Utah Jazz fans might want to keep an eye towards the San Francisco area throughout the 2021-22 season. The Golden State Warriors have dangerous potential to emerge as an unexpected rival for their squad.
The recently-dynastic Warriors have found themselves in an interesting position in recent years. Having lost Kevin Durant to free agency and Klay Thompson to a devastating injury, the Dubs have one of the most talented rosters to have the privilege of selecting in the NBA Draft Lottery in consecutive seasons in recent memory. As a result, they’ll be fielding a talented ensemble of prospects and veterans next season.
It makes them a difficult team to anticipate. Will Jonathan Kuminga be ready to contribute to a championship pursuit during his maiden voyage in the league? How about Moses Moody? Can James Wiseman make significant strides from his disappointing rookie campaign, or will the Warriors need another answer at the starting 5 spot?
Meanwhile, the Utah Jazz figure to feature one of the most veteran-heavy squads in the entire Association. Their biggest offseason acquisitions included veterans Rudy Gay and Hassan Whiteside, as well as Eric Paschall (who came, of course, directly from Golden State). There are young players on this Jazz squad: they just don’t project as being as significant members of their rotation as the prospects on the Warriors.
These teams are in very similar positions. They’ll both have their sights set on the Larry O’Brien trophy this season. They actually have very similar championship chances according to oddsmakers. However, while they may share a common goal, they’ll be taking drastically different approaches to achieve it.
Here, we’ll be looking at each team’s floor-spacing, depth and star power in an attempt to make a thorough comparison of each team heading into the 2021-22 season.