The Utah Jazz had their best offseason in franchise history. From a team that looked to be in a tailspin after the departure from then All-Star Gordon Hayward, the Jazz have been able to maintain their momentum and push for the top of the Western Conference standings. The Utah Jazz season preview shows a team that is on the rise in the western conference after a bevy of solid moves this offseason.
Utah Jazz Season Preview
Recap of Last Season
When last season started, Quin Snyder was bringing a lineup back that was very familiar to him. The only offseason change that occurred was drafting Grayson Allen and waiving Jonas Jerebko. Dennis Lindsey wanted to run the same team back from the year before. They were injury-riddled during the playoffs. Ricky Rubio and Dante Exum missed the entire series against the Houston Rockets.
The team was stoked to see what they could produce. They had great defensive pieces in Joe Ingles, who made Paul George look like a shell of himself, and the reigning Defensive Player of the Year in Rudy Gobert. They also had the hardest schedule before the All-Star break.
This team struggled, Donovan Mitchell missed games due to some injuries. Rubio wasn’t progressing the way the staff was expecting. Exum couldn’t stay healthy. Ingles was off his game. They had no one to produce points. The team made a midseason trade for Kyle Korver by sending the inconsistent play of Alec Burks to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The three-point shooting of Korver helped boost the team. However, it all relied on Mitchell time and again.
With an easier schedule at the end of the season, the Jazz were able to make up ground and push for the playoff. With some unlikely luck, they were slotted as the fifth seed and played against the same team that bounced them in the previous year, the Houston Rockets.
Offseason Changes
The offseason started by making some front-office changes. Dennis Lindsey was promoted to VP of Basketball Operations and Justin Zanik took the reigns of General Manager. His first move was to execute the rumored trade of Mike Conley. They sent the contracts of Jae Crowder, Korver and Allen along with a first-round pick to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Conley.
The hardest move for Jazz fans to swallow was moving on from Derrick Favors. A fan favorite was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans for two second-round picks after the Jazz signed Bojan Bogdanovic. Bogdanovic spurned the Indiana Pacers to sign with the Jazz.
With the Mid-Level Exception, Ed Davis was signed for a two year, $10 million contract. The team rounded out with some great depth for the veteran minimum in Jeff Green and Emmanuel Mudiay.
Utah Jazz 2019-20 Season Expectation
This is the highest expectation the Jazz have had since John Stockton and Karl Malone donned a Jazz Jersey. The last time they were considered contenders was the 1997-98 season.
Most pundits have them slotted between the second and fifth seed in the West. Their schedule starts out a bit tough for a team trying to get new pieces added into their lineup.
With Mitchell and Gobert’s slow start to last season, national play should help get their legs underneath them earlier and help them get into game shape earlier.
Mitchell should be able to push himself closer to superstardom with the help of Conley next to him. He is an upgrade to the point guard position held by Rubio last year. Spacing will be key in Snyder’s system. Conley may have his best season yet. Mitchell should be more efficient. Bogdanovic and Ingles will have plenty of room on the wings. Gobert will be able to have his way in the paint.
Prediction
This team could be the first seed this year. With load management being the “it” thing in the NBA currently, stars like LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard will sit out games. Does this mean that they win the West? No. The could easily be the Milwaukee Bucks from last year.
They should make it to the Western Conference Finals. The Jazz will be a top-five offense with a top-five defense. They will be able to space the floor, get open shots and score points. On defense, the reigning two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year is still coming into his prime. If this team gets to a top-two seed in the West and has a top-five defense, Gobert could win Defensive Player of the Year again.
One of the bigger storylines last year was Gobert’s struggle with not being selected to an All-Star game. This year, both he and Mitchell will represent the Jazz at the event.
This team will only go as far as the play of Gobert and Mitchell. The front office gave them great surrounding talent. They have a genius for a head coach and respect for each other to play for each other. How far will that get them? Its all up to the two corner pieces of this franchise to decide.
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