The Utah Jazz's season opener is officially here.
After a long wait through an offseason with roster changes both in Utah and across the league, the Jazz will finally get game one of 82 kicked off for their 2026-27 campaign against the Memphis Grizzlies.
And when surveying across the league as to which teams will be taking the floor for night two of the NBA regular season action, there's a lot to look forward to in this Jazz-Grizzlies game in particular.
Between seeing old faces in new places, highly-touted rookies making their official NBA debuts, and how these two teams match up against one another on the floor, it's hard to think of the Jazz getting a more exciting draw for their season opener than a trip to Memphis.
With that in mind, let's take a look at three of the most notable storylines that the Jazz will be facing in their first game of the 2026-27 season against Memphis:
Jaren Jackson Jr.'s First Game Back In Memphis
This game poetically marks Jaren Jackson Jr.'s first game facing the Grizzlies since he was traded away earlier this year back at last season's trade deadline. On top of that, it'll only be Jackson Jr.'s fourth-ever regular season game playing with the Jazz since he first arrived in February.
So if the spotlight wasn't already shining bright on Jackson Jr. in this Jazz season opener as it is, the emotions are running even higher knowing where it's going to be played, and who Utah will be going against.
You can expect Jackson Jr. to bring his A-game for this one against the team that drafted him, perhaps after he sees a tribute video before the game for a warm welcome back. And if Utah winds up coming around for a strong performance on the defensive side of the ball, a lot of that credit could be put on Jackson Jr.'s shoulders.
Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer's Official Debuts
While a lot of attention will be placed on Jackson Jr. in this game simply because of his connection to the Grizzlies, there's an argument that more eyes will be drawn to the two top-three picks on each side making their official NBA debuts: No. 2 pick Darryn Peterson and No. 3 pick Cameron Boozer.
Both guys had pretty modest performances throughout the preseason. Peterson flashed his upside as a scorer for the three games after his first dud against the Denver Nuggets, while Boozer had a nice all-around impact in the three exhibition appearances he saw.
But preseason and game one of the regular season are two vastly different things. Tonight marks the beginning of what could be two extremely successful NBA careers for both guys, and each will be hungry to make a statement in whatever opportunities they end up landing.
How the Jazz Fare Without Jusuf Nurkic in the Lineup
The Jazz roster is looking relatively healthy heading into their first game of the regular season. But one key absence they'll be forced to move forward without is starting center Jusuf Nurkic, who's still recovering from a foot injury he suffered in preseason that will sideline him into November.
Utah has enough talent outside of their big man spot to help keep them afloat for whatever extent Nurkic is out. However, in this game inparticular, the Jazz will be matching up against one of the more physically imposing centers across the entire league in Grizzlies center Zach Edey.
How will the Jazz be able to adjust without Nurkic's size and rebounding ability in the frontcourt against Edey? Will Jaxson Hayes be a strong enough fill-in at center to help Utah get by? Time will tell, but even for as improved as this Jazz roster looks heading into the year, a task like this could pose some serious matchup problems over the course of the contest.
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