Jazz players excited for season opener
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4 Sports) – There is nothing like opening night.
Even though the Utah Jazz don’t have the highest expectations this season, the players are literally jazzed up for the opener against Memphis. But do they get the jitters for the first game of the season?
“Yeah, for the first ten seconds of the game, a little nervous,” said Jazz all-star Lauri Markkanen. “But once this ball tips up, then you remember it’s the same old sport that we play all the time. But last couple of hours before the games, you get that first game feel for sure.”
“I’m still going to be super nervous,” said second year forward Taylor Hendricks. “But as soon as the ball tips up, all the nerves, they just go away and you’re ready to play.”
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Even though guys like Collin Sexton, who is about to begin his seventh season, he’ll never take being on an NBA team for granted.
“Being able to put that jersey on is something that you got to be grateful and be thankful to do,” Sexton said. “Because not too many people are able to put a jersey on, able to run through the tunnel, and opening night is one of those days. It’s like a lot of jitters, a lot of anxiousness and just excitement.”
And there is nothing like opening night in front of the home fans.
“The energy in the building, there’s nothing like it,” Sexton said. “Because when you go on the road and go to other places, their fans are wired, their fans are excited, their fans are ready to go. So I feel like here is like our advantage to get the season started off right.”
The expectations are not high for the rebuilding Jazz this season. The over-under on Utah’s win total is around 28. But the Jazz don’t listen to the outside noise. They’re focused on winning.
“We don’t really think about what people on the outside say,” Markkanen said. “We go out there and compete, try to get better and work as a team. I think it’s great to have this team with a lot of competitors.”
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“People like to talk about the rebuild or whatever,” said guard Brice Sensabaugh. “But you can still win games and get better in a rebuild. So, you know, I think that’s what we’re focused on doing.”
The Jazz and Memphis Grizzlies tip off at 7:00 p.m. at the Delta Center.
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