The Utah Jazz are 15-19 as of this post and staring down a matchup with the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night that could give the Jazz their 16th win, and bring them one step closer to the playoffs. They are on the rise as of late thanks to a few key moves that saw some players get shuffled in and out of the starting lineup. The team is now being led by Lauri Markkanen and Collin Sexton as a respectable one-two-punch and the bench is playing its best ball this season.
It's no surprise that after knocking off the Miami Heat and the Dallas Mavericks and going 8-3 over their last 11, the Jazz went from 25th in ESPN's Power Rankings to 22nd, a sure sign that the Jazz's rough start may be behind them.
And with the end of that rough start comes opportunity. The Jazz have the Pistons on Wednesday night but the next few games are going to be brutal. They play the Boston Celtics, the Philadelphia 76ers, the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Denver Nuggets in four straight games, with the Celtics, 76ers, and Bucks serving as away games.
Beating the Pistons and taking at least two of the next four games after would give the Jazz a newfound lease on the season, and their power ranking spot would absolutely see them higher than just 22nd. If they win just two of those four games, they could easily leap all the way past the Los Angeles Lakers at No. 17.
While they'd still have a losing record, they would be so much better off than they had been at the start of the season and they would truly have the momentum and cause to go out and try and find another player who can help complement them for the remainder of this season and beyond.