It’s no secret the Utah Jazz got better this summer, but how will they fare in the NBA playoffs against the elite Western Conference?
This offseason has been a wild one. We have seen a huge power shift in the Western Conference. What used to be Golden State’s iron grip on the West is now a wide open door. Not only did they lose Kevin Durant and Andre Iguodala, but they lost Klay Thompson to an ACL tear for the majority, if not all of next season. Western Conference executives decided to pounce!
As a result, there are seven teams in the West that are aiming to be contenders this year. While the two Los Angeles teams and Houston Rockets added big name stars, the Jazz and Nuggets have quietly improved their rosters and are expected to be elite on both ends of the floor.
The Trail Blazers are coming off a Western Conference Finals run and Damian Lillard is making a solid case for the league’s second best point guard. The Warriors still have the 2015 unanimous MVP Stephen Curry.
That’s just a skiff of the frenzy that occurred this summer. Many experts have the Jazz primed to finish high in the standings this season, I have them as third in the west with 55 wins. But to be honest with ourselves, how high will they finish in the postseason where it matters the most?