Jazz's hypothetical 'Worst-Case Scenario' is actually not that bad
By Matt John
Though they are expected to tank, the Utah Jazz have enough established veteran talent that it's possible they won't be as bad as some of the worst teams in the league. That can be a problem because if that happens, it could not only put them in No-Man's Land but also keep them there like they've been for the last two seasons.
Bleacher Report's Dan Favale explained why potentially repeating the same season output like the last two seasons would be the "Worst-Case Scenario" for the fanbase.
"Utah has managed to spit out an above-.500 record more than halfway into each of the past two seasons. That is a testament to (underestimated) talent, an at-times enthralling play style and the voodoo of head coach Will Hardy.
"It is also hugely inconvenient. The Jazz have needed to actively avoid the play-in chase on both occasions. It hasn't particularly mattered. They selected ninth overall in 2023 and then 10th in 2024.
"Outperforming expectations is fine when you have your linchpin of the future. Utah does not."
He then explained that the Jazz have an impressive young talent, but their time is now to see if they could be something special in the future, which he doesn't believe they have.
"Markkanen is awesome. Renegotiating and extending him was a smart move, one that will pay dividends whether they view him as a keeper or eventual trade asset. He is not, however, best-player-on-a-really-good team material.
"Odds are Keyonte George, Taylor Hendricks, and Cody Williams aren't, either. Just to be sure, the Jazz better be prepared to saddle them with the responsibility to find out—not post-trade deadline, not after the All-Star break, not once Jalen Green's internal clock goes off on March. 1, but right from Day 1, in service of valuable information and their own lottery odds."
"If they don't, if the Jazz yet again scrap and scrape their way into the bottom of the middle, it'll pigeonhole them to finding the type of player they need at the back of the lottery or via trade. And that is not an arc to which this organization should want to be confined."
He concluded by revealing what he believes will be the consequences if none of the Jazz's young talent turns out to be anything special.
"If they don't, if the Jazz yet again scrap and scrape their way into the bottom of the middle, it'll pigeonhole them to finding the type of player they need at the back of the lottery or via trade. And that is not an arc to which this organization should want to be confined."
These are valid concerns for the Jazz. However, that scenario isn't as bad as it sounds.
The Jazz have a foundation and options at that
It is true that consistently being too bad to be good and too good to be bad gets old fast and annoying on top of it, but at least the Jazz have some answers for their rebuild already. Hardy has proven himself an excellent coach, and even if Markkanen isn't the guy on a title team, he's good enough to be a crucial ingredient for one.
Tanking is a sound strategy but it's not a foolproof one. Even if the Jazz go down a peg, there is no guarantee that a. they will wind up with the highest prospect in the draft or b. that said prospect is going to work out for the best.
Building a contender takes time, and those who are pro-tanking are aware of that. However, to build it the right way, teams also have to form winning habits. It is annoying to watch the Jazz look like they're putting it together only to pull back, but at the same time, setting a low standard leads to bad habits.
That's why the Jazz are operating with have your cake and eat it mentality where they are finding the balance between making an effort to win along with losing plenty of games.
And if that's not enough, Danny Ainge has an eye for talent in the draft. He deserves much credit for how the 2024 Celtics won the title. He was the one who took Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and has drafted plenty of good talent besides them.
Jazz fans should give him the benefit of the doubt when it comes to their young talent because he has built winners with them before, even if he didn't get the No. 1 pick to do that (Note: he had the No. 1 pick in 2017 but traded down to get Tatum at No. 3).
Even if none of the talent pans out, if the Jazz decide to change course, suddenly they have the flexibility and the assets to acquire the league's best players. While they may not have a win-now mentality, the Jazz can easily flip-flop if one of the league's best players become available.
Either way, the future is still bright no matter what direction they go in no matter how the 2024-25 season turns out.