The J-Notes
Fansided

Utah Jazz: Three pleasant surprises and three disappointments 10 games into season

By Jared Woodcox

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - NOVEMBER 08: Bojan Bogdanovic #44 of the Utah Jazz celebrates a play with teammate Royce O'Neale #23 during a game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Vivint Smart Home Arena on November 8, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - NOVEMBER 08: Bojan Bogdanovic #44 of the Utah Jazz celebrates a play with teammate Royce O'Neale #23 during a game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Vivint Smart Home Arena on November 8, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images) /
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SALT LAKE CITY, UT – NOVEMBER 8: Bojan Bogdanovic #44 of the Utah Jazz celebrates after a game against the Milwaukee Bucks on November 8, 2019 at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT – NOVEMBER 8: Bojan Bogdanovic #44 of the Utah Jazz celebrates after a game against the Milwaukee Bucks on November 8, 2019 at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Pleasant Surprise #1 – The avoidance of a slow start

Under head coach Quin Snyder, the Utah Jazz have been notorious for getting their seasons started off slow. This has a lot to do with the complexity of Coach Snyder’s system and terminology, as detailed expertly in a recent article from Forbes’ Ben Dowsett.

Beyond the difficult system, this year the Jazz are working in several new faces such as Mike Conley, Bojan Bogdanovic, Jeff Green, Ed Davis and Emmanuel Mudiay, so it was projected that Utah would take even longer to get their feet underneath them. Originally, that appeared as if it would be the case when the Jazz dropped an embarrassing game to the hapless Sacramento Kings, then later fell to 4-3 after losing to the Clippers as well.

But Utah bounced back amazingly from there and rattled off three straight wins, including consecutive victories over the elite Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks to jump to 7-3. 7-3 is a great start – their best in several years – and has them among the league’s best teams.

Sure, there have been hiccups in those games. Many have come in closely contested bouts that felt wholly unconvincing. But the Jazz have still figured out a way to win without even scraping their uppermost potential. That’s reassuring for what they’ll be able to do once they peak and it’s thrilling to see them pull off big wins even when they have yet to fully click.

In other words, the fact that the Jazz are off to such a quick start when many presumed they could stumble out of the gates has been an excellent sign! And considering just how winnable their next six games are, they could very well be poised to further climb the standings and set claim on a top seed early in the young season.

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