SALT LAKE CITY — A long and eventful offseason has passed and it is now time for the Utah Jazz to start playing basketball again.

The NBA tips off Tuesday and the Jazz will play their first game Wednesday. This year the Jazz aren't looking for wins, so they will graded with a different criteria for success.

For this year's season preview a breakdown of each player will be given in the form of a syllabus. Unlike real school where schools grade on the same criteria, these grades will vary. Top players will need to show more for an “A” while bench players will have an easier go. Some will have pass/fail grades, if they won't have ample time to prove themselves.

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Gordon Hayward:

F: For Hayward to fail his play would have to drop significantly. Basically he would have to regress to his play at the start of last year. Shooting less than 35 percent from the 3-point range and seeing his assist-to-turnover rate go back up would fail him.

D: Hayward has to at least become the team leader to get a passing grade. A minimum of four assists a game gets him a passing grade. He would also need to flirt with 40 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

C: The non-scoring numbers go here. He would need to have five assists and five rebounds to go along with double-digits scoring to earn this grade.

B: Here is the stat line: 16 points, six rebounds and six assists. That is a great year for the young man who becomes the go-to player for the team.

A: There is no other way to have a top season, but by making the All-Star team. As a wing in the West it would take probably 18 points on top of the six rebounds and assists. ESPN has talked about him as a nominee for Most Improved Player and that is the kind of year he would have to have.

Derrick Favors:

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F: "F" is for fouling out for Favors. Alliteration aside, if he leads the league in fouls — he was near the top of the league in player efficiency rating-36 last year — he will fail this year. If his fouls keep his playing time under 30 minutes per game this year, it will be a failure for him.

D: A passing grade is just playing. If he gets more than 30 minutes per night he will at least pass the season. His natural talents will make it a decent year.

C: To earn this grade he will need to play more than 30 minutes per night and average 10 rebounds per game. His points matter, but if he can at least rebound, he will show he can play.

B: He will need to have more than 40 double-doubles to earn this grade. A solid 10 points and 10 rebounds per night would justify his contract in Year One, even if it isn't glamorous.

A: He will have to make a “team.” That is any sort of defensive team or All-Star team. Much like Hayward, he would need to get votes for most improved or even Defensive Player of the Year. He would need to have 14 points, 10 rebounds and be top-five in blocks in the NBA.

Trey Burke:

F: Burke failing would be him not playing. He would have to fall out of the starting lineup. As long as he plays he will at least pass this season.

D: He just needs to play 60 games. His finger injury will hold him out, but if he can come back only missing 22 games, which would be just into December, he would be able to show what he can do.

C: He needs to get 20 double-doubles for this average grade. It would be a good year for a Jazz point guard in his first year. Points are hard to come by, and if he can get 10 points and 10 assists in 20 games, it will be a pretty good year.

B: Averaging seven assists per game would earn him this grade. Seven assists for would be a really good year for him, and would put him in the top 15 in the league.

A: If he has five games where he makes a play for the win he would receive this mark. Burke made his name in the NCAA Tournament by hitting big shots. He can lock down the point guard position for years, if he can show off his ability to close games.

A+: Burke has the rare opportunity for an A+ with a Rookie of the Year award. He already has some buzz about him and he could get the award. It won't take much — 10 points and 7 assists.

Enes Kanter:

#poll

F: With less than 10 points per game he will be tagged with this grade. The Jazz will rely on Kanter to score, and if he can't score reliably, the season will be a failure.

D: To earn this grade he would need to score more than 10 points per game. Kanter is still young, and he needs to gain some confidence, if he is a player for the future.

C: On top of the points he will need to become some sort of defensive presence to net this grade. This will be hard to quantify, but he needs to support Favors. Part of this is staying out of foul of trouble, which was something he struggled with in the preseason.

B: Kanter learned a lot from Al Jefferson last season, but he needs to learn how to avoid gaining Jefferson's ball-control style. Jefferson was a black hole when he got the ball and Kanter needs to become a good passer. Shooting a high percentage while getting assists — over 50 percent and three assists per game — gets this grade.

A: This grade is reserved for Kanter, if he can become a star. The Jazz need someone who can score close to 20 points per game. While 20 might be too high, he needs to score at least 18 to become the guy this year. That's basically what Jefferson put up last year.

Alec Burks:

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F: Burks' failure would come from missing shots. He needs to score points. If he can't make a shot, then he can't succeed. Shooting in the low 30-percent range from behind the arc and scoring under 10 points is simply a failure.

D: Scoring 12 points per game would net him this grade. If he does nothing more than score more than 12 points per game on a fairly consistent basis, then he will have an OK season. He has the ball a lot with the second unit and should easily score 12.

C: Four rebounds and four assists would merit this grade. The second unit has nothing on it. Burks needs to get more than just points. He talks about being aggressive and needs to do it without scoring.

