This is the year for the Utah Jazz, and their recent seasons suggest that they have more to offer than meets the eye.
The casual fan wouldn't know this, but the Utah Jazz have been punching significantly below their weight for the past two seasons.
Finishing with the fourth-worst record in the entire NBA and tied for the worst win-loss ratio in the Western Conference, the Jazz would appear to be one of the worst basketball teams in the league, right? Well, yes and no.
Yes, because the team did lose all of those games. After slapping the self-destruct button on an established, playoff-contending core that featured multiple all-stars, the Jazz ushered in a new era of youth, driven by developing draft picks and a smattering of veteran assistance. Growing pains and adjusting to the increased size, speed, talent, and athleticism of the NBA game are a process, and not one that all prospects acclimate to evenly.
No, because the pieces that the Jazz were able to secure not only flashed immense potential, but capitalized on their upside. Keyonte George went from an inefficient, ball-dominant shooting guard in college to one of the best foul-drawing guards in the league, a reliable three-point shooter, and a shockingly strong playmaker from the point guard position. Brice Sensabaugh may be one of the most effective bench scorers in the league. Ace Bailey may be a future star.
Add to the equation players like Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler ascending to stardom, and the Jazz had all the pieces to contend for a play-in position if they really wanted to. But there's the catch: they really didn't want to.
This was probably one of the primary driving forces behind NBA lottery reform and the push to abolish the practice of tanking, but the Jazz were deliberate in their efforts to lose games that they likely would have won organically.
For this reason, the NBA's $500,000 tanking fine was probably warranted, even if the league cited a road game against the Miami Heat -- a game the Jazz won -- as evidence of malfeasance. It's fine. I'm totally over it.
With this in the back of your mind, Darryn Peterson was essentially a draft pick that cost the Jazz half a million dollars.
But the potential to win and the ability to win are two different things entirely. Will Hardy is still unproven as a head coach, despite appearing to elevate his Jazz team well above expectations on a regular basis.
After nearly half a decade of pitiful performance, is this team ready to turn a new leaf? Last year's team began the season with a record of 10-15 while relatively healthy, does a star rookie, Jaren Jackson Jr, and another year of development lift this team to heights greater than they've proved capable of in the past? And if so, just how high can they climb?
