The Utah Jazz have won 10 straight games and are now second in the Western Conference standings. The way the Jazz are playing, they appear unstoppable. A team that was once known only for its defense has now added a new dimension. Is this playstyle sustainable? Maybe the Jazz are title contenders.
Is it Time to Take the Utah Jazz Seriously?
For the first few years of the Jazz’ Rudy Gobert era, they were known for one thing and one thing only; defense. From 2015-16 to 2018-19 the Jazz were consistently elite on the less glamorous end of the court. Utah was 7th in defensive rating in 2016 and top 3 from 2017-19. Last year their identity changed and the Jazz were top 10 in offense for the first time since 2013.
This was due to Utah’s increased three-point percentage. They went from 35.6% in 2019 to 38% in 2020. The latter was good for first in the entire NBA. This season the Jazz have taken this strategy one step further. After attempting only 35 triples a night last season, the Jazz are now up to 42 attempts per game. In their nine-game win streak, they have taken over 44 threes a game! Not only are the attempts going up, but so is the efficiency as the Jazz are now shooting over 39 percent from downtown.
When a team not only takes but makes the most threes per game, it makes the opposition’s margin for error slim to none. Teams have to play perfect basketball to beat the Jazz who are consistently making 19 triples a night. To make matters worse (for the opposition), Utah has also been elite on the other end.
In 2020, the Jazz had a poor defensive season by their standards. Dropping from their consistent top 3 status all the way to 13th. This season, the defensive identity is back as the Jazz rank third in defensive rating once again. Through 17 games the Jazz have a win percentage of 76 along with an SRS of 7. Since the inclusion of the three-point line, only 23 other teams have matched both those marks.
Of those 23 teams, 16 of them made the finals and 12 won the championship. Pretty good odds if you’re the Jazz. However, nothing is guaranteed and there is one factor that separates these all-time teams from the 2021 Utah Jazz.
Where’s the Superstar?
What every single one of those 23 teams mentioned prior had that this current Jazz team does not have is a superstar. What that means is having an MVP level player. As great as the stifle tower is, many can’t consider him a superstar. He’s never even come close to MVP caliber. At least not at his current level. Gobert’s sidekick, Donovan Mitchell, is another top tier player in this league but is more of a fringe All-NBA guy.
Teams have won titles without superstars before but it is a rarity. Especially for a team whose best player can’t create offense for himself or for others. It also doesn’t help the Jazz that another team on that list of 23 is playing in their conference this season. The current Los Angeles Lakers, who are led by two players (Anthony Davis and LeBron James) better than anyone on Utah’s roster.
So are the Jazz contenders? Should the league take them seriously? The answer is probably not. Only time will truly tell but the odds of the Jazz being in the finals come July are slim to none.
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