Looking back at what the Utah Jazz did right and wrong during the 2018 NBA offseason, including free agency and the draft
After losing Gordon Hayward via free agency last summer, many believed that the Utah Jazz were going to take a big step back. However, conversely, you can almost make the argument that they are now better setup for the future than every before.
A big reason why is Donovan Mitchell, who enjoyed a sensational rookie season. He didn’t win the NBA’s Rookie of the Year, but I have a feeling he’s going to have a huge season in year 2.
Drawing comparisons to the likes of Dwyane Wade, Mitchell showed out and showed off during the 2017-18 NBA season.
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The Jazz have high expectations heading into the 2018-19 NBA season, and after re-signing Derrick Favors and Dante Exum in free agency, while adding Grayson Allen via the draft, they have the talent to give the Western Conference some big headaches.
Adding a player like Allen, who in the past has flashed some real potential during his time at Duke, could really help this team’s depth. I don’t believe anyone is expecting Allen to be any kind of superstar at the NBA level, but he’s the type of pest that teams love to have but hate to play against.
The Jazz are going to be extremely good on defense, and depending on how much Mitchell improves during his sophomore campaign, at the very least semi-explosive on the offensive end.
Utah likely won’t be on the same level of the Golden State Warriors or Houston Rockets this upcoming season, but they’re in that second tier of the Western Conference.
They should host a playoff round and if they play their cards right could find themselves as a dark horse to make the Eastern Conference Finals.