The Jazz's first 9 games on their schedule will dictate where the season goes

The NBA has finally released the schedule for every single team for the 2024-25 season. Now, the Utah Jazz will know what's on their plate and will plan accordingly.

The Jazz don't exactly have high expectations coming into the season. At the same time, it's not exactly clear where they are going when you consider how many rookies they drafted and Lauri Markkanen's new payday.

However, with the schedule out, the season's first nine games could certainly signal where the Jazz season will go. This is because they will face an entire spectrum of NBA teams who will all enter the season with different expectations. Seeing how the Jazz fare against them could determine everything goes.

The Jazz's first nine games

Here are the Jazz's first seven games in order. Sidenote: these are all the games they play before the NBA Cup begins.

Wednesday, Oct. 23: Memphis Grizzlies vs. Jazz
Friday, Oct. 25: Golden State Warriors vs. Jazz
Monday, Oct. 28: Jazz vs. Dallas Mavericks
Tuesday, Oct. 29: Sacramento Kings vs. Jazz
Thursday, Oct. 31: San Antonio Spurs vs. Jazz
Saturday, Nov. 2: Jazz vs. Denver Nuggets
Monday, Nov. 4: Jazz vs. Chicago Bulls
Thursday, Nov. 7: Jazz vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Saturday, Nov. 9: Jazz vs. San Antonio Spurs

In this stretch, the Jazz will face some of the best teams in the league - Nuggets, Mavericks and Bucks - along with some playoff hopefuls - Grizzlies, Spurs, and Kings - while also facing a team that is more or less in the same position as them - Bulls.

Because many wonder what direction the Jazz are going in, these first nine games will be very telling. The Jazz have been criticized for not truly embracing the tank, but if they start the season with zero to two wins in its first nine games, that will be a pretty good sign that they are all in as bottom dwellers.

Critics will be on their case if they win three to five games because it will indicate that they are in the same place they've been in for the last two seasons. However, it may be a good sign if they win twice as many as they lose or more in their first nine games because it may hint that they are taking a step forward, but the likelihood of that is not high.

It's only nine games, but the first stretch of the season can tell a lot about a team's trajectory. How they start doesn't always indicate their season trajectory, but it does a lot of the time.

Many wonder what direction will go in when the 2024-25 season starts. Don't be surprised if they get their answer before the NBA Cup begins.