Fans get an up-close look at Jazz during open scrimmage

The Utah Jazz opened the doors of the Delta Center to fans on Saturday morning.

At no cost, fans were able to watch the Jazz players at their annual open scrimmage while also taking in some on-court interviews with various players, as well as comments from head coach Will Hardy.

After the full roster was introduced to the crowd, Hardy addressed the fans, promising a gritty and hardworking Jazz team for the 2023-24 season.

“We’re tough,” Hardy said. “We’re going to represent this fanbase well.”

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Unfortunately, Kris Dunn was sick and wasn’t able to participate in the scrimmage, but his presence was still felt. As different players were interviewed on the sideline, they were asked who the loudest player in the locker room is, who the toughest player on the team is and who the funniest player on the team is, and without hesitation everyone answered with Dunn’s name.

Then, when Lauri Markkanen was asked what the best part of being in Utah was he kept the trend rolling.

“Kris Dunn is pretty good,” Markkanen quipped with a laugh before turning his attention to the fans. “The people, the fans, being outside … the mountains make you feel good. Everything here is great.”

Many fans were able to get autographs and photos with Hardy and several players. At one point, John Collins played rock-paper-scissors with a young fan in the crowd. Later, Walker Kessler and Hardy got in on the rock-paper-scissors action, too.

At the end of the event, Jordan Clarkson called the rookies Taylor Hendricks, Keyonte George and Brice Sensabaugh to center court where they were instructed to put on some dance moves for the fans. Laughs were had and everyone enjoyed the show.

Though the scrimmage was not the most competitive game ever played on the court at the Delta Center, the fans were treated to some fun highlight plays and up-close interactions with players.