3 studs, 3 duds from the Jazz 1st Preseason loss to the Spurs

The Utah Jazz fought valiantly in their fourth preseason game against the San Antonio Spurs, but lost 126-120. The Jazz went into the game shorthanded, but the Spurs, who were missing Victor Wembanyama, were also shorthanded.

It was an uphill battle throughout, but knowing where the Jazz stand, it's no surprise that they wouldn't finish the preseason undefeated. That doesn't mean there wasn't anything to be happy about.

Actually, there were a lot of reasons to see the glass half full tonight, but you have to be fair, especially when the team is on the losing side.

Sexton didn't make it into the top 100 NBA player rankings for nothing, so it makes sense that on a night when the Jazz are short-handed, he shows it's his time to shine. 24 points and eight assists are a good reminder that Sexton is the best guard on this roster until someone else proves otherwise.

He's always scored efficiently, but if his game takes another step forward, Sexton could take another step toward stardom, even if that doesn't necessarily help the Jazz's plans.

This is more true of Williams. The Jazz's 2024 lottery pick wasn't bad until tonight, but he hasn't stood out until tonight. Tonight, Williams looked more confident as the Jazz took on the Spurs.

More importantly, being included in the group of other starters could show that he is better in that role than on the bench. Williams came to the NBA as an all-rounder and was able to prove that

Kessler had a breakout game against the Mavericks and built on that against the Spurs. He once again dominated the boards, fending off a total of ten and blocking three shots.

Again, this is the type of game the Jazz want to see from Kessler every night. Under no circumstances does he have to light up the scoreboard. He just needs to have the dominant presence that he should have when he takes the floor.

Collier continues to show how NBA-ready he is, but he's still a rookie. Beginners have warts, no matter how promising they are. In Collier's case, turnovers were a problem as he spit the ball out four times in less than ten minutes of play.

We won't put too much emphasis on Collier since he had to leave the game early, but while he definitely showed he could be ready to play straight away, the turnovers could prove to be an option.

Collier was just a symptom of the problem for the Jazz tonight. The Jazz recorded 22 turnovers, with the turnovers being spread among several players.

The turnovers led to 26 fastbreak points for the Spurs compared to 14 for the Jazz. Knowing the 12-point difference, it's stats like these that make all the difference in upset losses. Even if things like tonight don't count.

Speaking of differences that make a big difference, the Spurs scored 70 points compared to the Jazz's 38 points. Jiminy Cricket. It's not like the Jazz will be a top-notch defense this season, but numbers like these are alarming.

The funny thing is that if Wembanyama had played, this difference would make perfect sense, but it didn't.