Utah Jazz: Pre-Camp Northwest Division Power Rankings
By Ryan Aston
1) Utah Jazz
Did you have any doubts about who would snag the No. 1 spot on a web site called Purple & Blues? All jokes and homerism aside, the Utah Jazz did more to improve themselves than most teams did league-wide; not just in the Northwest Division.
They weren’t players for big guns like Kevin Durant or Al Horford, but the pieces they did collect look to fit the Jazz like a glove. In George Hill, Joe Johnson and Boris Diaw they added the depth, shooting, defense and experience that they lacked at times during the injury-plagued 2015-16 season.
Moreover, Dante Exum should be back in action after missing all of last season. He may end up playing behind Hill, but between the two of them, the Jazz will have elite length at the point guard position once again.
If the young Aussie can come back strong and the new players mesh with the team like we think they will, the Jazz go from being a scary team to a dangerous one.
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Bottom line — the added firepower coupled with the core of Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert could have the Jazz fighting for a top four seed in the West come playoff time.