The Utah Jazz may be able to win the group-play section of the In-Season Tournament.
The In-Season Tournament is here for the Utah Jazz, and they were able to take their first game in the tournament by defeating the Memphis Grizzlies. The game was a stunner, as the Grizzlies nearly came back to defeat the Jazz, but the team was able to fend off the Ja Morant-less Grizzlies squad.
Now that the Grizzlies are out of the way, the Jazz have to face the Portland Trail Blazers, Phoenix Suns, and Los Angeles Lakers on the 14th (Portland), 17th (Phoenix) and 21st (Los Angeles). Coupled with the Memphis Grizzlies, at one point in the preseason, this looked like a murder row of squads to face. The Jazz were expected to contend for the playoffs, the Grizzlies got Marcus Smart to lessen the suspension of Ja Morant and many expected them to not miss a beat, the Lakers were seen as a reloaded squad and the Suns just got Bradley Beal.
Many thought this was four of the best teams in the West.
As of Nov. 11, 2023, not one team in that group of five has a winning record. The Lakers are the top dogs at 5-5 but they nearly lost to the Trail Blazers, who are just 3-6. The Suns are 4-6 despite their roster, while the Grizzlies just got their second win of the season.
The Jazz, of course, are 3-7 and are looking to string together some very winnable games to get on the other side of the .500 mark. And honestly, looking at how bad the teams in the group are, it’s very possible the Jazz are able to string together three wins alone over the Trail Blazers, Suns, and Lakers.
Not to mention, the Jazz will play the Suns twice in back-to-back outings. As mentioned before, the next bunch of games will be pivotal to the Jazz. Getting a winning record or better during the next eight games will really determine if this was a bad start or just a bad team.
And if they can prove it was a bad start, with the team going 5-3 or better over the next eight, then they can probably advance to the second round of this very meaningless in-season tournament.