Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz left the bubble under disappointing circumstances. They looked to be in control of the series when they took a 3-1 lead, but Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokic, and the Denver Nuggets did not go away.
When the buzzer sounded at the end of Game 7, the Jazz had to leave the bubble after an 80-78 defeat. Donovan Mitchell looked like a superstar in the series and Michael Conley, who had an up and down season with the Jazz looked like he finally found his game in the series. Rudy Gobert and Joe Ingles are two players the Jazz can always count on.
One key piece that wasn’t in the bubble that the Jazz missed was sharpshooting forward Bojan Bogdanovic. Having him back for a full season is like adding a free agent. Signing former Jazz center Derrick Favors was a solid move and re-signing instant-offense Jordan Clarkson was a no-brainier for the Jazz, who can never have enough shot makers and playmakers. As long as they are healthy, the Jazz should continue to be a playoff team.
Grade: C