Utah Jazz
Record: 28-29, 8th Seed
Remaining Schedule: 25 games remaining; 12 vs teams over .500
Much like the Western Conference as a whole, the Utah Jazz, for the most part, have been somewhat of a disappointment this season. Even though the injuries to Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors earlier this season has a huge hand in that, it’s not entirely forgivable for the Jazz to still be a fringe playoff team this late in the season.
Especially when you consider the type of hype that this team was getting in the summer. In fairness, Rodney Hood has been a pleasant surprise for the Jazz. And even if the Jazz miss the playoffs, that’s certainly something they can feel good about.
Nevertheless, missing out on the postseason would certainly be quite the disappointment for the Jazz this season. When Rudy Gobert is healthy and playing this season, the Jazz have won nearly 60 percent of their games. Using that number and adjusting their remaining schedule, which features 14 more away games, I project the Jazz to win roughly 41 games this season.
(Prediction): 41-41
Next: Houston Rockets