With just under two months to go until the 2025-26 NBA regular season kicks off, one of the biggest unanswered questions about the Utah Jazz is who will be the first starting five on the floor once the team’s season opener rolls around on October 22nd. Let’s take a look at the different options that head coach Will Hardy has at his disposal. There are two starters that we can comfortably predict will be in the lineup for next season: Lauri Markkanen will start at one of the forward spots, something that gives the team flexibility with who starts alongside him, and Walker Kessler will be the starting center. Taylor Hendricks, the ninth overall pick in the 2023 draft, was Hardy’s preferred option to start alongside Markkanen and Kessler a year ago, though he had an unfortunate injury just three games into the season.