How the Utah Jazz stack up against all 29 other NBA teams

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - APRIL 23: the Utah Jazz huddle prior to Game Four of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 23, 2018 at vivint.SmartHome Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - APRIL 23: the Utah Jazz huddle prior to Game Four of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 23, 2018 at vivint.SmartHome Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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HOUSTON, TX – MAY 8: Rudy Gobert #27 of the Utah Jazz and James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets after the game in Game Five of the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on May 8, 2018 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX – MAY 8: Rudy Gobert #27 of the Utah Jazz and James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets after the game in Game Five of the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on May 8, 2018 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Houston Rockets

  • ’17-18 Record: 65-17
  • ’17-18 Season Series: 4-0 (Rockets)
  • ’18-19 Advantage: Neutral

The Houston Rockets won an incredible 65 games last season, but have had a rough off-season in my eyes, which just makes the gap between them and the Jazz even closer.

Houston lost arguably their two best perimeter defenders in Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute. They are really going to miss them, Ariza in particular. Then they added Carmelo Anthony, who at this point, looks more like a negative than a positive.

Re-signing Clint Capela was obviously huge. He had a monster season for Houston and is one of the better centers in the league. I also like what they did on draft night, selecting USC’s De’Anthony Melton in the second round.

I think the Jazz are on the same level as the Rockets. Houston may have sent the Jazz packing in five games during the second round of the 2018 Playoffs, but with Utah’s young guys getting better and bringing essentially the same team back, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if the Jazz have more wins than the Rockets.