As much as it stings to say, the Utah Jazz simply aren’t a good team right now. And they have some work to do in order to reach their illustrious expectations.
Utah Jazz fans are used to roller coasters. So why should 2019-20 be any different?
Oh, you mean maybe because they swung for the fences this offseason adding the likes of Mike Conley and Bojan Bogdanovic? Or because they were so hyped this summer and projected by nearly all experts to be a top seed in the West? Perhaps due to the fact that they finally added extra playmaking and shooting to an offensively-challenged roster? All of those are reasons why the roller coaster should have ended this year, right?
Well, unfortunately, even with all the changes and heightened expectations, it turns out the Jazz are still sticking to tradition with as many ups and downs and as much roller-coaster play as ever.
They started the season on an average note, barely escaping the Oklahoma City Thunder, then losing in ugly fashion to the Los Angeles Lakers. But from there, they rattled off three straight wins to jump to 4-1, leading many to believe that the elite squad was arriving in full force. But then, they dropped an ugly loss to the then winless Sacramento Kings and suffered a fourth quarter collapse that led to a loss against the LA Clippers, bringing the hopes of several fans tumbling down.
But yet again, the roller coaster rose, with the Jazz coming away with huge wins over the Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks, two of the best teams in the East. Throw in consecutive wins over the Golden State Warriors and Brooklyn Nets, and all of a sudden the resurgent Jazz had won four in a row and looked impressive.
And yet, here we are again with two straight losses to teams that undoubtedly are in an echelon below the Jazz – first to the Memphis Grizzlies, then next to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Utah’s first home loss of the season.
Both games were similarly discouraging, with the Jazz playing lazy and unintelligent ball, shooting horribly, struggling with terrible bench play and collapsing down the stretch.
The loss to Minnesota was even more discouraging considering that the Wolves were without Andrew Wiggins, who has been one of their best players this year, lost Jake Layman to injury during the game, and was coming off a two-game losing streak in blowout fashion. Even so, the Jazz simply couldn’t capitalize in a game that should have been a win.
And the loss to the Timberwolves made it abundantly clear – the Jazz simply aren’t a good team right now.
off to Minny ✈️ pic.twitter.com/oEGRKojosJ
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) November 19, 2019
Does that mean they won’t ever be this season? Absolutely not. We’ve seen Quin Snyder teams turn things around far too dramatically to just give up on the squad now. And, in fairness, they’re still 8-5 which is nothing to panic about, especially considering that many projected they would hover right around .500 through the first 25 games of the season.
But the way these games are being lost is far more concerning than the actual losses themselves. And as much as it stings to say it, the Jazz don’t have a single convincing win this year. Yes, the victories over Philly and Milwaukee were big and impressive down the stretch, but considering that they came in such narrow fashion, they don’t exactly qualify as convincing.
Their only double-digit wins have come against the hapless Kings and Warriors as well as the Clippers sans Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Their other wins have all been down to the wire and easily could have swung the other way.
Their offensive rating is abysmal at 103.7, which is 26th in the league. And they have been atrocious shooting the ball at 44.7 percent from the field (19th in the NBA). Factor in a net rating that is just 3.4 (11th in the NBA) and was skewed by a couple blowouts over bad teams, and it’s unsurprising that they’re struggling.
Donovan Mitchell‘s inefficiency and decision making woes continue to rear their ugly head (he went 5-of-23 from the field and was a minus-10 on the night against Minnesota). Mike Conley still hasn’t been a factor and Bojan Bogdanovic’s fast start is quickly wearing off.
In short, the Jazz just aren’t a good team right now. A lot of that is fixable and I’m certain they’ll continue to improve and work out many of their kinks. After all, we’ve seen that out of them year after year under Snyder.
But that doesn’t change the fact that things are frustrating thus far. We’ve seen some glimpses of what this team can do when they’re firing on all cylinders. We know on paper how good they should be capable of being. And while some bumps in the road in the early-going were expected, the lack of energy, focus and smart play is disconcerting. It feels like this team is being ruled by excuses and falling far short of their potential.
Several other squads assimilating new players or dealing with injuries are getting by just fine. One would think that a group as talented, experienced and deep as the Jazz would be able to do so as well. But that just hasn’t been the case.
It’s far from time to hit the panic button. In fact, the Jazz could very well bounce back quickly and rattle off several wins in a row. But for the time being, this doesn’t look like a good team. And it’s evident that they have an array of problems to fix in order to line up their illustrious expectations with reality.