The Utah Jazz were on pace for 53 wins when the 2019-20 NBA season was suspended. That figure would represent the best mark for the franchise in more than a decade and, after three consecutive campaigns with at least 48 victories, the Jazz are entrenched as a perennial playoff team in the Western Conference. Then, everything changed with a positive COVID-19 test for star center Rudy Gobert. While the Jazz were at the epicenter of the NBA’s shutdown (and sparked subsequent rumors of strife between their two stars), the conversation has seemingly drifted away from Salt Lake City as the league’s bubble convenes in Orlando.
Part of that stems from the oxygen assigned to the Lakers, Clippers, and Bucks at the top of the heap, but teams like the Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks are garnering increased attention, at least when compared to the Jazz. Still, there is plenty to monitor for the Jazz, even with Bojan Bogdanovic sidelined, and every seeding game will matter for Utah as the team jockeys for playoff positioning.
ROSTER
Tony Bradley
Jarrell Brantley
Jordan Clarkson
Mike Conley
Ed Davis
Rudy Gobert
Joe Ingles
Donovan Mitchell
Juwan Morgan
Emmanuel Mudiay
Georges Niang
Royce O’Neale
Miye Oni
Rayjon Tucker
Nigel Williams-Goss
Justin Wright-Foreman
SCHEDULE
Friday, July 31 – 6:30 pm ET – vs. New Orleans Pelicans
Saturday, Aug. 1 – 3:30 pm ET – vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
Monday, Aug. 3 – 9:00 pm ET – vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Wednesday, Aug. 5 – 2:30 pm ET – vs. Memphis Grizzlies
Friday, Aug. 7 – 1:00 pm ET – vs. San Antonio Spurs
Saturday, Aug. 8 – 3:30 pm ET – vs. Denver Nuggets
Monday, Aug. 10 – 3:00 pm ET – vs. Dallas Mavericks
Thursday, Aug. 13 – TBD – vs. San Antonio Spurs
STANDINGS
1. Los Angeles Lakers: 49-14
2. Los Angeles Clippers: 44-20 (5.5)
3. Denver Nuggets: 43-22 (7.0)
4. Utah Jazz: 41-23 (8.5)
5. OKC Thunder: 40-24 (9.5)
6. Houston Rockets: 40-24 (9.5)
7. Dallas Mavericks: 40-27 (11.0)
8. Memphis Grizzlies: 32-33 (18.0)
9. Portland Trail Blazers: 29-37 (21.5)
10. New Orleans Pelicans: 28-36 (21.5)
11. Sacramento Kings: 28-36 (21.5)
12. San Antonio Spurs: 27-36 (22.0)
13. Phoenix Suns: 26-39 (24.0)
WHAT DOES SUCCESS LOOK LIKE?
As noted above, the absence of Bogdanovic looms over the proceedings. Even at full strength, Utah wasn’t a common pick to emerge victorious in the West and, without a 20-point scorer in Bogdanovic, the Jazz could be seen as vulnerable, even in the first round. Ultimately, success means the Jazz reaching the second round after a one-and-done playoff showing in 2019. There are certainly match-ups in which Utah could be outmanned but, considering the team’s lofty expectations and the presence of Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, no one will be happy with a hasty exit.
X-FACTOR
For the season, the Jazz were very good (+5.5 points per 100 possessions) when Bogdanovic played and remarkably pedestrian (-1.8 points per 100) when he went to the bench. On the whole, that isn’t a good omen for Utah, but it does illuminate a key player in the mix with Royce O’Neale. The 27-year-old small forward made 55 starts for the Jazz this season and, despite modest box-score numbers, O’Neale was already a key part of Utah’s formula for success. Without Bogdanovic, though, O’Neale is now even more important, teaming with Joe Ingles and not a lot else to piece together Utah’s rotation at the forward spots. There are many players vying for X-factor status but, beyond the obvious with Mitchell, Gobert, Ingles and Mike Conley, the Jazz desperately need a lot of quality minutes from O’Neale in Orlando.
BIGGEST ON-COURT QUESTION
Depth is a tremendous concern for the Jazz, with only Jordan Clarkson joining with Mitchell, Gobert, Ingles, Conley, and O’Neale as ready-made fixtures in a playoff-caliber rotation. In the playoffs, though, it is conceivable that Utah could withstand that lack of depth by going to a shorter rotation, placing the onus on the team’s best players to carry a massive workload. Can Gobert translate to a playoff setting, especially if it comes against a team like Houston that has given him fits in the past? Can Mitchell be a true No. 1 at the highest levels? Can Conley recapture some of his old magic after flashing signs of life in February? There are a number of questions but, even with all of the murmurs about the need for depth pieces, Utah only has a chance to make real noise if the team’s centerpieces perform to their full capabilities.
