Jazz open up practice scrimmages to fans in Hawaii to get a sneak peek at the 2023-24 team

LAIE, Hawaii — For two days, the Utah Jazz players, coaches, medical, training and support staff have been able to take three large busses onto the BYU-Hawaii campus, take over the Cannon Activities Center for their training camp practices and depart quietly without much fanfare.

That changed on Thursday when the Jazz opened up the gym to students and community members to watch the team close out their Thursday practice with a short series of scrimmages.

A line wrapped around the building before the gym was opened up. There were students from Hawaii, Jordan Clarkson fans from the Philippines, fans from Utah that happened to be on Oahu, and NBA fans from the islands that don’t often get a chance to see players up close.

“Being up here on the North Shore at BYU Hawaii, they’ve been really, really great to let us into their space and they’ve been unbelievably hospitable,” Jazz head coach Will Hardy said. “We wanted to make sure that we returned the favor, show them a little bit of love ... It always gives a little bit different energy to the to the gym when there’s fans. So to let them in at the end of practice, watch the scrimmage, it gave our guys a much needed boost on the third day.”

The Jazz will have another chance to give back to the Hawaiian community on Sunday when the Los Angeles Clippers host the opening preseason game at the University of Hawaii. Proceeds from that game will go to the Maui Strong Fund to benefit wildfire relief in Lahaina, Maui.

But in between the charitable events and soaking up rays on the beaches of the North Shore, the Jazz are hard at work trying to work out some kinks before the 2023-24 season begins.

Related

• ‘Way, way, way different’: Jazz rookies receive wake-up call as training camp kicks off

• How the mental expectations for Walker Kessler have changed

• Brave new world: Jazz players will be asked to take on new roles, responsibilities

While post-practice scrimmages are not the most competitive versions of NBA basketball, there are still things that can be gleaned from being able to see them. For example, the fact that Lauri Markkanen did not seem to be exerting himself much during the run on Thursday and didn’t stay on the court long was not surprising and doesn’t mean anything. He’s cemented as the No. 1 option on this team.

But, the fact that Keyonte George started out the scrimmages with the first team — alongside Markkanen, Walker Kessler, John Collins — lined up next to Talen Horton-Tucker, is something to examine.

This probably doesn’t mean that George and Horton-Tucker are going to be the starting backcourt for the Jazz. Instead, it signals that the Jazz are trying out every combination possible with their starters to see what works. That means Collin Sexton and Kris Dunn playing together, Dunn and George, Clarkson and Sexton, and so on.

It’s also interesting to watch the players who are fighting for a spot on this roster and in the rotation. Luka Samanic, Johnny Juzang, Simone Fontecchio and Brice Sensabaugh all seemed like they were running through the games on Thursday at full steam (with Juzang and Samanic both playing very well), hoping to prove they deserve a chance.

Some of the more highlight worthy moments from the open scrimmage included Ochai Agbaji dunking on Kessler with authority, George showing off his speed and ability to finish at the rim, Samanic being able to score from all three levels and then all the players sticking around to sign autographs and take pictures with the fans.