Although the Utah Jazz are off to a commendable 7-5 start, they have been plagued by a handful of bothersome issues that they’ll need to shore up moving forward.
Through the start of the 2016-17 NBA season the Utah Jazz have been a fun team to watch. Amidst several reports throughout the offseason that the Jazz were primed to become a sure playoff team, the hype and expectation leading up to the season has carried over and made the first few weeks of Jazz action all the more exciting.
And while it hasn’t been a perfect start by any means – the Utah Jazz have gotten off to an early 7-5 record and have struggled with injuries – I’m happy with where the Jazz are at. With how difficult their early season schedule was and with Hayward and Favors both out to start the season, many thought Utah would be lucky to even be near .500 at this point in the year.
Nevertheless, they currently hold a winning record and have shown several instances of truly turning the corner and becoming that elite team that they have the potential to be.
Can't keep us down. #LHMphotoofthegame pic.twitter.com/d540ggntx9
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) November 15, 2016
For me, the road win against the Spurs, the fourth quarter against the Orlando Magic and the overall play on the 4-1 road trip were the biggest indicators that something special truly is brewing with this young Utah squad.
However, while there’s been plenty of good, there’s also been some bad and downright ugly as well. The Jazz certainly have a lot of upside and for the most part have shown improvement in many ways throughout the season, but there are some critical things they need to work on if they hope to take the next step.
Now I could get all analytical and dive into the key stats that Utah has to improve, but in this case I don’t know that that’s necessary. A lot of these issues have to do with a lot more than just what shows up in a box score and are only evident upon giving this team the old fashioned eye test.
So without further ado, after watching them play for 12 games so far this season, here are my five “pet peeves” that the Jazz and certain individuals need to address to clean up their game and achieve more success as a team.