The Utah Jazz have hit a slump at the worst possible time.
For the majority of the 2020-21 NBA season, the Utah Jazz has been considered the best team in the league. At least, that’s what the standings and statistics, and even the eye test, seem to indicate. Even though there were going to be many that doubt this team heading into the postseason, it’s hard to deny what this team has accomplished during the regular season.
However, over the past few weeks, there have been some concerning signs for the Jazz. In their last 12 games, since April 5, Utah is only 6-6 and have gone from an elite offensive team to an average one at best.
Since April 5, the Jazz only has the 18th-ranked offense. To put that into context, the team has had a top 10 offensive for the majority of the season.
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Explanations for the Utah Jazz’s recent slump
Looking objectively, there are some fair explanations for Utah’s recent slump and perhaps reasoning as to why this is not a concerning pattern for the team heading into the postseason. For one, Donovan Mitchell has missed the team’s last five games due to injury. That kind of hurts. Not having your best offensive player is, without question, going to have an impact on the team’s overall success and offensive rankings.
Utah has also sat other key players over the past few weeks due to nagging injuries or load management. That is likely something that would reflect the team’s offensive metrics.
The big question is whether or not this recent slump is something that might follow them into the postseason? While Utah might not have as much star power as some of the other Western Conference teams have, the biggest reason why the Jazz has been so good this season falls on their consistency on both ends of the floor.
The Jazz has been the only team this season that has had a top 5 offensive and defensive rating. They are the most complete team (on paper) in the league and it’s translated to the standings. If the Jazz’s offense takes a big enough hit into the playoffs, there’s reason to think that this team could be subject to an early playoff exit.
The hope is that the Jazz is simply in this recent lull because of the injury to Mitchell, though there were signs of concern even before his injury. Utah has looked pretty average during the month of April; hopefully, they can solve their issues before the start of the playoffs.
Especially with a potential first-round series against the Golden State Warriors on the horizon.