida State guard Jamir Watkins in the second round. On draft night, Utah sent the No. 18 rights away to land Florida guard Walter Clayton Jr., fresh off a national title run.
The veteran shuffle followed quickly. Collin Sexton went to Charlotte in exchange for center Jusuf Nurkić. Jordan Clarkson, a fixture of the previous era, reached a buyout and left for New York. A three-team deal brought Kyle Anderson and Kevin Love to Salt Lake City, while Georges Niang returned in a swap with Boston. Head coach Will Hardy stayed on for his fourth season, tasked with developing the kids rather than chasing wins.
The season’s first real gut punch arrived after only five games. Walker Kessler had started brilliantly, averaging 14.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks. He had even added a three-point shot, hitting six of eight attempts after making just 11 in his first three seasons. Then came the news on November 5. Kessler had a torn labrum in his left shoulder and needed surgery, as detailed in the NBA.com injury report. His season was over.
The loss stripped Utah of its defensive anchor. Nurkić and second-year big man Kyle Filipowski absorbed the minutes. Filipowski became one of the season’s quiet success stories, appearing in 77 games and averaging 11.4 points and 7.2 rebounds. Nurkić led the regulars with 10.4 rebounds per game and showed a playmaker’s touch from the high post.
Early in the schedule, Markkanen delivered the defining individual moment of the Jazz’s 2025-26 season. Phoenix came to Salt Lake City on October 27, and the game stretched into overtime. Markkanen refused to let it slip. He scored 51 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and went a perfect 17-for-17 from the free-throw line. His two free throws with 1.9 seconds left sealed a 138-134 win.
The number carried real history. According to the Associated Press recap, Markkanen became the first Jazz player to reach 50 points since Malone scored 56 against Golden State in April 1998. That gap spanned 2,155 regular-season games.
Markkanen kept scoring at an elite clip, averaging 26.7 points across 42 appearances. A right hip impingement shut him down after February, however, and he never returned.
With Markkanen sidelined for long stretches, Keyonte George seized control of the offense. The third-year guard averaged 23.6 points and 6.1 assists, a leap in both scoring and decision-making. His finest hour came on January 20 against Minnesota. Utah trailed late, but George poured in a career-high 43 points as the Jazz rallied for a 127-122 win. The victory was also the 100th of Hardy’s coaching career.
The wins were rare, but some arrived with flair. Utah outlasted Chicago 150-147 in double overtime on November 16 and beat Dallas 140-133 in overtime in December. The losses could be brutal. Charlotte handed the Jazz a 150-95 defeat on January 10, the low point of a winter spent near the bottom of the West.
Hardy’s group played fast, ranking third in the league in pace. The defense never caught up. Utah finished 29th in defensive rating, a reflection of a young roster and the absence of Kessler at the rim.
The front office made its boldest move of the rebuild on February 3. Utah acquired former Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. from Memphis, along with Jock Landale, John Konchar and Vince Williams Jr. The price was steep. Clayton, Anderson, Taylor Hendricks and Niang went to the Grizzlies along with several future first-round picks. Two days later, Utah added Lonzo Ball in a three-team deal and picked up Chris Boucher from Denver.
On the night of the Jackson trade, the depleted Jazz played in Indianapolis and produced one of their most improbable wins. With George, Love and Kessler unavailable, Utah dressed only seven players. Isaiah Collier played all 48 minutes and handed out 22 assists, the most by a Utah player since John Stockton in 1992. All seven players scored at least 14 points in a 131-122 victory.
The Jackson era stalled almost immediately. He averaged 22.3 points and 2.0 blocks in three games before doctors found a growth in his left knee. He underwent surgery during the All-Star break, ending his season before it truly began.
Utah’s approach to the stretch run soon drew scrutiny from the league office. On February 12, the NBA fined the Jazz $500,000 for violating its player participation policy. Markkanen and Jackson had sat out the fourth quarters of close games at Miami and at Orlando. The league’s ruling stated that both players were able to continue and the outcomes remained in doubt. Utah had won in Miami 115-111 but watched Orlando rally from 17 down to win 120-117.
The fine did little to change the trajectory. Utah was eliminated from playoff contention on March 18 after a 149-111 loss at Minnesota. One night later, Bailey offered a glimpse of the future with 33 points in a 128-96 rout of Milwaukee. A 10-game losing streak followed from March 21 to April 7.
The Jazz finished 22-60, five wins better than the year before. They tied Sacramento for the West’s worst record and lost the tiebreaker on conference record. That finish secured the fourth-best lottery odds and all but guaranteed Utah would keep its top-eight-protected pick.
The payoff arrived on May 10 in Chicago. Utah entered the draft lottery with an 11.5 percent chance at the top pick and climbed to No. 2, the first time the franchise had moved up the board with its own selection. The Deseret News lottery report captured the moment the long rebuild finally caught a break.
The individual development was just as meaningful. Bailey played 72 games, averaged 13.8 points and earned a spot on the All-Rookie Second Team. Collier grew into a true table-setter at 7.2 assists per game. Brice Sensabaugh added 14.9 points per game across 75 appearances. George’s rise convinced the front office to sign him to a five-year, $157.5 million extension the following September.
The Jazz’s 2025-26 season will never be remembered for its record. It will be remembered as the year the pieces started to fit. Markkanen proved he could still carry a scoring load, George became a franchise cornerstone and Bailey looked like a future star. Add Jackson’s return, a healthy Kessler and the No. 2 pick, and the outlook brightened considerably. The full statistical record on Basketball Reference tells the story of a painful year. For a fanbase that had waited four seasons for hope, that pain finally bought something real.
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