The NBA aimed its “player participation policy” at keeping healthy stars on the court before the 2023-24 season. Tanking teams weren’t the primary focus. Still, league rules demand that lottery-bound squads don’t bench their top players without real injuries.
The Jazz tripped over this line earlier this month, as relayed by Tim Bontemps and Kevin Pelton of ESPN. The league slapped them with a $100,000 fine for sidelining Lauri Markkanen in a March 5 game against the Wizards—and other matchups. A modest penalty for chasing a high draft pick, perhaps, but steeper fines loom. The next violation would cost Utah $250,000. So, the Jazz pivoted in their March 14 loss to Toronto, adopting a crafty workaround.
Markkanen logged minimal clutch time — an echo of Toronto’s post-All-Star break playbook. The Raptors have leaned on midseason signees and two-way contract players, giving them 46 of 37.5 clutch minutes, per NBA Advanced Stats (games within five points in the final five minutes or overtime), via Bontemps and Pelton.
Standouts like Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett? Just 43 minutes combined. Utah, meanwhile, restricted Markkanen to four of their 25 clutch minutes since the break. Tellingly, Markkanen’s absences this season target weaker foes, averaging a .450 winning percentage, while he plays teams at .545.
Jazz center Walker Kessler also sat out the Toronto loss, marked as “DNP-CD” — or the coach’s decision. Earlier, Utah listed him out for rest in six games, including the fined Markkanen absence. Coach Will Hardy defended the approach.
“Fans get that we’re rebuilding,” he said this month, via Bontemps and Pelton. “Our young guys play hard. Some nights are messy, but their competitive spirit and energy shine through. We take pride in that passion, no matter who’s on the floor.”
NBA official Evan Wasch vowed to keep tabs on stars like Markkanen but shrugged off clutch-time benchings.
“We don’t police rotations,” he said, via Bontemps and Pelton. “Telling a team they picked the wrong player to finish a game? That’s a slippery slope. Sometimes, those young guys even win.”
Capture the Flagg
Across the NBA, the race for the 2025 draft’s top prize heats up. Duke freshman Cooper Flagg has silenced doubters eyeing Rutgers’ Ace Bailey, Dylan Harper, or Baylor’s VJ Edgecombe. Flagg, a National Player of the Year contender at barely 18, dazzles scouts.
“He’s young even for a freshman,” one said, noting his December birthday, via Bontemps and Pelton. “Yet he dominates every phase against top talent.”
At the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, experts ranked Flagg in the 85th percentile of No. 1 picks since 2005. His 5.2 projected wins above replacement player trail only Anthony Davis (2012) and Zion Williamson (2019) — both fellow tank magnets.
Flagg’s age fuels the hype. Auburn’s Johni Broome, a rival for top honors, is over four years older. Most peers Flagg’s age remain high school seniors. His 2023 reclassification at Montverde Academy positions him as the second-youngest No. 1 pick ever, behind LeBron James.
Flagg’s stats don’t promise titles, but they ignite creative tanking — like Utah’s clutch-time dodges. Teams chase him relentlessly, bending rules to secure the next big thing.
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