Continuing our most intriguing individual matchup series, today we look at how the Utah Jazz will compare to their foes in the Atlantic Division.
With a preseason game now under our belts, the anticipation for the long-awaited 2019-20 Utah Jazz season is at an all-time high. Although most of Utah’s top players rested, it was still great to see the team, including several exciting newcomers, suit up and hit the floor for the first time.
And while there certainly were things to glean from the preseason bout, it still can’t hold a candle to the competition of the regular season. That said, considering that we’re still two weeks until it gets underway, I figured now was as good a time as any to return to our series looking at which players on each opposing squad will present the most intriguing individual matchup when they face the Jazz this year.
We’ve already tackled the entire Western Conference as well as the East’s Central Division (accessible via the links below), so today we’ll go ahead and move on to the deep Atlantic Division.
The Atlantic Division features four teams that qualified for the playoffs a season ago, including three of the top four seeds. The Toronto Raptors are the reigning number two seed and defending NBA Champions, and while they figure to take a bit of a step back after losing Kawhi Leonard, they should still be a formidable group.
Meanwhile, the Philadelphia 76ers are considered one of the contenders in the East, the Boston Celtics are a bit of a question mark but remain highly competitive and the Brooklyn Nets, though they won’t be the force they project to be until Kevin Durant comes back from injury, will still be solid with Kyrie Irving and a dazzling supporting cast.
Then, last and least are the New York Knicks who are… well… the Knicks. Perhaps they’ll be somewhat improved from a year ago, but they still don’t project to be much of a threat.
That said, each of the five teams are full of exhilarating players that will present exciting individual matchups when they face off against the Jazz each and every time. So without further ado, let’s check out the best ones!