The folks at ESPN put out their recent NBA Power Rankings and yikes, things are about to get weird. The Utah Jazz have entered into a soft-tank with the idea of bringing back their 2024 first-round pick. If the pick falls within the Top 10 of the NBA Draft Lotto, then the Jazz will retain possession of it. That seems to be the goal of the season now, alongside trying to see what the trio of rookies can give the squad.
That is going to lead to more horrendous outings against teams like the Atlanta Hawks, which see on Tuesday night. The Jazz was already looking poor after the NBA Trade Deadline, going just 1-4 over the first five games following the deadline and now things aren't getting better.
The team is looking awful on the court and that may lead to problems off the court come the offseason, but before we get there, we have to watch as this club tumbles down the ESPN Power Rankings. The team was once 19th and is now 20th. After a stretch of 12 games saw them post a 3-9 record, it's very likely the decline continues.
But how far will the Jazz stumble?
The Atlanta Hawks are at 21st, and they just blew out the Jazz. The Houston Rockets have one of the best young players in the league in Alperen Sengun, and they're a roster with a bit more oomph to them currently, so they could surpass them pretty easily.
The Toronto Raptors may be able to leapfrog them with their new crop of talents, but luckily we don't think the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis Grizzlies, Charlotte Hornets, Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs, Detroit Pistons, or Washington Wizards are going to leapfrog them at any point.
So we're thinking the 25th is really the lowest they'll fall, and that's only if the Nets can salvage their season. Then again, the Hornets destroyed the Jazz, so maybe the 26-27 mark isn't so out of the question after all.