Jazz's Tibor Pleiss: Roster spot on shaky ground

Pleiss appears unlikely to make the Jazz's final 15-man roster for the start of the regular season, Andy Larsen of KSL.com reports.

Analysis:

Following an active offseason, the Jazz boast one of the more balanced top two units in the league, which already makes it difficult for Pleiss to challenge for major minutes in 2016-17 after he was used sparingly as a rookie. However, the team's recent decision to sign power forward/center Joel Bolomboy, the 52nd overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, could deal a knockout blow to Pleiss' hopes of even cracking the roster, as he no longer has an easy pathway to even the third-string center duties. Rudy Gobert and Boris Diaw seeming represent the top two options on the depth chart, while shot-blocking presence Jeff Withey already had the edge on the No. 3 center role heading into camp by virtue of his serviceable play a season ago. Along with those players, Trey Lyles, Derrick Favors and Bolomboy all offer the ability to play the position, lessening the need for the Jazz to carry the 7-foot-3 Pleiss as a developmental option. Pleiss' $3 million guaranteed contract for this season could make the Jazz think long and hard about cutting him, but the 25-year-old's underwhelming performance to date in practices and games might nullify any monetary concerns the team may have.