ESPN got their current power rankings wrong but it's not because the Utah Jazz are too low

We've had issues with ESPN all season. Regardless of where they are in the season, the sports outlet continued to miss the mark on the Utah Jazz. Some weeks they were too low, others they were really too low. Yet, rarely did we ever have a take that involved us calling out that they were too high.

And today is that day. The Utah Jazz came in at 23rd out of 30 teams, despite going 3-16 since the trade deadline. The Jazz are freefalling and have a real chance of going 3-26 over the team's last 29 games. The idea that they could somehow hit 30 wins exists, but it's more of a fantasy than an expectation.

Despite the fact they have the second-worst defense in the league, and next to no continuity or effort from night to night, the Jazz still are somehow better than six other teams. Those six teams are (in descending order) The Memphis Grizzlies, The San Antonio Spurs, The Toronto Raptors, The Portland Trail Blazers, The Charlotte Hornets, the Washington Wizards, and the Detroit Pistons.

Yes those teams are bad, but as Tim McMahon writes, no team is playing worse than the Jazz.

"23. Utah Jazz
2023-24 record: 29-43

Previous ranking: 22

Next games: vs. SA (Mar. 27), vs. HOU (Mar. 29), @ SAC (Mar. 31), vs. CLE (Apr. 2)

Since the trade deadline, the Jazz have the NBA's worst record (3-16), worst defensive rating (123.2) and worst net rating (minus-10.2). Lauri Markkanen has missed eight of those 19 games while being listed on the injury report with a right quadriceps contusion as Utah, which owes a top-10-protected pick to Oklahoma City, has lost its way comfortably into the top 10 of the draft lottery odds. Markkanen has shot only 40% from the floor in the 11 games he has played during that span, compared to 50.1% before the deadline."

The Jazz are clearly struggling, and it's fair to say no team is playing worse than them. Despite that, the Jazz are not the team that is seen as the worst of the group. The club is devoid of a lot of talent right now, the rookies are giving some people optimism, but others doubt and the overall vibe in Salt Lake City was that this was wholly unnecessary.

Yet, somehow, the Jazz are not the worst team in the NBA, even if the facts, stats and overall situation beg to differ.