The Utah Jazz are a team at an inflection point. They haven’t been good since the trades of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, but before that this team was a fixture in the postseason race. This offseason for Utah was one that could’ve seen them make massive strides as a team. No one had better odds to win the NBA’s Draft Lottery. The team has several interesting young players who they could move, including Eurobasket star Lauri Markkannen. Instead, the Jazz fell all the way to 5th in the lottery,
where they took a potentially disgruntled Ace Bailey. However, the pickup of Walter Clayton is one that I do like quite a bit.
The Northwest Division is occupied by three title contenders, a borderline play-in team, and the Utah Jazz, who were in that top tier not too long ago. But an antsy front office and dedicated fan base probably expect to pull themselves out of the basement here before long. What does that mean for the team now, and how ready is Utah going to be to make deals and start winning again? Your guess is as good as mine.
Utah Jazz: Over/Under 18.5 wins (-114/-106)
Last season: 17-65
Additions: Ace Bailey (5th pick), Walter Clayton (18th pick), John Tonje (2nd round) Georges Niang, whatever they get for Kevin Love in a trade
Losses: Jordan Clarkson (Knicks), John Collins (Clippers)
To use an analogy from the housing world, the Jazz have good bones but need a lot of work to be a finished product. They’re very well coached, as I am a firm believer in Will Hardy. Lauri Markkannen is a very good player who can be a championship level guy. If they can hit on Ace Bailey and Walter Clayton, they can be “fun bad” this year. But as patience starts to wear out in Salt Lake City, I wonder if they’ll feel compelled to make a move here before too long. Time will tell.
