Utah Jazz hit top five of ESPN’s offseason power rankings
By Ryan Aston
The Utah Jazz are getting some love as one of the top squads in the entire Association, showing well in ESPN’s post-NBA Finals power rankings.
Although there were people in and around the Salt Lake Valley that thought the Utah Jazz could rebound from the loss of Gordon Hayward, the expectation nationally was largely that of doom and gloom. I’d wager that the group that thought the Jazz could win nearly 50 games and a first-round playoff series was even smaller.
But here we are. Thanks to the meteoric rise of Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert‘s paint dominance, a career year from Joe Ingles, the machinations of Quin Snyder and a host of other factors, the Jazz band rocked the 2017-18 campaign. Whatever expectations fans and pundits had were shattered.
It was a feelgood year for the West’s unlikeliest powerhouse, but the chances of the Jazz catching the basketball masses off-guard next season are slim. Already, the team has shed its rep as a renegade squad of plucky upstarts. Now, the perception is that they’re rubbing shoulders with the crème de la crème of the conference.
Scratch that — it’s probably more accurate to say the best teams in the NBA.
In their post-NBA Finals power rankings, ESPN has the Jazz ranked as the No. 5 team in the Association heading into the offseason. Here’s a snippet of the Worlwide Leader’s write-up on Utah’s spot in the pecking order.
Via Royce Young —
"The Jazz will strengthen their position in the West just by coming back as is. Year 2 for Donovan Mitchell as he continues his ascension into superstar combined with crossing fingers for good health for Rudy Gobert and the Jazz should feel good about climbing the standings next season. But there’s always an opportunity for more, and with the way the NBA is set up, the need for stacking talent on talent is always a priority no matter how good it appears you might have it."
Young’s assessment on standing pat stands true. While the Jazz won 48 games this past season, injuries put a major cap on the team’s potential. Per Man Games Lost‘s calculations, the Jazz lost a league-high 12.9 wins to injury. That number puts them around the 60-win mark had they remained fully healthy.
While an entire year of full health is a pipe dream, the law of averages would suggest that the Jazz are overdue for good tidings in that department. That alone should bring an uptick in the W column without tweaking the roster.
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Moreover, the Jazz still have massive potential for internal improvement. Heading into year two, one would expect Mitchell to really plant his flag as one of the game’s ultimate go-to guys. His rookie status is officially no more and he’s on the fast track to superstardom. Meanwhile, mid-season acquisition Jae Crowder should hit another gear, too. A full offseason and training camp in the system will do wonders for his integration.
Also — Ricky Rubio is trending toward reaching his true prime after averaging 15 points, six assists and five rebounds per contest while shooting 44 percent overall and 41 percent from 3-point range from December 30 through the end of the regular season.
And that’s just a smattering; there’s room for improvement up and down the roster.
As Young alludes to, getting more talent is still of definite import. However, the Jazz may elect to go with incremental upgrades this summer and shoot for a big-name free agent in the summer of 2019. Unless, of course, they can find something in the trade market.
Either way, though, Utah’s underdog days are seemingly done. ESPN’s top-five billing aside, the hoops world has taken note. The Jazz are back in their familiar spot as one of the league’s top squads.