Utah Jazz: The J-Notes’ west power rankings, Halloween edition

PHOENIX, AZ - OCTOBER 25: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz grabs the rebound against the Phoenix Suns on October 25, 2017 at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, AZ. Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images)
PHOENIX, AZ - OCTOBER 25: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz grabs the rebound against the Phoenix Suns on October 25, 2017 at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, AZ. Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images)
1 of 16

A look at the pecking order in the wild Western Conference, where the Memphis Grizzlies have surprised and the Utah Jazz are treading water early.

Utah Jazz Donovan Mitchell
PHOENIX, AZ – OCTOBER 25: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz grabs the rebound against the Phoenix Suns on October 25, 2017 at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, AZ. Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images)

We’re just two weeks into the 2017-18 NBA season and, already, it’s been a wild ride. The Golden State Warriors stunningly lost two games early, the Memphis Grizzlies continue their trend of defying expectations, Chris Paul got hurt in Houston and the Dallas Mavericks…

Well, let’s just say the Mavs have been as advertised.

Meanwhile, the Utah Jazz have already put fans on a roller-coaster. With two strong wins in week one, back-to-back bad losses to follow, then a rout of the Los Angeles Lakers over the weekend, it’s hard to say we’ve really learned anything about the Jazz.

Especially given Rudy Gobert’s surprising struggles.

Nevertheless, there’s definitely a pecking order in play right now in the Western Conference. The odds of it remaining as is seem slim as the year progresses, but this is how things shake out currently…