Over the last two days, we’ve gauged your thoughts on two surprise Western playoff contenders, asking if you expect the Grizzlies and the Clippers to make the playoffs. In each case, about two-thirds of the respondents in our poll voted yes. But if the Grizzlies and Clippers are pushing their way into the postseason conversation, that means at least one or two teams we expected to be in the playoffs may end up being pushed out.
One potential candidate to finish outside the top eight in the Western Conference is Utah. The Jazz entered the season with high expectations — they finished the 2017/18 regular season on a 29-6 run, then dispatched the Thunder in the first round before falling to Houston. Entering the 2018/19 campaign, many experts and fans viewed Utah as a probable top-four team in the West.
So far though, the Jazz have played more like the team that started last season 19-28, rather than the team that won 29 of its last 35 games. With Donovan Mitchell banged up and struggling to score efficiently, the Jazz have had problems getting the ball in the net as a team, ranking 26th in offensive rating. At a time when many NBA clubs are looking to score as many of their points as possible from outside the three-point line and at the foul line, Utah ranks 27th in 3PT% and 26th in FT%.
Even the Utah defense, which was considered one of the NBA’s best entering the season, has underperformed, ranking 14th in defensive rating so far, despite anchor Rudy Gobert not missing a game.
The season hasn’t been a total disaster for the Jazz. They’ve had good road wins in Houston, New Orleans, Memphis, and Sacramento, and they’ve beaten Boston twice. But they’ve also had their fair share of duds, including a 50-point loss in Dallas and a 27-point defeat in Indiana. In total, Utah is 8-11, which puts the team in a tie for the second-worst record in a competitive Western Conference.
The Jazz still have a ton of time to turn things around, and it would be surprising if they don’t go on a run at some point. Still, it won’t be easy to earn a top-eight spot in the West. Utah would have to leapfrog the Mavericks, Spurs, Pelicans, Rockets, and the surprising Kings just to get to No. 8. As the season nears the one-quarter mark, it’s worth questioning if we overrated the Jazz at all based on their red-hot finish to the 2017/18 season.
What do you think? Do you still consider the Jazz a strong bet to make the postseason, or do you believe they’ll end up on the outside looking in? Vote in our poll, then head down to the comment section to share your two cents.
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No. But they will finish ahead of the Lakers.
Why do you have to bring the Lakers into everything lol
Why are these questions asked so early in the season? why not wait til all star break ?
Because I think they’re more interesting and difficult to answer now.
In the west the truth is anyone except Phoenix could make the playoffs. The east looks like the Raptors will win the regular season. Luke, what do you think of Popovich’s comments that Kwahi isn’t a leader (like McHale used to say Harden wasn’t a leader, and some say Westbrook isn’t a leader)?
HR is giving me every opportunity to predict the West and I cannot. They’re so bunched!
Ugh. Did they make those jerseys out of old Astros uniforms?
They’re only two games out of the playoffs and amazingly only 5 out of first while being in 14th place.
That being said they’re also 14th in the west in point differential. When even the Kings are competitive there isn’t a whole lot of room for error.
A name change is long overdue for Utah. The Jazz, REALLY? Just as ridiculous as the LA Lakers.
Utah was never gonna make the playoffs, so no surprise there, more surprising they made them last year. You see when Gobert is your best player, your ceiling is not very high… Mitchell is just another volume scorer, very good but nothing special.
I’m not surprised they’ve stumbled so far, I was never sold on Mitchell as a superstar. All-Star? Yea why not but the team is porely built beyond Mitchell and Gobert.
I wouldn’t call it poorly built after Gobert and Mitchell (Ingles, Crowder), I just don’t see Mitchell as a dominant scorer, and there is no one else on this roster that you look at and go “well, Donovan is having a rough night, so we need you to go get us a win”.
If the defense does not end up in the top 5 this year, they will not make the playoffs.
Bottomline mitchell took over for hayward as a volume shooter. This year has exposed him that he cant shoot outside and is more of a slasher that gets to the hoop. He looks to have to ceiling of dwade, someone who relys on physicality and needs someone else to lead the team to win a chip.