60 simple reasons the Utah Jazz will win 60 games
By Matt Giles
The 60 reasons to expect 60 or more Utah Jazz victories: Nos. 21-30
21. Rudy Gobert has gradually enhanced his offensive repertoire in his eight NBA seasons, all with the Utah Jazz.
22. Mike Conley is coming off his first All-Star campaign and entering his third season in Utah, suggesting his best days as a Jazzman may be just around the corner.
23. Furthermore, Conley has made clear he’s now fully committed to the franchise for the long haul after accepting a multi-year free-agent deal that many NBA experts view as a friendly discount.
24. Harking back to the Donovan Mitchell assessment, Utah’s starting backcourt should radiate as one of the most dangerous in the league.
25. Off the bench, Jordan Clarkson will likely use the confidence boost from his Sixth Man of the Year trophy and the wisdom from his seven years in the league to improve his efficiency as a green-light perimeter scorer.
26. Although Joe Ingles might see a reduced role, the Aussie’s career-high 12.1 points per game last season say his game may be on a late upswing in what will be his eighth year in Jazz Land.
27. Transitioning here to a couple of returning starters who rarely draw headlines, let’s first talk about Royce O’Neale. The 6-foot-4 do-anything forward has been a full-time starter the past two seasons and has seen gains in most statistical categories from one year to the next across his four seasons in the league (all with the Jazz).
28. Probable third-year Utah Jazz starter Bojan Bogdanovic showed late last season that he could fill in as a top scorer in the absence of Mitchell, Conley, or both. He did so to the tune of 48 points during a May win over the Denver Nuggets.
29. Now, it feels like a good time to bring up continuity. Oops, we’ve already included that in this list? Well, it deserves another mention.
30. On the other hand, the arrival of some new young talent, in addition to a few free-agent veterans, sets the stage for some healthy competition in the playing-time department.