After coming into the season with the expectations of tanking again (more out of necessity than anything else) the Utah Jazz are surprisingly 5-8. They've had some embarrassing losses every now and again, but because they were 3-10 at this time last year, it's a major step up. Their slightly subpar start hints at what is a painful reality: they really aren't that bad of a team.
Why is it painful that they're not that bad? Well, in the grand scheme of things, it's a step up, and it should make fans feel optimistic about the future. However, if they continue to play like this (or potentially better should their young guys continue to improve), that means that pick Utah owes Oklahoma City is very much in play.
There's no telling if this means the playoffs are in play for Utah (they are in the thick of the play-in competition), but what makes the Jazz look even better is that they've already been through a fair share of obstacles and somehow they're not among the worst teams in the league.
Let's do a tally. First and foremost, the Jazz lost arguably their second-most important player for the season. Even worse is that he looked like he was taking another step. They didn't have last season's best playmaker for the first several games. They haven't even had their best floor spacer at all to start the season.
A team that was expected to be bad usually suffers quite a bit from these kinds of setbacks enough early on, but the Jazz have not necessarily been good, but haven't been awful.
Things will become more telling as the season progresses
According to ESPN, the Jazz have had one of the NBA's easiest schedules thus far, as their SOS ranks 25th among teams at .476. That is a viable explanation for why they aren't among the league's worst teams. That is why many should keep their eyes peeled on how things go from here.
It could really be the difference between the Jazz actually becoming a play-in team and being deep in the lottery again. Per Tankathon, they have the second-hardest schedule from here on out. There's no telling what direction the season will go once the Jazz face their toughest games, but they will expose who this team really is.
Lauri Markkanen playing like an All-Star again, Keyonte George ascending to an All-Star level, and Ace Bailey starting to come into his own, among other things, has been enough to keep the Jazz's heads slight above water. If they and others on the team improve, Utah is in a good place, but if that's not the case, it may not be long before they are right back where they were before.