The Utah Jazz host some daunting foes in Week Four. Fortunately, weary opponents and resting players may give Utah a slight edge that they wouldn’t otherwise have.
While there are certainly plenty of reasons to refrain from hitting the panic button for the Utah Jazz, there’s also no denying that the team is off to a highly discouraging start. After nine games, the Jazz record now sits at 4-5. What’s worse is that they look much like they did early last year – out of sync, inefficient, banged up and inconsistent.
This wouldn’t be all that alarming if we were talking about the team from a year ago. We knew they’d have some issues with a brand new starting point guard in Ricky Rubio, a rookie in Donovan Mitchell and several other new faces thrown into the mix. However, this offseason the Jazz preached continuity, claiming that by keeping the band together, their cohesiveness could lead to big things.
It was certainly a reasonable hypothesis. After all, we saw how formidable the Jazz were to close out last season. It may yet result in similar regular and postseason success, but thus far, it hasn’t worked out anywhere close to how the Jazz might have imagined. Sure, it’s early and of course, there’s plenty of time to adjust and bounce back in an 82-game season that’s going to see plenty of highs and lows.
But all excuses aside, there’s no denying that the Jazz are off to a disappointing start that isn’t anywhere close to how solid this team was believed to be. While I’m fully aware that no team is going to ‘win them all’, the Denver Nuggets’ 8-1 start is pure evidence of how an up-and-coming team with their eyes set on illustrious goals ought to get started. The Jazz haven’t come anywhere close to doing that this year, and with a tough schedule ahead, are now in danger of falling into a major hole.
Utah went a dismal 0-3 in Week Three of action, falling to the Minnesota Timberwolves in heartbreaking fashion, then to the Memphis Grizzlies in ugly fashion, then to the Denver Nuggets who simply crushed a weary Jazz team in the fourth quarter. I had pinned the Jazz going 2-1, dropping only the game in Denver, meaning that my projections record went an only slightly better 1-2 on the week. While the Jazz sit at 4-5, I’m now at just 5-4.
What looked like a promising position for the Jazz, sitting at 4-2 with at least two very winnable games in Week Three, now has them in a very precarious spot – below .500 with two daunting opponents coming into Salt Lake City where the Utah Jazz are winless on the season.
They’ll host the red-hot Toronto Raptors on Monday, who thus far look like the best team in the East. Then the Dallas Mavericks visit on Wednesday. Dallas should be a winnable game for the Jazz, but they certainly have some exciting talent and, based on what we’ve seen so far, nothing should be taken for granted for the Jazz.
Finally, they’ll close out the week hosting the Boston Celtics in what could be Gordon Hayward‘s return game, assuming he plays on what is a second night of a back-to-back for them. Between Boston’s suffocating D and the fact that former Jazzmen have thrived against their old team this year, that could be an ugly affair for Utah.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The Jazz are capable of bouncing back and could very well right the ship at any moment, especially considering that, at a minimum, they have a day of rest between each contest this week. So let’s jump in and see what we should expect out of a challenging Week Four.