3. Utah Jazz
If we were comparing teams merely on paper, I honestly would put the Utah Jazz at number one on this ranking. That’s not just me being a homer either, it’s because the Jazz are as well-rounded and deep as they come. They may not have the best duo in their starting lineup (that honor likely goes to one of the two teams in Los Angeles), but their top-four players can conceivably be considered the best collective four in the West.
Factor in as well that the remainder of their depth throughout the second unit is about as sturdy as they come, and it’s pretty hard to bet against the Jazz. Donovan Mitchell should improve, Rudy Gobert will be out to defend his back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year Award, newcomers Mike Conley and Bojan Bogdanovic should be prolific and they’ll all be led in the system of brilliant head coach Quin Snyder.
That said, the Jazz have a knack for under-performing expectations. And while I still think they’ll be a phenomenal team in 2019-20 with a real chance to compete for a championship, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see some growing pains and stumbling blocks along the way. There are a lot of new faces on this squad and there will most certainly be an adjustment period.
Not only that, but with Mitchell, Gobert and Joe Ingles all participating in the FIBA World Cup this summer, there could be a little fatigue that causes the Jazz to be somewhat slow getting out of the gates. After the past two head-scratching seasons, Jazz fans are far too familiar with slow starts, and as annoying as it may be, it wouldn’t be surprising to see it happen yet again.
Even with some potential bumps along the way, this Jazz team is just too talented and versatile, and I think they’ll give teams all kinds of problems throughout the regular season where they ought to be able to thrive. For that very reason, I’m pinning them at a third place finish heading into the playoffs.