Are you familiar with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs? It’s a concept that the needs of a human being fall into five distinct layers, typically visualized in the shape of a pyramid, with the most fundamental items required for survival at the bottom (air, food, water, shelter, etc.), and the least essential items (respect, status, and reaching one’s potential) near the top. It’s essentially the scale between a person’s wants and needs, and it illustrates that one cannot reach self-actualization without first supporting that ideal with a foundation of the needs below.
NBA basketball teams are built in mostly the same way.
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At the base are the things a team needs to exist: players, a court, goals, equipment, rules, etc.
Then you have items like uniforms, coaches, and referees.
Closer to the top come the flashier things. An adoring fanbase, endorsements, fame, success, stardom, etc.
But in the case of the Utah Jazz, historical failure to win an NBA championship means that Utah has never reached basketball self-actualization — consistently falling short of their ultimate potential. This is why Ryan Smith’s first course of action with the franchise was to tear it down to its most fundamental level. The star players were the first to go. Then the veteran coach. Then the supporting cast of talent. He even sucked the life and color from Utah’s uniforms, leaving them with a bare-bones and hideous appearance as a visual representation of the team’s self-inflicted serfdom.
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In order to climb the ladder to self-actualization, the Jazz first had to fortify their most fundamental needs.
And they’ve done exactly that, drafting and nurturing young players who could develop into future stars, adding established talent to blaze the trail to a brighter tomorrow, and replacing the team’s neon rags with robes of purple.
We’re witnessing the twilight of a revolution, but ushering in a new age of greater competition is the easy part — converting potential into wins is harder.
Thankfully, we got a glimpse into the Utah Jazz’s organizational direction at media day, and using what I’ve learned, I proudly present to you Jazzlow’s Hierarchy of Needs.
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Jazzlow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Much like the work of Maslow, Jazzlow’s Hierarchy of Needs outlines the biggest developments of Utah’s offseason and how crucial they are to reach the team’s ultimate goal.
And best of all, I’ve illustrated Jazzlow’s Hierarchy of Needs by my own hand, for your scientific reference. Would you believe me if I told you that zero artificial intelligence was involved in the creation of the image below?
Base: Hard work and character
When asked what he’s looking for in the starting lineup, Will Hardy didn’t talk about ability, positions, or even mention any player names. Instead, he put an emphasis on players’ mindsets; he focused on character.
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“I’m looking for competitors,” Hardy explained.
“I’m looking for people that want to win. I’m looking for people that are willing to give themselves to the group. If everybody on our team can take ten percent of their self and put it in the middle, we’ll have the ability to have those learnings happen faster. If we have to navigate through the choppy waters of big ego, it can be harder.”
Then instead of issuing a warning to his players, or tempering the expectations of those in attendance, he took a moment to vouch for the roster Utah had meticulously constructed over the offseason.
“If there’s one thing I am sure of today, it’s the character of the guys we have on the team.”
Josh Okogie, who arrived in Utah via free agency this Summer, really likes what he’s seen in the Jazz’s approach. There is a lot of space for mediocrity in the National Basketball Association, but with his experience, Okogie sees potential embodied through action when he observes his teammates, his coaches, and the direction of the organization as a whole.
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In every controllable metric, the Jazz are doing what is necessary to win at a high level.
“This is a very unique team,” Okogie began. “I’ve played on a lot of different teams, and I’ve seen the habits of good teams and the habits of bad teams. … I would say this team is unique because their style of play is different than what you would see in the modern game today.”
Okogie chose to sign with Utah despite a comparable offer from the Denver Nuggets because the trajectory of the Jazz is incredibly attractive. This is no longer a start-up building from the ground floor; Utah is already on the ascent.
“I think we have all the tools and ingredients to be a pretty good team.”
Jaren Jackson Jr. doubled down on the endorsement of his coach and veteran teammate, highlighting the hard work and positive attitude of his younger peers and the approach they took during the offseason.
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“These guys work! That’s what stands out for sure — they work all the time,” Jackson excitedly shared when asked his observations of the youngsters in Utah. “Darryn, Key, Ace, they’re always shooting right here after we’re done playing. They’re always working out together, they’re always going over stuff — they just never want to stop working.”
“They should be proud of themselves for the work they’ve put in. I don’t ever have to say that to them, because they always want so much more for themselves.”
