LeBron James’ long-awaited return to the Los Angeles Lakers came with a brutal side plot for Utah.
After the Lakers’ 140-126 win over the Utah Jazz in James’ record-setting 23rd NBA season debut, Salt Lake Tribune beat writer Andy Larsen said the Jazz are “not really trying to win” right now, pointing straight at the way they’re building and using the roster.
James finished with 11 points and 12 assists in 30 minutes, while Luka Doncic dropped 37 points and 10 assists as the Lakers improved to 11-4 with their third straight win.
Utah, now 5-9 and last in the Northwest Division, gave up a 21-5 third-quarter run and has lost five of its last seven.
Andy Larsen Questions Whether Jazz Are Really Trying to Win
On X, Larsen called it a “weird situation” for Utah and argued that if the Jazz were truly pushing for victories, they’d “try to acquire real NBA-caliber centers” and consistently play their best players. Instead, he framed it as a team more focused on letting players feel like they’re trying to win than actually maximizing wins.
In a follow-up post, Larsen pointed to a mix of choices that, in his view, don’t line up with pure win-now basketball: Jusuf Nurkić’s defensive lapses and turnovers feeding a big Lakers run, 18 minutes for rookie wing Cody Williams, and Svi Mykhailiuk starting while young forwards Taylor Hendricks and guard Walter Clayton Jr. were DNP-CDs.
Individually, those decisions can be defended as development or experimentation. Together, Larsen called them the product of “goofy incentives” for a rebuilding team trying to thread the needle between competing and preserving long-term upside.
Rotation, Center Spot Fuel Questions About Jazz’s Priorities
Utah’s center situation is already complicated. Walker Kessler is out for the season after shoulder surgery, and the Jazz pivoted by playing Nurkic, who is expected to hold a long-term starting role.
Against the Lakers, Nurkic’s mistakes came under the brightest possible spotlight: LeBron’s first game back, a national-talking-point night where every Jazz decision suddenly looks more intentional. When that’s paired with heavy minutes for a rookie like Williams and no floor time for lottery talent Hendricks, it feeds the narrative that Utah is more about evaluation than the standings.
At the same time, the Jazz are still leaning hard on their stars. Lauri Markkanen scored 31 points, and Keyonte George matched his season high with 33 in the loss, showing that Utah isn’t outright shelving its top options even while fans and media debate the direction.
What It Means for Utah After LeBron’s Return Game
Larsen’s posts basically say the quiet part out loud: this is what a “competitive rebuild” looks like in real time. The Jazz are good enough to hang 71 first-half points on the Lakers, but the rotation and roster balance suggest the front office is still prioritizing development, flexibility and future draft position over squeezing out every regular-season win.
For fans, that’s a tough sell on a night when LeBron makes history and the Lakers’ new super-duo of James and Doncic looks locked in, while Utah walks away with more questions about its long-term plan. The Jazz host the Oklahoma City Thunder next before seeing the Lakers again in Salt Lake City, giving everyone a quick follow-up look at whether anything changes with the rotation — or whether Larsen’s “not really trying to win” read becomes the defining storyline of their season.
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