Stats that sum up Utah Jazz eminence: Attendance
With an average of 2,857 patrons on hand in 17 games at the 18,300-capacity Vivint Arena, Utah ranks No. 4 in 2020-21 NBA home attendance, trailing only the Toronto Raptors, Orlando Magic, and Houston Rockets.
Also, consider that the No. 1 team on this list — Toronto with an average of 3,663 fans — is playing all its home games some 2,000 miles away from home in Tampa. Furthermore, remember that 16 franchises have yet to even break the seal of the turnstiles for any home contest this season.
Granted, a fan-driven homecourt edge isn’t exactly something the Utah Jazz players or coaches have much control over right now. Nevertheless, this specific edge over most other teams in the league is a contributing factor to all the Jazzmen’s midseason milestones, including a 15-2 mark at home, which also leads the NBA.
True, there’s no exact measurement for how much the limited number of hoots and hollers truly impact the Jazz this go-round. The visible, audible fan support alone doesn’t equate to a winning record; after all, the Raptors, Magic, and Rockets all hold overall losing records, and none have won more than half their games at home.
Yet it can’t hurt this team-first Utah gang to regularly see and hear fan support in person — at least a chunk of it — enlivening its flourishing campaign.