Zach Lowe Says Utah Is the Team Most Likely to Break into the West’s Top Six

The Utah Jazz have spent most of the offseason lumped into the Western Conference’s play‑in tier, should everything go to plan, which places them amongst a cluster of teams with upside, flaws and uncertain yet promising timelines. But on his latest podcast, ESPN’s Zach Lowe singled out one team he believes can rise above that group and crash the top six.

“If there is a team that has a shot of cracking the top six,” Lowe said, “I think it’s Utah of all these teams.”

It’s a notable endorsement, especially given the strength of the conference and the Jazz’s youth‑heavy roster fresh off a taxing rebuild. Lowe’s comment came during a broader discussion of the West’s middle class, which includes teams like Phoenix, Houston, Portland, Dallas, Golden State and the Lakers, but he made clear that Utah’s combination of talent, structure and potential for genuine upward mobility stands out.

The optimism starts with the Jazz’s projected starting lineup, which would consist of Keyonte George, Darryn Peterson, Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Jusuf Nurkic, with Ace Bailey as the sixth man. Utah’s roster also has something most play‑in teams lack, which is multiple players capable of making significant year‑over‑year leaps. 

George averaged 23.6 points and 6.1 assists last season and is expected to take on even more responsibility. Peterson, despite not being ready to run point full‑time, has All‑Star upside and a scoring profile that could alter Utah’s offensive ceiling for the foreseeable future. Markkanen remains one of the league’s most efficient high‑usage forwards, providing a veteran presence as he continues to produce at an irreplaceable level. Jackson, meanwhile, gives the Jazz a defensive anchor with All‑NBA pedigree and, if he can stay healthy, has a prime opportunity to return to his DPOY form with Walker Kessler out of the equation.

Lowe’s point wasn’t that Utah is a lock for the play-in; rather, he claimed that the Jazz have a clearer path than other teams in their projected grouping. With a deeper, more talented (on paper) and younger roster, Utah’s organizational direction is on the best track it has been on since the Mitchell‑Gobert era.

The West is unforgiving, but Lowe sees Utah as the team most likely to break through the clutter. The Jazz aren’t just a play‑in longshot; instead, they’re now viewed as a team with a legitimate chance to climb into the top six if everything goes to plan and the young core meshes with the headlining veterans.