It was harped on earlier that LeBron James was never quite a rival for the Utah Jazz at any point over the two decades he's played in the NBA, most of that being because he spent most of his career in the East and that his plans never directly got in the way of the Jazz's. It gets better too, as James recently went out of his way to praise the Jazz.
On James' podcast "Mind the Game" with Steve Nash, James named the Jazz among the most "intriguing" NBA teams, citing their talent and their lineups.
"You look at Keyonte George, you look at Darryn Peterson, you look at Ace Bailey, with (Jaren Jackson Jr.), and Lauri Markkanen. You look at that lineup. You're like, 'This is a very, very intriguing team and a lot of skill and a lot of length too. Ace Bailey, super long wing and JJJ, obviously long, and Lauri, super long. Keyonte plays bigger. Darryn Peterson plays bigger.
"There's a lot of high hopes for what their team can become, but it's also the Wild, Wild West too so how does that fit into the Western Conference... I see this team competing... I love the coach, love the owner. Shout out to Ryan Smith, unbelievable. There's no reason why these guys shouldn't be competing and going out to try to win ball games."
James likely feels some ties to the Jazz because his long-time best friend Dwyane Wade is part of their ownership group. Even so, nothing that he says here is incorrect. The Jazz may not necessarily be title contenders, but they're not too far off, and there's a solid chance that their style will work out great for them.
It's been a long four years, but now the Jazz are positioned to have their best season in ages. That's why it's heartwarming in a way that one of the greatest basketball players ever recognizes their vision as a team.
It may not be long before others see it too
It's only preseason, but we are seeing the exact blueprint of what the Jazz plan to do. Yes, there are questions, especially after Jusuf Nurkic's injury, but it's easy to see how potent the Jazz's best five that LeBron mentioned earlier will be when they all take the floor, even if they won't be starting together.
James' reputation speaks for itself, but he also recognizes that basketball is a team game. It's all about assembling the best team possible. Not just one with the most talent but one in which each talented player raises their own game.
The Jazz are not expected to win the title, but they may be among the teams that will surprise everyone this season. Perhaps even a bigger surprise is that LeBron James was among the non-Utah people who had it first.
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