The Utah Jazz are just a few days away from tipping off their 2026-27 regular season campaign.
And in the days ahead of the Jazz officially starting up what should be an encouraging, much-different-looking season than years past in Utah, we’ve been able to capture a small glimpse of what their new-look rotation could look like on opening night through a handful of preseason showings.
And while preseason does offer a chance for new players to get adjusted and coaches to tweak certain lineups that they might want to run, signs are already beginning to point towards one player in Utah’s rotation sitting on the outside looking in when it comes to those early-season minutes.
The player? Recently-acquired guard Josh Green, who the Jazz traded for late in the offseason in exchange for Cody Williams.
Why Josh Green Might Not Have a Spot in the Rotation
Now really, it’s an indictment on Green as a player, who actually tends to have some redeeming qualities as a rotational wing who can defend and shoot from outside at a pretty solid level.
When Green was in Charlotte last season, he played 58 regular-season games for a little over 15 minutes a night to average 4.3 points and 1.8 rebounds while shooting 42.0% from three.
But the problem for Green in Utah is the fact that the Jazz have several different guards/wings competing for the same minutes that he is, while also being more integral parts of their overall roster.
Not only will the likes of Darryn Peterson and Ace Bailey take ahold of a good share of minutes that Green would be fighting for, but so will Brice Sensabaugh. The same can be said for Svi Mykhailiuk, as well as offseason addition Josh Okogie.
And on the surface, there’s a good chance that each of those aforementioned five players sits ahead of Green on the depth chart. The Jazz have invested more into each of them, they’ve been around longer than Green has, and the argument can be made that they’re simply better talents than what Green brings to the table.
The Jazz and their coaching staff appear to have recognized this as well, simply based on the reps seen in preseason. Green has logged a total of 20 minutes through two games played, in which he’s zero points, one rebound, one assist, and one steal.
Bottom Line
Therefore, there’s a chance that once we hit opening night, Green could be a pretty frequent DNP more than anything. Of course, if any injuries do arise over the course of the season––which they will––Green will be able to get his opportunities as a potential plug-and-play veteran on the wing.
But when this Jazz roster is fully healthy, Green doesn’t appear to be much of a focal point whatsoever, which also makes you wonder whether or not Cody Williams would’ve had a similar role in this rotation, had Utah just decided to keep him on the roster.
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