B: Being consistently near his average would earn him this mark. Burks averaged seven points per game last season, but it was two points one night then 12 the next or four points then 15. Whatever his average is next year, he just needs to keep the night-to-night total close to it.

A: Averaging 18 points per game would get him the top grade. Again, the team needs someone to score. He is a scorer and a fantastic season would be 18 points per game and being the guy when he is on the court.

Richard Jefferson:

#poll2

F: Don't be Raja Bell. Jefferson isn't expected to do much, but he can avoid a failing grade just by keeping the locker room together. If he pouts and complains, he fails.

D: Enjoy his role. If the preseason is any showcase, he will start most games and sit most finishes. He wants to show off his skills for another year or two, but his greatest job is to let the young players improve and close.

C: Jefferson earns this grade by shooting his shot. He is one of the best 3-point shooters in the league over the last few years. In the two years prior to his injury he shot 42 percent and 44 percent, respectively. If he shoots better than 40 percent, he will have a good year.

B: Staying healthy and rebounding will earn him this grade. He has normally been a very durable player, but last two years he has missed too much time. He doesn't need to do much, but getting a handful of rebounds per game — around five — will make hin very valuable.

A: Hitting his averages would mean a top mark for Jefferson. He would need to have a great year to match his career averages of 15 points. That probably isn't the direction for the Jazz, but his 46 percent shooting, five rebounds and 2.5 assists while letting the young players go would make for an “A” season.

Rudy Gobert:

F: The 7-foot-2 rookie from France can only fail if he doesn't play. As the other rookie this year, getting on the court is a success for him.

D: For this grade he would need to play 15 minutes per game. Last year Kanter got around 15 minutes per game, and if Gobert does nothing more than take up space for 15 minutes, he will have a passing season.

C: Don't foul out. This is more than just getting six fouls per night. He needs to get into good habits and keep his fouls PER-36 low. Favors couldn't do that, but Gobert might be able to learn during his rookie year.

B: Six rebounds per game would net him this grade. Assuming he gets those minutes; the giant doesn't need to do much to get rebounds. Six rebounds is actually a pretty good number, but he got six rebounds in 15 minutes in the preseason.

A: Three blocks per game would land this grade. That is a lot of blocks, and only one player averaged that last year, but Gobert has that skill set to blow people away. This would be nothing short of a phenomenal season, but that is how players earn A's.

Pass/Fail:

Jeremy Evans: When Evans plays he produces. If he can play more than 60 games it will show that he is improving. He could become an asset off the bench.

Ian Clark: He won't play much, but if he can shoot better than 35 percent from 3-point range, he will have a shot to remain with the Jazz long-term.

Brandon Rush: He brings a lot to the table, but his greatest asset is his shooting. If he gets shoots 40 percent from beyond the arc, the trade will be a success.

Marvin Williams: Williams isn't suited for the Jefferson sit-and-shoot offense. Williams can slash and get to the rim. He won't have a ton of chances, but when he gets them they will be easy. He will need to convert and shot 45 percent from the field.

Andris Biedrins: Don't foul out. There isn't much expected from Biedrins this year. As long as he can stay in the games when he gets his chance to spell the starters, he'll be OK.

Jamaal Tinsley: Average 18 minutes per game. Tinsley is going to have to spell Burke during tough stretches. If he can do what he did last year, it will all be good for the man known as "Mel Mel the Abuser."

John Lucas III: Averaging four assists per game would earn him a passing grade. The Jazz brought Lucas in to backup and teach Burke how to play. Lucas is a shooter, but he is still the point guard and needs to dish the ball in order to be successful.

Mike Harris: Harris was somewhat of a surprise in making the team, and playing in 10 games with a lot of youth needing playing time would help Harris.

Team overall:

F: For this grade the Jazz would need to finish somewhere in the middle. If the Jazz win 35-40 games and land somewhere in the area of 10-13 in the draft, this season is just a failure.

D: Losing the lottery. If the Jazz don't win a lot of games and fail to grab a top-five pick in the lottery, it will be hard to paint this in a pretty light. There are good players in the draft from 6-10, but not superstars.

C: Just making the playoffs. If the Jazz just make the playoffs as an eight-seed with 40-43 wins, it will be a good season, but fans won't be happy.

B: Winning the games they should win, which isn't a lot. The Jazz are not a great team on paper, but if they can win the games they should win, then it will give hope for the future and give the Jazz a shot at a star in the draft.

A: The extremes would need to happen to earn this grade. The Jazz need to either win a lot of games — including playoff games — and have all the players earn A grades or they would need to lose a lot of games and get the superstar to make them a contender for years. This is either more than 50 wins or less than 27 wins. Most likely it will be the latter.

Prediction:

The Jazz won't win a lot. They are very talented, have a lot to prove and aren't that deep. This will be a lot of fun to watch these kids grow, fight and struggle.

Prediction: 27 wins.

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