Utah Jazz 2018-19 Preseason Outlook, Predictions

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - SEPTEMBER 24: Head Coach Quin Snyder of the Utah Jazz poses for a portrait at media day on September 24, 2018 at the Zions Bank Basketball Campus in Salt Laker 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 - SEPTEMBER 24: Head Coach Quin Snyder of the Utah Jazz poses for a portrait at media day on September 24, 2018 at the Zions Bank Basketball Campus in Salt Laker 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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Utah Jazz Donovan Mitchell Rudy Gobert
SACRAMENTO, CA – MARCH 3: Donovan Mitchell #45 and Rudy Gobert #27 of the Utah Jazz talk during the game against the Sacramento Kings on March 3, 2018 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)

With the 2018-19 NBA season set to get underway, here’s a look at the five-game preseason slate for the Utah Jazz which tips off Saturday night.

If you’ve kept up with The J-Notes for the past couple years, you’ll know that we make it a tradition to preview each and every week of Utah Jazz action, giving a brief outlook of the upcoming games as well as a prediction for how yours truly believes those games will pan out. Not only that, but I hold myself accountable for both my good and awful predictions by keeping track of my “projections record” all season long.

Last year, I went a so-so 47-35, correctly predicting the outcome 47 out of 82 times. Not a bad mark, but I was bested by the Jazz’s record by one game. The year before that, I went 53-29, just barely surpassing Utah’s 51-win season.

I’m expecting good things for both myself and especially the Utah Jazz in 2018-19. When you’re expecting a team to win a lot of games, as I am with this rising squad, it becomes a lot easier to make accurate predictions. Though preseason games won’t figure in to my total count, I figured with action getting underway Saturday night in preseason play, I’d cut my teeth by looking into my crystal ball and weighing in on Utah’s five-game preseason slate.

Preseason games are obviously pretty tricky to project with teams only playing their starters minor minutes and working to experiment with different plays and lineups, but it’ll still be fun to see how things wind up. Last season, Utah managed to go 5-0 in preseason, which was a nice precursor to an exciting season.

With that said, without further ado, let’s take a long, hard look at the upcoming Utah Jazz preseason contests–