3 Takeaways From Jazz's Blowout Loss to Grizzlies in Season Opener

Yikes.

That was far from the season opener that the Utah Jazz and fans alike would've hoped for. The Jazz dropped game one of 82 within their 2026-27 campaign to the Memphis Grizzlies on the road, 103-123, in a game that went far from as expected for a team that many circled as one of the NBA's most interesting breakout candidates for this season.

But based on how this game unraveled, the Jazz certainly have work to do in order to get to that level they were touted to be capable of before the season. Utah now starts the new year off at 0-1, and has an ugly mess to clean up moving forward.

Let's break down the events of the Jazz's season opener loss in Memphis by sorting through three of the biggest takeaways to gather from the action.

1. Many of the Same Problems From Last Season

The Jazz came out of this summer with the expectation that their young, developing group had taken some key steps forward in overall growth that can help lead this team to some winning success.

But this game proved that while the Jazz may have the potential on this roster to be a dangerous, young team in due time, they're a far way away from making those strides become a reality.

And really, it almost feels as if Utah is suffering from several of the same issues that plagued them over the course of last season.

Utah was outrebounded by a total of 17 boards between the offensive and defensive glass. Perimeter defense continued to be a serious weakness. Turnovers and transition defense both consistently sunk the Jazz into an even further hole throughout the night. Does any of that sound a bit familiar to this team's struggles from last season?

All hope isn't lost for this Jazz roster. It's a long season, and this newly constructed roster is still trying to discover its identity.

At the same time, there's a real possibility that Utah might just be a couple of steps away from making that massive leap that many expected them to heading into this season. This game made it seem like that's exactly the situation at hand.

2. Ty Jerome... That Is All

You can't talk about this game without mentioning the explosive performance of Ty Jerome, who might've very well ended the night as the biggest winner across the entire league.

45 points. 17 for 25 shooting from the field. Seven rebounds and six assists. A logo three. Jerome was everywhere tonight, setting his personal career high in scoring, while also setting the Grizzlies franchise record for most points in a season opener.

Of course, you've got to give credit where it's due. Jerome––along with a large chunk of the Grizzlies' offense––was clicking from start to finish in this one. However, it does tend to be a bit of an indictment on the Jazz's poor perimeter defense, and shows that this team has a whole lot more work to do on that side of the floor.

3. A Night for Jaren Jackson Jr. to Forget

This was certainly a game that Jaren Jackson Jr. had circled on his calendar for a long time. Not only for the reason of being the Jazz's season opener, but also marking the first time that he's played against his former team in Memphis since being dealt at last season's trade deadline.

But, man. This was far from the season debut that you would've hoped for Jackson Jr.

Jackson Jr. had the second-lowest plus-minus on the Jazz's end with a minus-17. His rebounding flaws showed up in a game where Utah desperately needed production on the glass. He caused five of Utah's 18 total turnovers. And to top it all off, his six personal fouls (three of them offensive) led to his night ending prematurely with around five minutes to go in the fourth.

He did manage to shoot an effective 6-10 from the field combined with a 2-4 clip from three. Regardless, Jackson Jr. needs to find a way to stay out of foul trouble, limit the surrounding offensive mistakes, and be a true impact player defensively to make the Jazz's steep investment in him pay off as expected.

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