2008-09 Utah Jazz Record: 48-34, Lost NBA Western Conference First Round vs Los Angeles Lakers 1-4.
In the grand scheme of things, the Utah Jazz didn’t have to wait long to host a player with a case as the best point guard in the NBA after John Stockton’s retirement.
By 2008-09, Deron Williams was arguably at the zenith of his immense powers. In his age 24 season, Williams averaged 19.4 points per game and 10.7 assists per game. If you didn’t think he was the best point guard in the NBA, that could only have been because you preferred Chris Paul.
Otherwise, this version of the Jazzmen boasted solid depth, rostering an in-prime Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur, a pre-prime Paul Millsap and an Andrei Kirilenko who was inexplicably past his prime by the age of 27.
Otherwise, Matt Harpring was still kicking around, but by the age of 32 his production had fallen off one of Utah’s vast mountains. Another notable Jazzman on this roster was Kyle Korver, but the 38.6% he shot from three-point range on 3.6 attempts per contest don’t compare to either the volume or accuracy we’d later come to expect from him.
That’s a lot of notable talent here, but not enough to drag the Jazz past a dominant Lakers team led by Kobe Bryant.