Three post free agency questions for the Utah Jazz

If healthy, how good can the Jazz be?

This is perhaps the most intriguing question. Over the past two seasons, the Jazz have been one of the most consistently injury-riddled teams.

If they can remain healthy throughout this next season though, what will that do to help our win/loss record?

Last season alone, Utah’s projected starters missed a combined 97 games due to injuries. It’s not just the games lost though, as most players need a ramp up period when first coming back from injury.

I have written about this before, but it can’t be overstated. The Utah Jazz were on pace to be the 3 seed in the Western Conference if injuries hadn’t taken their toll. At the end of last season, ManGamesLost.com released it’s calculations on how many losses were created directly due to injury for each team.

The Jazz came in at number one, as they lost 9.4 games due to injury. In a season where they won 51 games, injuries are what primarily stopped them from being a 60 win team.

It’s not just the games that were missed due to injuries, but the fact that two of the primary players were just never the same throughout the season. Both Derrick Favors and Rodney Hood struggled with injuries all year long, and even when they returned, they just weren’t the same.

If those two in particular can remain healthy and reach their full potential, they could be a main proponent in helping the Jazz remain in the playoff picture.

Speaking of Rodney Hood and Derrick Favors…