Can the Utah Jazz win the in-season tournament?
The NBA’s new in-season tournament will debut in November, and teams will compete in a unique setup that many fans aren’t in love with. The tournament will see six groups of five, with each team playing four games. The goal is to have the best records out of the group play so they can move to the next round.
The top team in each group, plus the two best teams who came in second (how the league will determine tie-breakers will upset fans more than likely) will move on to a single-elimination tournament of eight.
The Utah Jazz were randomly paired with fellow Western Conference teams, the Memphis Grizzlies, the Portland Trail Blazers, the Phoenix Suns, and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Easily, the Jazz got the worst selection out of any team in the West, as the Grizzlies, Suns, and Lakers are expected to be contenders in the West. So what does the schedule for the Jazz look like?
Well, they start this period of the schedule on the road and end it on the road against the two-worst teams for that; the Grizzlies and Lakers.
"Nov. 10 | 6 p.m. | Utah Jazz @ Memphis Grizzlies | KJZZNov. 14 | 7 p.m. | Utah Jazz vs. Portland Trail Blazers | KJZZNov. 17 | 8 p.m. | Utah Jazz vs. Phoenix Suns | ESPNNov. 21 | 8 p.m. | Utah Jazz @ Los Angeles Lakers | TNT"
They then get the Trail Blazers and Suns at home.
It’s not a great pull, admittedly. The Jazz are going to have a hard time with their group-play schedule, but thankfully, so will everyone else. The Suns, Lakers, and Grizzlies have to play one another, as well as the Jazz as well.
With Ja Morant serving a 25-game suspension, the Grizzlies aren’t likely to be a threat. Meaning that the Suns and the Lakers will likely be the teams to top. Now, the good news for the Jazz, the Suns just overhauled their roster for Bradley Beal, and the Lakers were very beatable last season.
Plus, both teams are old and injury-prone.
So while the Jazz got a hard crop of teams, it’s very possible the Jazz could win their group play. I think a 3-1 record is possible, with the Lakers or Suns being the only team that beats them in this stretch.
Now, once the Jazz gets out of group play, assuming they do, are they really contenders for the in-season tournament championship? No, they’ll have to deal with someone better than them eventually, most likely the Denver Nuggets.
So while we’re not making predictions, what we will say is that we think they have a chance to get out of group play, but we don’t think they’re getting much farther. At least this season.