Utah Jazz
2015 Record: 38-44
W/L Prediction: 42-40
The Utah Jazz were one of the feel good stories of last season, but it also kept the team from getting a high lottery pick. The Jazz already appear to be one of those teams that will remain in NBA limbo, because getting Trey Lyles is not going to be the missing piece the team needed.
The Jazz are decent at each position, already posing the question of “How does this team get better?” The decision must have been to wait for internal improvement as Utah was relatively inactive in free agency, banking on that strong finish to the season.
The Jazz also suffered a big blow when Dante Exum tore his ACL, and now Trey Burke is going to be thrust into heavy minutes.
Derrick Favors had a breakout season, and the Jazz need a repeat performance. Rudy Gobert is one of the league’s best defending bigs and he made the Jazz a defensive powerhouse following the trading of Enes Kanter to Oklahoma City.
If Gobert can make the Jazz into defensive juggernauts for the full season, the team should have enough offense from Gordon Hayward and company to sneak into the postseason. Once there, the Jazz have a style suitable to postseason success. It is just a matter of trying to figure out what this team can do to become a legit 50-win team.
The Jazz need to know if Dante Exum can be their point guard of the future, and that chance is now delayed a good bit. It is not that Burke is all that bad, he will be a good rotation player for years to come. But the Jazz know that if a backcourt talent is going to define the team, it will be the far more athletically endowed Exum that does it.
Hayward is one of the league’s best swingmen and even if the Jazz are never bad enough to get a high lottery pick again, the fanbase may welcome just having a winning team. Utah fans are well versed with falling short of a title, but are expectant at least of a good basketball team.
The Jazz truly do have a chance to be that at least.