The Utah Jazz are coming off the heels of a rude awakening to their new season, as they fell 103-123 to the Memphis Grizzlies in their first game of 82 earlier this week.
But now just about 48 hours after the events of that season opener loss, the Jazz are set to return to Utah for their home debut, face off against the New Orleans Pelicans, and look to rebound from that demoralizing blowout in their first game of many this season.
And for the Jazz to claim their first win of the season on their home floor, it'll rely on a select few players to have a bit of a bounce-back performance from their prior showing in Memphis. While some guys still managed to shine through that 20-point loss, others struggled, and thus put them squarely on the radar to have a better performance on Friday.
With all of that out of the way, let's take a look at three Jazz players who need a bounce-back against the Pelicans:
Lauri Markkanen
Lauri Markkanen is known around the league as one of the more potent and efficient scorers in the NBA, especially for someone at his size. But game one against the Grizzlies wasn't his best effort. He finished with a nice 18 points because of his 9-10 clip from the line, but he also shot 4-13 from the field and 1-7 from deep.
The Jazz are going to need more out of Markkanen offensively in the games ahead, regardless of all the talent Utah has on that side of the floor. Even if just as an off-ball threat while Keyonte George and Darryn Peterson remain the primary initiators, Markkanen has to do his job in the opportunities he has.
The good news is that we know from Markkanen's track record that he's due to turn things around offensively in due time. He's shot over 37% from three throughout all his time in Utah. So maybe things can quickly smooth over for him back in front of the Jazz's home crowd on Friday.
Jaren Jackson Jr.
Jaren Jackson Jr. was far from the player the Jazz thought they were trading for back in February during his season debut in his former home in Memphis.
Offensively, he was pretty efficient with 60% shooting from the floor. But he struggled in the turnover department and found his way into foul trouble early, where he ultimately fouled out in 28 minutes, with three of those fouls coming on the offensive end.
The Jazz need Jackson Jr. to be on the floor and operating well on both ends for this roster to reach its true ceiling. Especially on the defensive side of the ball, we know just how desperately Utah needs to step up in order to make its aspired leap into being one of the more competitive teams in the Western Conference.
Jackson Jr. will have a tough test against New Orleans with his matchup of Zion Williamson. If he can lock down the Pelicans' star for a limited night, while also staying out of the foul trouble he's been prone to getting himself into, the road to Utah's first win of the year becomes a whole lot easier to imagine.
Brice Sensabaugh
The high-level scorer we know Brice Sensabaugh to be didn't show out in his season debut. He came off the bench for 14 minutes, where he scored just two points on 1-4 shooting, logged two turnovers, while also tying for the worst plus-minus off the bench at -10.
Of course, it's far from time to panic over Sensabaugh's production. That was just game one of a long season, and even the greatest shooters in the league have their off-nights.
But seeing the Jazz's bench spark plug come in to cash in a couple of threes and some easy buckets in the paint would make their second unit's production look a whole lot better than it did in game one. Such a night from Sensabaugh would also be a big lift to their chances here against New Orleans, so expect Utah to try and get him more involved compared to his Memphis showing.
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