There’s no room for excuses, but Utah Jazz strength of schedule can’t be ignored

SAN ANTONIO, TX - DECEMBER 9: The Utah Jazz huddle up during the game against the San Antonio Spurs on December 9, 2018 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, 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 (Photos by Mark Sobhani/NBAE via Getty Images)
SAN ANTONIO, TX - DECEMBER 9: The Utah Jazz huddle up during the game against the San Antonio Spurs on December 9, 2018 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, 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 (Photos by Mark Sobhani/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Utah Jazz have gotten off to a worse start than most fans had hoped. And while there’s no room for excuses, the difficulty of their schedule simply can’t be ignored.

Considering the high hopes and expectations placed on the Utah Jazz this offseason, no one would have been thrilled to hear this summer that 28 games into the season, the team would sit at just 13-15. Especially considering the emphasis that was put into the team’s continuity, which many thought would help them overcome any semblance of a slow start, such a disappointing commencement to the year was considered highly improbable.

Yet nevertheless here we are.

While some of the Jazz’s worst performances have been undeniably head-scratching, those that paid close attention to their early schedule probably aren’t that surprised by the sub-.500 start. Utah has had it absolutely brutal to start the year, with a number of tough opponents and a ridiculous amount of travel.

True, that’s no excuse for some of their dismal showings when focus and effort have been lacking and correct execution has been few and far between, but at the same time, the strength of the Utah Jazz schedule simply can’t be ignored. At the end of the day, these guys are human, and outside factors are going to have an impact on them, even if we wish they could be simply perfect basketball players each and every night.

And in case you were wondering just how tough Utah’s schedule has truly been compared to the rest of the league, it would be worth your while to take a look at TeamRankings’ NBA Strength of Schedule Rankings and Ratings from thus far in 2018-19. I’ve included the link here as well as below in the tweet from The Athletic’s Tony Jones.

These figures are calculated by a number of factors, including quality of opponents and travel, both of which have been very much out of the Jazz’s favor. For that reason, you’ll find the number in that rankings to be absolutely insane. Utah is number one on the list at a strength of schedule of 2.4. In second place is a tie between over a half-dozen teams, all of which come in at a mark of…wait for it…0.7.

In other words, Utah’s schedule up to this point has been over three times more difficult than the second hardest schedule in the NBA. Wow. That’s literally mind-blowing. And it certainly should stand as a signal to Jazz fans to shy far, far away from the panic button. In some ways, considering how ridiculously difficult that schedule has been, the fact that they’re close to .500 at all is a miracle in and of itself.

And when taking a deeper look at their schedule itself, it’s not hard at all to see why it’s been so difficult. 19 of their first 28 games have been against teams in the much more daunting Western Conference. The Jazz have played 18 road games so far this season. That’s three more than the next closest teams.

Utah also has yet to face a single one of the bottom five teams in the NBA – the Knicks, Hawks, Cavs, Bulls or Suns. Not once! Meanwhile, of their 28 games thus far, 17 have been against teams currently in the playoff mix, and several others have been against teams right on the cusp of what’s still a very early and unclear playoff picture.

Last of all, not only do they lead the league in road games, but their travel schedule has been simply insane. Their home games haven’t even felt like home games, which is something I touched on earlier in the month in extensive detail. But just to briefly reiterate, because Utah has had so many single home games instead of home stands, at one point during the year they literally played a stretch of 13 games in a different arena every night.

Sure, there were a few home games spattered in there among the road trips, but with such heavy travel in between, those felt much more like stops along the way rather than a homecoming. Essentially from November 12 to December 4, the Jazz were on a 13-game road trip.

Are you starting to see where that 2.4 SOS (Strength of Schedule) rating came from? Does it make a little more sense as to why this insane stretch has the Jazz at a schedule that’s three times harder than the next closest one? Does 13-15 look quite so bad now? Especially with an upcoming two-game stretch against sub-.500 foes giving Utah a great chance to get back to .500 by the 30-game mark?

Hopefully you’re picking up what I’m putting down here. Essentially what I’m saying is that, while there’s been surprising disappointments and undeniably poor stretches of play that need to be corrected, Utah’s lackluster start also has a completely justifiable explanation. The NBA schedulers did Utah no favors to start the year and essentially put them in a situation where they were almost guaranteed to fail due to circumstances outside of their control.

So, once again, before hitting the panic button, Jazz fans should instead take a step back, look at the facts and realize that, while no excuses should be accepted, the strength of schedule discrepancy is a real thing. Utah’s poor start can be directly related to a nearly impossible situation. And with how tough things have been and due to the toll such travel takes, it’s miraculous that Utah is even where they’re at.

But the good news from all this? As you’ve probably heard multiple times, Utah’s schedule in the back half of the year lightens up considerably. Sure, they have some tough times ahead still until then, but if they can keep grinding and remain in reasonable striking distance as they are now, they’re almost assuredly going to be in great shape.

The daunting schedule has been an unbelievable disadvantage for the Jazz and a very real factor that absolutely cannot be overlooked when evaluating their disappointing start. Fortunately, they’ve shown nice signs of turning things around as evidenced by their recent stretch of winning four of five games. And once the schedule comes back down to a more reasonable mark, I’m still expecting big things for this Jazz squad.

Hope is far from lost, and the Jazz are a lot closer to a good team than a bad team, despite what the early record might lead some to think. My message to Jazz fans is to hold fast, keep patient and to not give up. This ridiculous stretch would shake any team that had to go through it, but I’m confident the Jazz have the swagger and determination to fight their way through and emerge in a great spot come playoff time.