It's still not clear where the Utah Jazz go from here. They are one good stretch from being right in the thick of the play-in race while also one bad stretch from being right square in the tanking game. We'll know better by mid-season, but before then, if the Jazz go more for the tank, they'll have one fewer team to worry about in that race: the New Orleans Pelicans.
Okay, so at first glance, it doesn't look good. The Pelicans are 7-22 while the Jazz are 10-16 (could be 11 after tonight). However, the Pelicans have won four games in a row. The team has gotten healthier with Zion Williamson's return (don't laugh), and the emergence of Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears.
Maybe the schedule has gotten easier for them, but one of those wins includes the Houston Rockets, one of the best teams in the NBA. Even so, they are winning games they should be winning after looking like the most helpless team in the NBA.
They're not necessarily a title contender, but the latest results indicate they are becoming formidable. Also, they have no incentive to tank as their pick goes to Atlanta or Milwaukee, no matter what. If they keep this up, and the Jazz trend downward (if they trend downward), then they shouldn't have much to worry about from the boys in the Big Easy.
They also have the potential to get better, as Dejounte Murray waits in the wings as he recovers from an Achilles tear he suffered nearly a year ago. That also belabours the point that the Pelicans are hardly ever healthy overall as a team. If they break that trend, that's one less tanking team for the Jazz to worry about.
The Pelicans should help the Jazz no matter what route they choose
Even if the Jazz don't plan to tank, the Pelicans could be good enough to push them low enough to keep their pick when it's all said and done. To be fair, New Orleans still has plenty of ground to make up for, but there's still so much season left that they have more than enough time to get themselves back into the playoff discussion.
Again, the health is a really big question mark because it's been their Achilles heel for what seems like forever. However, they have shown the kind of team they are when they have most of their full roster. Even if they struggles with injuries, expect the team to compete.
Now if the Jazz decide they are all in on making a legitimate playoff push, then this conversation is irrelevant, but the Western Conference features so many teams trying to make the postseason. Not many expected the Pelicans to be there, and now they aren't too far away from being right in the discussion.