Jazz reflect on tough season, look to the future

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4 Sports) - The Utah Jazz finished the 2024-25 season not with just the worst record in the NBA, but the worst in franchise history.At 17-65, Jazz fans are extremely frustrated, but the Jazz brass insist brighter days are ahead."I think it's natural to be frustrated," Jazz general manager Justin Zanik said Monday.

"I think the entire organization, we're all competitive and want to win as many games as possible. The main goal of this organization is to open up a championship window. Yes, there's growing pains.



There's tough nights and tough moments."It was especially tough on the veterans like Lauri Markkanen and Jordan Clarkson, who are in a win-now mentality. But they understand the long term goals.

Jazz close out season with 116-105 loss at Minnesota"It's always hard when you're not winning games," said Markkanen, who averaged 19 points in just 47 games this season. "You just keep putting in the work, and kind of not lose your mind about when you do have some of those tough losses. You have to still look at the big picture.

""Of course, a little frustration can set in," said Clarkon, who played in just 37 games this year. "I would love to be playing meaningful basketball and winning games. Would I love to do that here, for sure.

"The Jazz also say they learned from going through so much adversity in a season in which they lost 21 of its last 23 games."You really only can appreciate those moments of glory or when you do well, when you've been through tough times," said Walker Kessler, who led the NBA with 2.4 blocks per game.

There were some bright spots on the team this season. Whether it was Keyonte George scoring a career-high 35 points off the bench, or Isaiah Collier breaking the Jazz rookie assist record, or Kyle Filipowki's 13 double-doubles, the Jazz did show glimpses of the future."There were a lot of positives that came from this season," Zanik said.

"It was tough with wins and losses, but the development of our young players, I couldn't be more proud of our coaching staff."Thunder crush Jazz in home finale, 145-111"My confidence continued to grow throughout the season," Collier said. "Especially when I got to play more, and I feel like, it's a blessing for me to be able to play that much as a rookie.

""Yes, we have a losing record and we're not making the playoffs," Filipowski said. "But what can we still do? What can I still do everyday is to get better and get to our long term goal."With so many assets in hand, Zanik will look at free agent and trade opportunities to speed up the rebuilding process.

But it's really all about this year's NBA Draft. On May 12th, the Jazz will find out where they will pick in the draft. They have a 14 percent chance at the #1 overall selection for the first time ever.

"I'm excited about adding another good young player to our group, possibly two," Zanik said. "We do have two first round picks this year. If there is a great opportunity out there to quote unquote speed it up, we have the ability to do that.

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