NBA Monthly Roundup: 3 October takeaways and 3 November predictions

November Prediction: The Jazz will be at the top of the standings by the end of November

The Jazz is 4-1 right now and it feels like they’ve been terrible to start the season. That’s kind of scary to me. Mike Conley has been atrocious and their offense looks so disjointed at times that it’s hard to remember why they’re a contender. But again, despite all of that they are still 4-1.

This prediction is two-fold. First, I think the offense figures it out, specifically Conley. He’s far too good of a player to be this bad so I don’t expect this to last. Their offense won’t ever be considered among the most dangerous in the league, but they have pieces that fit, especially at the end of the game.

I love the closing 5 of Conley, Donovan Mitchell, Joe Ingles, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Rudy Gobert. That group has multiple playmakers and shooting at every spot besides Gobert. Both were big problems for them offensively last year and both appear to have been solved. Just give it time.

Second, their schedule is pretty manageable in November. They start the month with some tough games, but the last three weeks they’ll have the Warriors, Grizzlies, and Timberwolves twice, as well as games against the Pelicans and Pacers. Over the last three weeks of November, the only game where I would expect them to not be favored is their November 25th game on the road in Milwaukee.

With how stacked the west is, it’s hard to find a stretch like this and I think the Jazz will take advantage of it and be the big winners of November.