Despite Improvements Utah Jazz Have A Long Way To Go

Jan 18, 2015; San Antonio, TX, USA; Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) shoots the ball as San Antonio Spurs power forward Boris Diaw (33) defends during the second half at AT&T Center. The Spurs won 89-69. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

Author note: I wrote this tweet during the Utah Jazz vs. Golden State Warriors game last week. A game in which the Jazz played tremendously in the first half only to get bombarded and blown out later in the game. It dawned on me afterwards, that this tweet is rather indicative of the Jazz’s season up to this point.

The NBA season is halfway over. The Jazz are 14-27—the same record they had this time last year. Yet, there is every reason to believe that this team is better than they were in January of 2014. The change in culture has become palpable and that alone can be regarded as significant improvement.

There are plenty of bright spots—Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors are playing like All-Stars, Trey Burke’s recent overall play and the emergence of Rudy Gobert all stick out. But the Jazz are still far from a finished product and have more than their fair share of work to do before they become legitimate contenders.

For as nice of stories as Rudy Gobert—and Dante Exum, for that matter—have been. They both still have a boat load of work to do before we can say they’ve officially arrived. In fact, Quin Snyder said it himself:

Let’s compare the journey of this Jazz team to a hike along the Wasatch Front. After trading Deron Williams and drafting Gordon Hayward, this team started at the bottom of the Salt Lake Valley. The only thing it could do was look up and start climbing. Adding the Burke and Burks™ backcourt, clearing cap space by dumping Brandon Rush, Richard Jefferson and Andris Biedrins and hiring coach Quin Snyder, among other things, enabled this team to begin the trek upwards—moving from the valley to the benches.

Fast forward to right now, after a rocky beginning to the season, improvements are steadily being made. The Jazz are looking more comfortable running Quin Snyder’s system, the defense is improving rapidly and wins are coming easier and more often. The team keeps moving upward and onward along its hike.

""

I’ve already written about this, but it still remains true. The Jazz need consistency if they want to take that next step. Quin Snyder agrees and has this to say about it:

"“I think we’ve been consistent in what we’re trying to do. We have more understanding of how we want to play, and I think this team has done a good job in trying to overcome adversity. The big thing is I think the players have individually improved.”"

Currently, I’d say this team is located right around the Salt Lake Foothills. It’s enough to look down and see a nice amount of ground covered, but when looking up to Grandeur Peak or the summit of Mount Olympus, reality rears its ugly head and how much trail is still left quickly settles in.

Transfer that analogy to the teams recent play. Road wins against the Memphis Grizzlies and Chicago Bulls should be points of pride and marks of legitimate improvement. Conversely, the 31-turnover fiasco against the Houston Rockets, getting blown out at home by the Golden State Warriors and last night’s bludgeoning at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs, show just how far the Jazz have to go.

I didn’t get too discouraged watching any of those three games, because it’s all part of a bigger process. That, and the Rockets, Warriors and Spurs are all legitimate title contenders—teams the Jazz should aspire to play like in the near future. Here’s hoping our boys can learn and adapt from those games.

At any rate, those hiking boots shouldn’t be coming off any time soon.

That’s why expectations for this team should be, at best, modest. Building a successful franchise, like anything else in life, takes time. Even more so, it takes patience. It’s why I implore you, Jazz fan, to temper your expectations. Keep both your optimism and pessimism in check. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither will the Utah Jazz. The sky isn’t falling the same way the Jazz aren’t winning a title anytime soon.

This team is going to get smacked in the face, but they’re also going to have some nice knockouts of their own. They’re going to lose games to teams like the Minnesota Timberwolves only to crush the Portland TrailBlazers the very next night. The injury bug can bite at any time—as we’ve seen with Alec Burks and Rodney Hood. It’s part of the ups and downs of an NBA season for a maturing, emerging team. So long as the Jazz can adopt the two-steps-forward, one-step-back approach, they’ll be just fine.

Also, let’s all remember: through adversity comes strength.

For the sake of comparison, the Jazz remind me a lot of the 2008-2009 Oklahoma City Thunder—a young, up-and-coming team with a solid core and a couple of star players. That season, the Thunder went 23-59. The very next year, the Thunder exploded to 50 wins and a playoff spot. The Jazz have a lot of similarities—youth, a solid core, surfacing all-stars—so to think it’s on the precipice of legitimacy shouldn’t be too far-fetched.

The list of obstacles the Jazz face on a day-to-day basis are many. The Western Conference is a gauntlet unlike anything we’ve ever seen, making the hike to the top even longer and more arduous. But the team is still climbing. Ascending with every game and improving with every passing day. With some time and continued effort, they’ll reach that peak once and for all.

For us fans, we just need to sit back and enjoy the ride. But keep in mind, good things happen to those who wait.