Utah Jazz: Are the stars lining up for a historical end to the season?
Are the stars beginning to line up for the Utah Jazz?
The Utah Jazz will have a golden opportunity to make some history this season. And the stars may be lining up for them heading into the playoff push.
With the Los Angeles Lakers battling through the injuries to LeBron James and Anthony Davis, with no guarantee that they’ll be back to 100 percent at all this season, there’s an opportunity for a new team to emerge as the favorites in the Western Conference.
Add in the inconsistent LA Clippers, the unknown that is the Phoenix Suns, and the other fringe contenders (who all have glaring weaknesses), there’s an opportunity for the Jazz to take a stranglehold on the conference heading into the playoffs.
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Whether they’ll be able to take advantage of that and get to the NBA Finals remains to be seen, but it’s becoming unquestionably clear that the Jazz will be viewed as the most consistent team heading into the playoffs.
And there’s plenty to like about the Jazz. Statistically speaking, Utah has the third-best offense in the league, the fifth-best defense, and the best net rating through the season thus far. They’re the second-best 3-point shooting team, second-best rebounding team, and have two clear stars (Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert) on the roster along with arguably the best sixth man (Jordan Clarkson) in the league.
Even though the Jazz didn’t make any flashy moves at the trade deadline, it’s hard to argue that the Jazz isn’t equipped to win the Western Conference – even with a Lakers team at full strength.
The stars may be aligning for the Jazz to do something historical in the playoffs, perhaps something they haven’t done as a franchise in 15 years (make it to the conference finals) or in more than 20 years (make it to the NBA Finals).
The Jazz will have to rise above the deep Western Conference, likely having to go through the Lakers and Clippers, but this team continues to prove that they can – and will – compete at a high level in any playoff series.
And we saw a preview of that in the playoffs last season when they went toe-to-toe with the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs. Denver would go on to lose to the Lakers in the conference finals.
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How far can the Utah Jazz go in the Western Conference? Who knows, but the talent on this roster and coaching can no longer be questioned. This is a legit title contender. It’s time we all recognize that.