Ranking every season in Utah Jazz franchise history

2011-12 Utah Jazz record: 36-30, Lost NBA Western Conference First Round 0-4 vs San Antonio Spurs

The 2011-12 NBA season is primarily remembered for its lockout-related shortening. For fans of the NBA in general, it is decidedly not remembered for the Utah Jazz.

Having said that, the Jazz did boast a strong frontcourt during this season. Al Jefferson was a throwback, low-block bruising big man, but if a team did wish to play someone like him in 2021, it’s hard to envision a better fitting frontcourt partner than Paul Millsap. His multi-positional defense and floor spacing compensated for Jefferson’s deficiencies in those areas.

Meanwhile, future (brief) face of the franchise Gordon Hayward lined up at the small forward position. At 21, Hayward began to flash his immense potential with averages of 11.8 points, 3.5 assists and 3.1 rebounds.

Nonetheless, this team’s backcourt play was simply not good enough to compete for anything other than a first-round exit. Their lead scoring guard was Devin Harris, with 11.3 points per game. Ultimately, a team built around Jefferson’s low-block mastery ended up being a recipe for mediocrity.