Projected starting lineup for the Jazz's NBA preseason game against Houston

The Utah Jazz will face NBA competition for the first time in preseason when they take on the Houston Rockets. The Rockets intend to compete for a playoff spot. So even though it's still preseason, the Jazz probably still have a lot of work to do.

This writer went four against five when predicting the starting lineup against New Zealand. The only touch was at small forward, where Taylor Hendricks was preferred over Cody Williams. Although they chose Hendricks, there's no telling if that will be the case on opening night.

With the Rockets coming to town, expect the Jazz to play their starters more often, but don't expect any changes.

All eyes will be on George's overall development as a guard in his second season. It may have been against an overseas team, but early results were promising as he provided five assists against the Breakers. George doesn't have to be John Stockton, but he does have to show that he can be more than just an inefficient scorer.

When he was named the starting shooting guard against New Zealand, Sexton did what Sexton does: He scored a lot and did it in a short amount of time – 16 points in 18.25 minutes. He has proven exactly what he is and has been for some time: a true starting guard.

It's really unclear whether the Jazz will be able to survive his current contract. Sexton is still young and still has plenty of time to prove whether he is their shooting guard of the future.

Hendricks got his first break as the Jazz's starting player in the preseason. Not only did he look promising, but knowing who he worked with this offseason, Jazz fans should be intrigued by his potential.

The defense and energy are there, but keep an eye on Hendricks' offensive potential. The Jazz have a potential ace up their sleeve in Williams if things don't work out with Hendricks, but the best part is that they have both.

There was no need for further explanation the first time around with Markkanen's post here, and there doesn't need to be any further explanation now.

Kessler dominated the boards against New Zealand, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. Since he's been a trade rumor all season, all eyes will be on him for a while. Nobody knows whether Kessler is truly the center of the future or just another asset to be sold.

The Jazz obviously still believe in him and he can definitely reward their trust. If he doesn't succeed, or in other words if last season wasn't an accident, this could become a pretty interesting subplot.

So yes, aside from the entire explanation above, it's safe to assume that the Jazz will start with the same starters they did when they faced the Breakers. However, don't be surprised if this is the last time the Jazz use these starters to see what else they have in the preseason.

Williams and Johnny Juzang definitely deserve more shine, and the Jazz could look to include John Collins more in hopes of increasing his massively negative value.