If someone asked if the Utah Jazz are title contenders, the honest answer would be something along the lines of "Not right now, but they're a year or two away." The Jazz are playing the long game. Even with the highest expectations they've had in years, Utah does not plan to go from among the worst to the first.
But with the roster they've assembled, a championship might not be right away, but it could be around the corner. That's good for the NBA because the league is going through a stretch of undeniable parity. The last time we saw a team repeat as champions was 2018, and even then, it was because Kevin Durant joined Golden State to form the most talented team, maybe ever.
The fact that it's become even harder to repeat since then increases the Jazz's odds of taking home their first title.
ESPN's Ben Golliver revealed his tiers for who among the teams that haven't won a championship (either ever or not since 2018) who could continue the league's parity trend. He ranked the Jazz in Tier 5, which he titled "Maybe in 2030."
While praising Utah for assembling a core of Jaren Jackson Jr., Keyonte George, Ace Bailey, and Darryn Peterson (let's not forget Lauri Markkanen), he also added that Peterson's talent as a guard in particular is impressive enough to put him in the same conversation as Anthony Edwards and Cade Cunningham.
Between that and the potential benefits of the Walker Kessler trade, Golliver believes the Jazz have a real shot at championship glory down the line. Just not right now.
It's why even if expectations are higher, pressure should be low
Utah definitely has a core good enough to contend for a playoff spot. While the team has the talent to do something special, it might be a little unwise to expect that talent to translate right away into wins. Young talent needs to get its feet wet before it can truly take off.
The Jazz have some pretty good veterans on their roster, and Kessler probably would have made even non-Jazz fans optimistic about them, but his absence certainly hurts their ceiling a bit. Building a title team typically takes time. How the Jazz are doing this is more or less normal, even if the way they've gotten here has been a tad painful.
It feels odd to say, but because repeating as NBA Champions isn't as easy as it used to be, it gives Utah better odds to win it all than it has in the past. That's all despite the fact that, even if this iteration of the Jazz wins a title, it might not be the most talented one ever assembled.
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