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Utah Jazz: Ranking the Top 5 moments of the 2017-18 season so far

By Ryan Aston

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - NOVEMBER 7: the Utah Jazz stand for the national anthem before the game against the Philadelphia 76ers on November 7, 2017 at Vivint.SmartHome Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - NOVEMBER 7: the Utah Jazz stand for the national anthem before the game against the Philadelphia 76ers on November 7, 2017 at Vivint.SmartHome Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Utah Jazz Ekpe Udoh Minnesota Timberwolves Andrew Wiggins
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – OCTOBER 20: Ekpe Udoh #33 of the Utah Jazz blocks a shot by Andrew Wiggins #22 of the Minnesota Timberwolves during the first quarter of the game on October 20, 2017 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

5) Ekpe Udoh and Thabo Sefolosha emerge

So, to say that Utah’s offseason didn’t go as planned would be putting it mildly. In fact, losing Gordon Hayward more or less derailed a rebuild several years in the making.

In an effort to course correct following Hayward’s departure, the Jazz inked multiple veteran free agents. Two of them — big man Ekpe Udoh and guard-forward Thabo Sefolosha — have been excellent.

Despite being more than a decade in with his pro career, Sefolosha has been as good as ever. Through 12 games, he’s averaging seven points per game on better than 50 percent from the field. He also continues to provide high-level defense.

Meanwhile, Ekpe Udoh has come out of nowhere to be one of the league’s best defenders off the bench. His block rate of 10.6 percent would lead the league if he qualified to do so.

Where breaking this down into a moment is concerned, I think we need to look at Utah’s win over the Denver Nuggets to open the season. In that game, Udoh and Sefolosha were a combined plus-49 when on the floor to fuel the comeback win. Udoh, in particular, stole the show with three blocked shots.

Next: No. 4

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