How Will the Utah Jazz Struggle against the West?
By Caleb Manser
Memphis Grizzlies
- Size
- Good young core
- Schedule
The Grizzlies have decent size in their frontcourt. Their center, Jonas Valanciunas, was a double-double machine last year and nearly averaged 20 and 10 after he was traded to the Grizzlies. Their young power forward Jaren Jackson is listed at 6-foot-11 and could easily play small ball center, playing 32 percent of his minutes at the five last year.
Speaking of Jaren Jackson, he is a stud himself. Memphis is banking on him to be the player they build around with Ja Morant, an awesome point guard that can score and assist well. With low expectations and all the playing time in the world, this one-two punch could develop into a true star tandem sooner than later and give the Jazz a run for their money.
The timing of when the Jazz play the Grizzlies is also tough. When they first meet, Utah will have traveled from San Francisco to Salt Lake on a back-to-back; then they will fly from Salt Lake to Memphis, covering three time zones in just five days.
At the end of November, Utah will complete a back-to-back set in Salt Lake, then fly to Milwaukee, Indianapolis and, finally, Memphis all crammed into an eight-day stretch. They also play the Grizzlies to complete a back to back set in March.
New Orleans Pelicans
- Zion Williamson‘s athleticism
- Bubble playoff team
- Schedule
With an interesting blend of solid veterans and former lottery picks, the Pelicans will be one of the most interesting teams to watch this season. Rookie sensation Zion Williamson proved to be a problem against the Jazz in their preseason bout. He went for 26 points in just 23 minutes, and even scored on Rudy Gobert in the paint.
If the Jazz want to win this one they need to find a way to contain Zion from dunking his way to a 20-point game.
"Of those 21 makes in the past two games, 20 have come around the goal. And apparently, it doesn’t matter who is at the rim — even if it’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert. Williamson attacked the rim several times with Gobert in the paint… “You gotta give him respect, two-time Defensive Player of the Year,” Williamson said. “Just gotta go in there strong and try to finish.” Gobert said he made sure he didn’t give Williamson a chance to dunk on him but complimented the 19-year-old’s game, saying he has a “great future ahead of him.” “He’s kind of surprisingly agile,” Gobert said. “I think he catches a lot of people off guard because of that. He can change direction pretty quick.”"
Many are either picking the Spurs or Pelicans to earn the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, meaning the Pelicans likely won’t be coasting during the regular season or use any load management. They will be hungry for a victory every night.
The Utah Jazz will face the Pelicans on the wrong end of a back to back in November, and New Orleans will be the final stop of a three game road trip in January, part of a five game stretch that will see the Jazz change time zones in all five games.
Houston Rockets
- Small Rivalry
- Playoff seeding
- Schedule
The Rockets have eliminated the Utah Jazz out of the playoffs two seasons in a row, so there should be an incentive for the Jazz to get the best of the Rockets this regular season. There should be an equal incentive for the Rockets to win the season series against the Jazz, as the two teams are likely to be close in the standings.
They won’t square off until January 22nd, and with it being that late in the season the Jazz could be in trouble if James Harden and Russell Westbrook figure out how to play together. In addition to that, it will be the back end of a back-to-back for the Jazz. This should still be one of the more exciting season series to watch.
Dallas Mavericks
- Bubble playoff team
- Well coached by Rick Carlisle
- Schedule
The Mavericks are fortunate to have both Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis on their team. They are exciting young talents that have real All-Star potential, which is the main (and only) reason why they have a chance to make the playoffs this season. Nobody else on the roster has proven their worth as a starting caliber player, which means Dallas is looking for some solid player development this season.
They will be competitive night in and night out.
Rick Carlisle has shown he can bring a scrappy team of role players to a respectable record. After the Mavericks won their championship in 2011, the team experienced some roster turnover with main rotation guys. Tyson Chandler bolted in free agency, they swapped point guards from Jason Kidd to Jose Calderon to Devin Harris, and they interchanged their starting shooting guard and small forwards nearly every year.
The fact that Carlisle was able to keep the team relevant throughout those years is an incredible feat itself. Who’s to say he can’t drag the Mavericks to another playoff berth?
When the two teams meet for the second time in February, it will be on the back end of a back-to-back for the Jazz. They will play in Houston on the 9th, then Dallas on the 10th. The All-Star break will be near and legs will be tired for sure as the grind of an 82-game season starts getting to athletes.
San Antonio Spurs
- Defense
- Basketball I.Q
- Bubble playoff team
When Dejounte Murray played 81 games for the Spurs in 2017-18, they had a top five defense. They took a step back last year falling to 19th, partially from losing Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green, but now they should be tough defensively again with Murray coming back. Also, DeMarre Carroll A.K.A Junkyard Dawg is joining the Spurs.
The Spurs play with an incredible basketball I.Q, and they always have my entire lifetime. With Gregg Popovich still at the helm and humble players willing to play within his system, expect more of the same. Derrick White especially shined in the playoffs last spring and impressed at Team USA’s scrimmage this summer. He plays with good composure and is a great fit in the Spurs’ system.
Lastly, San Antonio will be fighting to keep their playoff streak alive. They made it in with a nine-game cushion on the ninth-seeded Sacramento Kings last season, and it appears that the last playoff spot is only the Spurs’ to lose. It’s never a good idea to count out the Spurs.