The Utah Jazz Are Starting a Lineup That Looks Like a Typo

There are starting lineups, and then there are five-man units that look like a typo on the official scorer's sheet.

According to Underdog NBA, the Utah Jazz are rolling out Keyonte George, Tristan Peterson, Amari Bailey, Lauri Markkanen, and Jaren Jackson Jr. for Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Surrounding three legitimate NBA starters with two guys who usually only play when the arena staff is sweeping up the popcorn is certainly a choice.

We know what George, Markkanen, and Jackson Jr. bring to the table. George is currently averaging 22 points and five assists per game, and he is going to have to carry an offensive load so heavy his usage rate might break the tracking cameras.

Then you have Bailey, whose main NBA resume highlight is a 10-game stint with the Charlotte Hornets in 2023-24 where he averaged a blistering 2.3 points. Throwing him and Peterson into the starting five against the Lakers is the kind of chaotic roster move that ruins fantasy matchups and makes prop betting a complete guessing game.

This feels like a team that just barely scraped by the New Orleans Pelicans in a 120-119 win and decided to completely scramble the deck anyway.

For context, when you put two unproven players next to three high-volume scorers, the math gets very simple. Markkanen and Jackson Jr. are going to take every available shot, and George is going to be playing point guard like a guy trying to win a 1-on-5 tournament at the local Y.

We will see if this experimental group can actually hang with Los Angeles on Sunday night. If this turns into a blowout, expect Utah to hit the shuffle button again before the Memphis Grizzlies come to town on Monday.