Utah Jazz: What to watch for on Tuesday’s NBA opening night

Although the Utah Jazz aren’t playing on NBA opening night on Tuesday, there’s a lot for fans to keep an eye on as the 2018-19 season gets underway.

Big news, Utah Jazz and NBA fans! The 2018-19 NBA season kicks off this very week! That’s right, beginning on Tuesday, October 16th, we’ll be able to enjoy NBA basketball on a consistent basis for nearly eight months. I can hardly wait!

The Utah Jazz won’t be in action on opening night, as they’ll instead get underway on Wednesday against the Sacramento Kings where they finished preseason off with a bang. Nevertheless, there’s still plenty for Jazz fans to keep an eye on in Tuesday’s pair of games that will kick off the new NBA season.

It just so happens that all four teams playing on opening night have significant ties to the Utah Jazz. The first game will feature the Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics, who met in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, in which the Celtics dispatched the Sixers in short order. The Celtics, of course, are the team of former Jazzman Gordon Hayward. Because of that, there’s been no small amount of animosity shared between the two fanbases.

The Celtics figure to be one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, but the up-and-coming Jazz view themselves in the same boat in their respective conference. Keeping tabs on how the Celtics look in their first game, and all throughout the season, will be an electrifying exercise.

Meanwhile, 76ers fans and Jazz fans often went head-to-head with one another thanks to the Rookie of the Year debate between Ben Simmons and Donovan Mitchell. Obviously, Simmons ultimately got the final nod, so you can bet that Mitchell will have a lot to prove in his second season.

Considering that the Jazz and Sixers are both on similar trajectories in terms of overcoming down years to now seeking title contention, they’ll be a fun team to track all year as well. Both Boston and Philadelphia could very well serve as Eastern Conference rivals of sorts for the Utah Jazz this season due to these unique connections.

The following game will be between the defending champion Golden State Warriors and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Of course, the reason for keeping an eye on Golden State is obvious. As the best team in the league and back-to-back champs, they are the ones setting the bar and the team to beat. If Utah is to have any hope of hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy come season’s end, they’ll have to find a way to get through the Warriors.

The Jazz did exceptional last regular season against the Warriors, finishing 3-1 against them and handing them their two worst losses of the year. Considering that the Jazz play the Warriors in both teams’ second contest of 2018-19, it will add extra incentive to watch them in their debut and analyze how the Jazz may be able to challenge them.

Last of all, the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Jazz have a distinct connection as they are the team that the Jazz bounced in the first round of the playoffs last season. The star-studded Thunder were over-hyped all season long, and their first-round exit was perfect evidence of that.

Nevertheless, since they dumped the poor fitting Carmelo Anthony and added Dennis Schroder along with some other nice depth pieces, many experts are predicting that OKC will indeed be a powerhouse this season, and several have pinned them ahead of the Jazz in the standings. Seeing how they measure up against the Golden State Warriors in the first game will be a nice measuring stick for the Jazz who play them three days later.

Along with keeping tabs on how the Thunder measure up to the Warriors, in both opening night contests, Jazz fans have plenty to keep their eyes on. One aspect to watch is how certain players appear to have improved, particularly ones who have been compared to Donovan Mitchell such as Philadelphia’s Ben Simmons and Boston’s Jayson Tatum. The three ROY finalists will all be aiming to prove themselves as the best of the bunch in year two, so getting a first look at Mitchell’s fellow sophomores will be exhilarating.

The same goes for seeing Gordon Hayward back in action again. Sure, we got a glimpse of him in preseason, but after playing a mere five minutes last season before suffering the gruesome leg injury, it will be interesting for Jazz fans to see how their former All-Star performs.

There are questions and doubts about how he will be able to assimilate and develop chemistry with a Celtics team that largely thrived without him last year, so keeping an eye on Boston’s 2018-19 debut will be interesting, especially for Jazz fans who remain salty about Hayward’s departure.

Since the Jazz will be competing for playoff positioning with their division rival Oklahoma City Thunder, it will be intriguing to see how they fare in their first game of the season as well. Considering that they started off slow last year, witnessing whether or not they’ll be able to get off to a better start and truly be the force they couldn’t be last year will be fun.

Or, if they continue to show struggles in terms of chemistry, shot selection and defense, it may mean that we’re in for another satisfying year in which the Jazz take it to their more widely praised divisional foes.

Finally, seeing the Warriors in action in regular season play will be quite informative. They clearly didn’t take preseason seriously at all, considering that they went just 1-4 in the early slate. I’m sure they’ll approach the regular season with a much greater sense of urgency, but considering that they’re talented enough to coast for much of the year and still waltz into the playoffs, it’s anyone’s guess whether they’ll start off with a bang or ease their way into competing.

Their potential complacency could be Utah’s best hope in challenging them, or if they get off to a mediocre start, it could at least help the Jazz log early wins over a team that they may not otherwise beat and help their record ever so slightly. In a conference where a mere game can determine playoff positioning, that could be a big deal for the Jazz.

So although Utah Jazz fans won’t get to see their team in action on Tuesday night, they’ll have plenty to watch for as they eye some bitter rivals and begin making comparisons and passing judgments on how the Jazz will likely fare against some of the best opponents in the league.

Whether you’re keeping an eye on players comparable to Donovan Mitchell or teams that will be battling the Jazz for position or prowess, there’s a ton for Utah Jazz fans to watch for and be excited about regarding Tuesday’s NBA debut.

And the best part about it is the knowledge that the Jazz themselves will be playing the very next night. The 2018-19 season is finally officially upon us.