Which version of the Utah Jazz team in 2023-24 is the real one?
The one that started the season 2-7, with a veteran-heavy lineup that struggled to defend and distribute the ball?
The slightly improved unit that went 7-9?
The scrappy, fighting bunch that went 13-3 for a month's time during December and January?
The group that went 4-6 after the postponed Warriors game and seemed affected by the numerous trade rumors around the team, leading to the trade deadline?
Or the team that's gone 1-7 since trading Simone Fontecchio, Kelly Olynyk and Ochai Agbaji?
Will the real Utah Jazz please stand up? Fans are tired of the inconsistency and would like to see who you really are.
Looking at the timeframes, the trade deadline seems to have had an impact, but the team had come down from the high of their 13-3 stretch well before that and were playing sub-.500 ball before the wheels started to fall off recently.
With the recent push of playing time to the 3 rookies, born of necessity due to the trades that took place, the team will likely not see the heights of that 13-3 mark from December to January, but playing .500 ball is possible for the last 22 games.
There is still a chance the Golden State Warriors fall off a bit, as they have 14 road games left (as opposed to 10 home games), and with Andrew Wiggins once again away from the team, perhaps the Warriors sink back to 11th.
The LA Lakers recovered from a brutal 4-11 mark from mid-December to mid-January to post a 14-7 mark since. They have placed themselves at the 9 spot in the West, firmly in the play-in and not far behind Sacramento and Dallas for the 7 or 8 seed.
Even if they tail off a bit, the Lakers are likely to stay in the running from now until the end of the season unless someone like the Jazz or Rockets ramp up the winning to catch them.
Will the Utah Jazz show up and get out of this slump? Do they want to? Only time will tell.