Houston falling to Golden State shows just how far Utah Jazz still have left to go

The Houston Rockets’ defeat in the Western Conference Finals just goes to show how much the Utah Jazz still have to grow in order to not only catch Houston, but also the defending champion Golden State Warriors.

It’s not like we didn’t see this coming. The Houston Rockets falling to the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals on Monday wasn’t exactly a huge shock, especially considering that Chris Paul was sidelined. The Warriors, with four All-Stars, two of which are recent MVPs, and a formidable bench absolutely have a lock on the league.

The Rockets certainly came close – pushing the series to seven games was no easy task – but ultimately Golden State was too much for them.

You could argue that the result would have been different if CP3 hadn’t gotten hurt. You also could argue that if Andre Iguodala hadn’t missed time for the Warriors, the series may have been over before Paul even went down with the hamstring injury.

But setting aside the hypotheticals, health issues and “what ifs”, the fact still remains – as amazing as the Houston Rockets were this entire season, the Golden State Warriors are simply better. Better in every single way.

Again, I’m not enlightening you with any unknown facts here. The Warriors now find themselves in their fourth straight NBA Finals. They were a 73-9 team that added Kevin Durant, I repeat, Kevin Durant – one of the greatest players of this generation – to their ranks. They lost one measly playoff game last year – ONE. And it wasn’t until the NBA Finals.

This team is crazy good. So good, in fact, that it’s hard to foresee any team toppling them. The Rockets had the best shot this year (sorry Cleveland, I hope you prove me wrong but I’m not seeing it), and even they didn’t ultimately have enough in their tank to finish off the reigning champs.

And the worst part about that, particularly for Utah Jazz fans? Well, Houston made light work of Utah, defeating them in five games, three of which were absolute blowouts. While the Jazz had some nice moments in that series, overall it was evident that the gap between the Rockets and the Jazz is immense.

And if that gap is so huge, then what word can then be used to describe the gap between the Jazz and Warriors – the team that defeated the squad that easily beat Utah? Monstrous? Enormous? Insuperable?

Let’s hope the final word there isn’t quite accurate, because the fact of the matter is that for Utah, or any team for that matter, to win a championship, they’ll have to first get past the Golden State Warriors. If the Jazz couldn’t even get past Houston, then it really puts into perspective how much further Utah has to go if they want to surpass the Warriors.

Now, some fans might point to the fact that Utah went 3-1 against Golden State in the regular season, including handing them their two worst losses of the year – a 30-point and 40-point pair of beat-downs. Some have also reasoned that the Rockets’ style of play on both ends of the court provides a bit of a matchup issue for the Jazz, whereas Utah actually has a few minor edges over Golden State.

There are some kernels of truth to both of those ideas, but still not enough. The regular season is a different animal than the postseason, and Utah’s fate had they faced the Warriors in the playoffs would have been just as bad, if not worse. The fact of the matter is that Golden State is the best team in the league and, matchups aside, the Jazz have to not only catch up to Houston, but, like the rest of the NBA, must also catch up to Golden State.

That will be no small task. After all, as I mentioned earlier, we’re talking about a team with four All-Stars, two recent MVPs, a daunting bench and a system that has led to them becoming one of the most prolific offenses and versatile defenses in the Association.

Yet at the very least, the Jazz are headed in the right direction. They have two All-Star caliber players in Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. They have ideal role/depth guys in the likes of Joe Ingles, Jae Crowder, etc. The team has been built from within in a way that is conducive to success.

Let’s not forget that the Warriors’ rise to power came initially thanks to incredible drafting and internal development. I, for one, believe the Jazz are following and can continue to follow that path. The tough part, as Gordon Hayward so expertly demonstrated, becomes holding on to that developed talent once unrestricted free agency comes up.

But then again, Joe Ingles fell in love with the Jazz organization and opted to stay. Derrick Favors may ultimately leave Utah, but up to this point both parties have expressed a mutual interest in keeping him on board.

In other words, the perception is changing in Salt Lake City. The team is proving that it can compete in the loaded Western Conference. It has a highly reputable coach in Quin Snyder and a well-respected front office led by Dennis Lindsey. Good things are certainly on the horizon.

And all those things should add up to potentially turn the Jazz into an appealing free agent destination. Just like the Golden State Warriors added Kevin Durant to their fold in free agency to go from elite to absolutely dominant, it will likely take adding a big fish along with Utah’s internally developed foundation to get them to that next level.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. First, the Jazz need another internal cornerstone. Perhaps they’ll find him in this season’s draft or maybe a guy like Dante Exum or Ricky Rubio will take his development to the next level and become that piece. Then, they need their current stars to get better – Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert have to continue to develop and improve on their strengths.

Next, Utah needs shooting and additional depth/versatility. Perhaps that comes in the draft or in some savvy offseason signings or a trade this summer. Once they’ve finally checked all those boxes, giving them a sturdy core, that’s when they’ll need to aim to add a big-time free agent to become the pièce de résistance.

That’s far from likely to happen in the summer of 2018. But it was never really the plan for it to happen in 2018 either, barring an opportunity that was just too good to pass up. Utah is ahead of schedule, to be sure. They weren’t supposed to be so good so quickly as they were in the 2017-18 season, but they still need one more year for their current pieces to come together and to have real flexibility going into the following summer.

Once they reach that point, though, especially if they prove themselves as a real force to be reckoned with next season, they’ll be in an ideal spot to woo a top talent into their mix.

And at that point, maybe, just maybe, they’ll finally have closed the colossal gap that exists between them and the Golden State Warriors. A lot could change in the next two years. New foes could arise, new players could emerge, new obstacles may present themselves. But regardless of the external factors, the Jazz will stay the course as they look to go from a mere playoff team to a title contender.

Next: Utah Jazz 2017-18 review: Top 10 regular season games

The Jazz know all too well that even surpassing the Houston Rockets who beat them in the playoffs this year isn’t enough to get over the hump. No, instead it’s the Golden State Warriors who set the bar. Any path to the championship will have to go through them.

Clearly, the Utah Jazz have a ways to go, but the good news is that they’re undoubtedly on the right path.