Utah Jazz Season Preview

Utah Jazz

2014 Record: 38-44

2015 O/U 40.5

Who are their stars?

How weird is that this team trades Enes Kanter to the Thunder, everyone declares them the title favorites but the Thudner went 16-12 down the stretch and it was the Jazz going 19-10. Yes, the Jazz traded Kanter and won half of their seasons’ games over a 30 game span. That to me is mainly because of Rudy Gobert. “The Stifle Tower” as I have heard him called is the rim protector and is a tough one at that. In trading his limited role in for a main role turned this into one of the best defensive teams in the NBA. That, along with the reliability of Gordon Hayward is what will have the Jazz competitive this year. Hayward is efficient on both sides of the ball in a position where there are only so many top tier guys. Hayward has become a lot stronger in recent years, and his overall game cannot be denied. For him to lead the second tier of quality players at the small forward position speaks to his game, and his versatility. Between the two top players for the Jazz defense should not be an issue, and both have offensive games on the rise.

Who are the glue guys?

Derrick Favors is the teams’ most important player aside from their top two. The move from Kanter to Gobert, not only helped the defense it helped Favors. Kanter is a guy who demands the ball, Gobert is a less polished offensive player, and he can have a job more dedicated to freeing up space for Favors. The two on the boards will be tough to beat and the offense-defense combo is great to have.

Who are the rotational guys?

In all this isn’t the most top heavy team, but the rotations are strong. At guard Dante Exum is a major loss. The 20 year old was just finding his way in the NBA and will be sidelined for the entire season. Trey Burke will see time at point guard, but his role as a bench scoring point guard seemed to be a really strong role for them. Guys like Bryce Cotton, and Raul Neto will be getting a lot of minutes running the point. It is more than likely now the weakest position, but the depth is and upside of Neto makes it manageable to survive life post Exum. I would expect Rodney Hood, and Alex Burks to get the most time next to these three at the two. Burks is actually a strong scorer and should see the majority of the minutes, but I really like Hood and his development and I think he will get time not only at the two, but at the small forward position. Hood can play the three but with Hayward starting and Joe Ingles being an underrated bench asset, it is actually going to be tough to find the adequate time for both Hood, and Ingles. Trey Lyles, a rookie joins Trevor Booker to make a strong frontcourt rotation, and this team really is a deep as any in the league. The fact that there are true back ups at every position and different lineups for every situation is really nice and you have to like the direction this team is going. Having a strong defender and needing offense is a rare problem in the NBA, and I would assume they will get enough of it.

Where do they rank? Over Under? How far can they go?

The Jazz have some upside. Like I mentioned, the Exum injury is deflating to me, but they should still be an above average defensive team. As far as how far they go, a one and done playoff experience is the best case scenario, mainly due to the beast in which they play in the west. That said 40.5 is about right and I would lean over, and think that although they could get that eight seed, that there are eight teams just a little better this year. Nonetheless this team is on the rise.

Over 40.5, 9th in the Western Conference, 15th in the NBA