I don't say this often, but I think I'm feeling inclined to agree with No Chill Gil. Probably because he's praising the Jazz.
The Utah Jazz are one of the NBA's greatest wild cards in the days approaching the 2026-27 regular season.
They've been one of the worst teams in basketball for what feels like an eternity. Three seasons of pain. Three seasons of anguish. Three seasons of basketball so painful, so horrific, that I questioned whether I had passed beyond the threshold of this life and entered an afterlife owned and operated by the demons of shattered hoops dreams.
But suddenly, they appear poised to shatter the chains that have bound them since moving on from Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. While most upstart teams may take a few seasons to truly find a groove, the Jazz are built with the perfect blend of young talent and veteran leadership, all with a coach in Will Hardy, who is adored by those with a pulse on the league.
And yet, there still exist those who doubt. Those who believe the Jazz will be a play-in contender, and little more.
Gilbert Arenas is not one of the doubting majority.
Fighting through the disagreeing voices of his co-hosts, Agent Zero planted his flag in the ground during a recent podcast episode, undeterred in his belief that the Utah Jazz are a much better team than most give them credit for.
I don't say this often, but I think I'm feeling inclined to agree with No Chill Gil. Probably because he's praising the Jazz.
"You're crazy," Arenas interjected when his co-host said he doesn't expect the Jazz to make an impact on the Western Conference. "Jazz might be one of the teams that's like third, fourth, or fifth."
"They're not in the same situation. The situation last year was this draft that everybody wanted to tank for. You remember; that was the team that got fined. You look at the roster, and you're like, 'How are y'all losing?' I'm purposefully losing because I want AJ. My one and two can put the ball in the basket. My three can put the ball in the basket. My four and five are floating guys who can put the ball in the basket. So, I have a fast offensive team who are young and athletic."
"There's a reason they got fined, because it was obvious that they were tanking for the season."
As one who has followed this Jazz team through the horrors of the tanking era, Arenas' belief in what Utah has built is incredibly vindicating.
Now, will the Jazz be the third, fourth, or fifth-best team in the Western Conference? Probably not, but they're a team with the talent to get there if it all comes together as planned.
If you're still in denial about the Utah Jazz, that's your choice. But don't be surprised if and when you're proven wrong.