Which leads us perfectly to the next level of Jazzlow’s Hierarchy of Needs, and it’s all about the improvements made in Utah’s young core.
Center: Self-Improvement
Utah took a very traditional approach when it came to rebuilding. Tearing the team down to nothing and rebuilding through the draft is textbook for a small-market franchise, and the Jazz did just that.
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And the reward for their labors is one of the more intriguing batches of young talent in basketball.
Keyonte George, obviously, took a massive leap in his third year, turning himself from a mid-first-round draft pick into a fundamental piece of Utah’s future. Look no further than his freshly inked 5-year, $157.5 million extension for evidence of the organization’s faith in him.
But to shift the prevailing narrative and turn the page of his career from that of a promising up-and-comer to a certifiable star, his defense needs to improve. He knows it, and he wasn’t shy when acknowledging the focus he’s put into growing as a defender.
“Whether it’s learning personnel, being a good help-side defender, being a good one-on-one defender, being one of the guys that you don’t really want to hunt towards the end of the game, that’s what I’ve been focused on. So that’s the strength, different footwork, and different technical stuff.”
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Keyonte’s development isn’t all hypothetical, either. He made it clear that he’s made observable improvement in two specific facets of the game.
“I’m able to move better — stay in front. This year, the main thing for me is really focusing on personnel, because once you start to pick up on players’ go-to moves and you figure out how teams want to play, you can play the game within the game on that side, so that’s what I’ve been focusing on.”
Ace Bailey possesses clear potential to bloom into stardom, and is building muscle onto his slender frame — a much-needed development for a player whose height will likely match him up against the full-grown men who terrorize the NBA from their perch on the wings.
The rest of the original young core, Filipowski, Sensabaugh, and Collier, are all pursuing internal improvement to earn a permanent place with this team before the winning train is soaring down the tracks.
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Filipowski revealed a lingering injury — a herniated disc — that had been hindering his performance a season ago but has since fully recovered.
Brice Sensabaugh understands that he may have to wait until restricted free agency to re-sign with the Jazz, but plans to utilize this season as a method to cement his place on the roster.
“I’m just keeping my head on straight,” Sensabaugh resolved. “And you know, whatever happens happens.”
Development of the young core is essential to raising the ceiling of this team, but there’s one figure who stands atop it all. His performance, his growth, and his rise will be the biggest difference-maker for a franchise anxious to become an undeniable threat to those who sit atop the NBA.
Peak: DP
No, that DP doesn’t stand for Dr Pepper (which coincidentally is at the top of my personal hierarchy of needs); I’m referring to Darryn Peterson. The final draftee of Utah’s tanking era. The prize for the Jazz’s years of anguish. The player whose arrival marks a great shift in the Jazz’s future.
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He needs no further introduction — Darryn Peterson is practically all that Jazz fans have talked about since June — but a few quotes from media day are drenching Peterson’s already blazing flame of hype and converting it into a fireball monstrous enough to send Smokey Bear into retirement on sight.
And the most notable quote of all belongs to Mo Bamba, of all people.
Having played for 7 different NBA franchises in his 8-year career, Bamba has shared the court with many exceptional players. When asked if Peterson reminds him of any players across the league, Bamba laughed as he drew a gargantuan comparison.
“This is going to sound crazy, but I see a lot of Kawhi in him,” said Bamba. “Quiet, bucket-getter, mid-range… Obviously two very different positions, but I see a lot of Kawhi.”
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“I was talking to Nurk a couple of weeks ago, and he sees a lot of Dame, and I think that one is a little more comparable, because position-wise, scoring-wise, pull-up game, offensive talent-wise, and capability-wise.”
“I hate that Darryn is going to see this,” he laughed.
But if the Kawhi comparisons make you concerned about Peterson’s personality, Keyonte George’s declaration of friendship should put any anti-social allegations to bed.
“We sit next to each other in the locker room. We hang out with each other off the court. I go to his house and he comes to my house. We got the same dog. So, like, I mean… that’s my dog!”
It may take Darryn Peterson a few years to truly become a star for the Utah Jazz, but if you direct your attention to Jazzlow’s Hierarchy of Needs, a clear and reliable foundation sits beneath him.
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Utah’s path to self-actualization is not hypothetical — this is a team built to reach that peak.
Calvin Barrett is the Associate Editor for SLC Dunk. Originally from Springville, Utah, he currently lives in Japan and has covered the NBA and college athletics since 2024.
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