Thanks to excellent contributions from their newcomers and big-time wins over top foes, the Utah Jazz are proving themselves as among the elite in the NBA.
Last season, the Utah Jazz struggled to win close games. They also tended to have a hard time matching up against elite squads. But in an effort to flip the script and change that disturbing trend, the front office went out and made some major enhancements to the roster this offseason.
So far, those changes are already paying massive dividends.
The Jazz just went up against two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference in consecutive contests – the Philadelphia 76ers and the Milwaukee Bucks – and arose victorious in both. Both games were extremely tightly-contested bouts that came down to the wire with the Jazz only just escaping in both.
In the first, the Jazz held off a furious Philly rally in the fourth quarter, but managed to hold fast despite some late missed free throws and other potentially costly mistakes. Rudy Gobert‘s defense was sensational all game long and Donovan Mitchell played well for the majority of the contest. But when Mitchell started to run out of steam, it was Bojan Bogdanovic who stepped up big and nailed a dagger three to essentially put the game away.
Bogdanovic also deserved high props for his excellent defensive work on Al Horford which was an understated contributor to the win.
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Against Milwaukee, the Jazz gave up a huge lead then pulled away late and should have put them away, but once again missed free throws and turnovers were costly and Milwaukee looked poised to either win or at least force overtime. However, with Mitchell struggling in the fourth (and really throughout the game to be honest), Bogdanovic stepped up yet again, nailing a game-winning three-pointer as time expired. That shot marked a whopping 33 points for Bogey.
To get to the point they were in, the Jazz had needed an excellent prior showing from fellow newcomer Mike Conley as well, who finished the game with 20 points. Yet again, Gobert’s defense was critical and a constant factor in the victory.
But while the Jazz teams of the past two years had the offensive explosiveness of Mitchell and the defensive dominance of Gobert, they were often missing extra punch. Thus far, the additions of Bogdanovic and Conley have been massive, and it’s been evidenced by the Jazz being able to win close games against elite opponents, such as these past two.
Yes, there are things the Jazz absolutely have to clean up. The late-game turnovers, poor decisions, clunky offense and other stints of bad execution, to name a few. But the fact that they have managed to overcome even some self-inflicted wounds to overcome top-tier teams is a testament to just how good they are and also to how much better they can yet become as they get more accustomed to one another.
Ice in his veeeeins ❄️ pic.twitter.com/eZDf9uosqv
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) November 9, 2019
And after some rocky losses which comprised of a disjointed bout against the Los Angeles Lakers, an embarrassing collapse against the hapless Sacramento Kings and a squandered opportunity against the LA Clippers, these last two games were a much-needed bounce-back that proved just how daunting the Jazz truly are and should continue to be as the season goes on.
With the likes of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert in their ranks, the Jazz have been a staunch squad in recent seasons. Now, with the addition of Conley and Bogdanovic as well as the continued development and contributions of studs like Royce O’Neale, Joe Ingles and Jeff Green, they are a force to be reckoned with.
Indeed, they’re showing glimpses of being the team that is as good as hyped and advertised. Now that they’ve gotten past Philly and Milwaukee, they face a stretch of seven very winnable games that should help them only continue to assimilate to one another and enhance their offense. The upcoming stretch features games against Golden State, Brooklyn, Memphis, consecutive against Minnesota, the Warriors again, then the Pelicans.
It’s entirely possible the Jazz may drop one or two during that span, but even if they’re able to come out of that 11-5 or 12-4, they’ll be off to an exceptional start as they near the season’s quarter-mark.
And it’s not unrealistic at all to project them to go off on a big-time winning streak. They have shown the ability to beat top teams in close, grind-it-out games. Why then should they not be expected to handle their business against squads a tier below?
The Jazz proved they belong in the conversation as a top team in the league after their two heart-stopping wins this past week. Now, it will be up to them to remain there and further solidify themselves by taking advantage of lackluster competition ahead and watching their spot in the standings skyrocket.