With all the roster change happening over this off-season for the Utah Jazz, and potentially more to come, it’s no secret that the team is looking to the future, and ESPN has solidified that in their latest piece, as they have listed the win projections for every Western Conference team for 2022/23. Unsurprisingly, ESPN predicts the Jazz to take a big step backwards, and if they end up moving Donovan Mitchell for a haul of future draft picks, they could fall all the way to the bottom of the standings (which wouldn’t hurt their chances to get generational prospect, Victor Wenbanyama).
ESPN has the Utah Jazz coming in at 26-56, finishing in 12th place in the Western Conference, still above the San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder, placing them right in no mans land – too high to earn a top-three pick, but too low to compete for a genuine playoff spot.
Danny Ainge and the Jazz could completely flip the switch and attempt to re-tool around Donovan Mitchell, and that may help them compete for a play-in spot, but given the toughness of the Western Conference, it just makes more sense for them to continue to acquire draft capital and build for the future. While win projections are incredibly hard to make, as injuries, trades and anything can happen in the NBA, but this ESPN piece looks to be fairly accurate, as the Jazz don’t seem to be one of the worst teams in the league, but aren’t in a place to compete for an NBA Championship.
So what do you think? Are ESPN close with their projections for the 2022/23 season? Do you think the Jazz could be better or worse depending on the Donovan Mitchell situation? Should they be competing for a play-in spot, or looking to the draft? As always, let us know all your thoughts in the comments below.