The J-Notes
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NBA Northwest power rankings: Utah Jazz scuffling through 20 games

By Ryan Aston

PHILADELPHIA, PA - NOVEMBER 16: Rudy Gobert #27 of the Utah Jazz reacts against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center on November 16, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - NOVEMBER 16: Rudy Gobert #27 of the Utah Jazz reacts against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center on November 16, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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DALLAS, TX – NOVEMBER 14: Derrick Favors #15 of the Utah Jazz reacts after being called for a flagrant foul against the Dallas Mavericks in the fourth quarter at American Airlines Center on November 14, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

We’re already 20 games into the 2018-19 NBA season and the Utah Jazz are struggling to keep pace in the Northwest Division.

Remember when the Utah Jazz were the creme de la creme of the Northwest Division and primed to duke it out with the Houston Rockets for the No. 2 spot in the Western Conference? Those were fun times.

The fun times ended, though, once the regular season tipped off.

Its seems like it was only yesterday that Donovan Mitchell and the Jazz were putting the wraps on an undefeated preseason slate, but we’re suddenly at the 20-game mark of the team’s 2018-19 campaign. Needless to say, the first quarter of the season has not played out as expected for the team or the division at large.

Last year, all five teams battled it out for playoff position. As it stands now, two teams — the Jazz and the Minnesota Timberwolves — rank among the bottom three in the West standings.

After dealing a disgruntled Jimmy Butler, the T-Wolves are definitely living in a new world. Meanwhile, Utah’s preached consistency has looked more like stagnation as they struggle to keep pace with the opposition.

Now, for the million-dollar question: is what we’re seeing real or will the 60-plus games that remain bring about a return to the expected norm? At the quarter point of the season, we may still be experiencing some measure of small sample size theater, but we’re also approaching that juncture where some truths have emerged.

In any case, it’s pretty clear which teams lead the pack currently. Here’s how they shake out in our quarter-mark divisional power rankings…

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