Ranking every season in Utah Jazz franchise history

2018-19 Utah Jazz Record: 50-32, Lost NBA Western Conference First Round vs Houston Rockets 1-4

Generally, we’ve prioritized playoff success in these rankings. We’re putting the 2018-19 season ahead of its immediate predecessor despite a worse playoff outcome for two reasons. Firstly, this is the first version of the Utah Jazz we’ve covered to surpass the 50 win threshold. Secondly, the gains made by current franchise cornerstones Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell in 2018-19 are more significant than any short term playoff success.

Rudy Gobert won his first of several Defensive Player of the Year awards with averages of 15.9 points, 12.9 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. Meanwhile, Mitchell took a significant step forward in his sophomore season with averages of 23.8 points and 4.2 assists per contest.

Ricky Rubio started at the point guard position for his second and final season in Salt Lake City. Arguably, his greatest contribution to the Jazz was the lesson that floor-spacing was more important than passing ability at that position in Quin Snyder’s system. The team acquired Mike Conley directly after this season, and they haven’t looked back yet

Despite the growth of Mitchell and Gobert, there remained a constant between these two seasons: the Jazz couldn’t handle the Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs.