The Utah Jazz’s expectations for the 2023-2024 season remain in the air.
The Utah Jazz are a very interesting team. They’re the Occam’s Razor of basketball teams (thanks to The Big Bang Theory for teaching everyone that idea), they are both a rebuilding team and a contending team, and we won’t know which one until the season truly begins. The Jazz have pieces that make you think they can contend, with All-Star Lauri Markkanen, defensive dynamo Walker Kessler, a series of good FIBA-level players who showed off their skills, a potential breakout star with John Collins, and a gaggle of rookies.
But we also have enough reason to worry about the Jazz, namely, the rookies are unproven, the team’s perimeter defense is lacking, they don’t have a true point guard and while the team is deep, it’s not exactly top-heavy, with just Lauri Markkanen looking like a real All-Star heading into the season.
Right now the NBA community seems split right down the center, with half of the pundits talking about them being in the playoffs, and half of them talking about seeing them with a high draft pick. Which one is going to happen? We have no idea, but Bleacher Report seems bullish on the Jazz.
Andy Bailey named the Jazz one of five teams that he believes are being underrated heading into the 2023-2024 season. It’s a ranking of the top five teams, and the Jazz came in at No. 5 but still, they made the list. Bailey thinks the Jazz could finish in the 40+ win department, a fair number.
And honestly, yeah, the Jazz are a team that is being underrated. The addition of the rookies and Collins, without losing too much else from when they were leading the West, has a lot of people talking. Yet, if we’re being fair, it’d also be easy to say that they would be seen as a contender had they still had someone like Mike Conley at point guard.
The unsureness of the position has got to be the major factor for why a team like the Jazz are “underrated” and not just a contender.