The J-Notes
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The Utah Jazz and 3 other teams who aren’t performing as expected

By Chad Porto

Nov 2, 2023; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (23) dunks against the Orlando Magic in the third quarter at the Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 2, 2023; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (23) dunks against the Orlando Magic in the third quarter at the Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 2, 2023; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) drives to the basket against Phoenix Suns forward Josh Okogie (2) in the second half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 2, 2023; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) drives to the basket against Phoenix Suns forward Josh Okogie (2) in the second half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

San Antonio Spurs (3-2)

Now, on the flip side of things, the San Antonio Spurs are actually a team with a winning record, and as of Nov. 4 is the 7th best team in the Western Conference. They would be a play-in team if the season ended right now. That’s wild to think about and yes, they’re only five games into their season, but they took back-to-back games against Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns and pushed the Dallas Mavericks all game long.

They’re a good team. They’ll likely fall back down to Earth, but they’re a good team. At least scoring the ball. They’re 11th in the league in points per, 13th in field goal percentage, and 15th in three-pointers made.

That said, they are bad on defense, ranking 28th in the league in points against, 30th in the league in field goal percentage against, and 25th in the league in three-pointers against.

Still, Victor Wembanyama has been as advertised. So while the defense will soon be the cause of their downfall, the Spurs at least can be satisfied knowing that their rookie pick was everything he was presented to be.

Newcomer Cedi Osman has also been huge for the team. He’s shooting just shy of 60% from the floor and 50% from three to start the season, scoring 12 points a game in 20 minutes of action. Shooting guard Devin Vassell is also off to a wickedly good start, shooting 53% from the floor and 41% from three, while dropping 19.4 points per.

The Spurs may be bad on defense, but this offense is going to be hard to stop.

Next. 5 non-superstars that could help the Utah Jazz win this year. dark

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