The Jazz Are Thriving; and Breaking All The Rules
The Utah Jazz have been the most improbable story in the NBA this season. Along the way, they’ve been anything but typical.
The Utah Jazz were expected to be the best tank west of the Mississippi entering the season. After trading franchise cornerstones Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, the Jazz were left in ostensible ruin. Nobody expected anything from Utah this season.
It’s now the middle of December, and it’s clear that the Jazz aren’t going anywhere. First-year head coach Will Hardy has done a marvelous job thus far. The tank for Wembanyama is all but out of the picture. And, as the Jazz embark on this improbable season, they’re breaking all the rules in the process.
Foolish Narratives
If we’re being honest, Utah’s hot start to the season isn’t that surprising in retrospect. 23.5 projected wins is laughable. It wasn’t like Utah’s roster was amongst the worst in the league; because it wasn’t. Utah’s team may have been weird, but it wasn’t bad. And it also wasn’t inexperienced. This wasn’t some young, raw team that needed development. Utah’s roster was filled with veterans, unlike other would-be tanking franchises.
The only problem coming into the season was chemistry. A lot of these players had never played with one another. And, the threat of a trade looms large over everybody’s head. Instead of an offense of individuals, Utah has come together in beautiful harmony. First-year head coach Will Hardy simulated game situations in training camp. He invited chaos and competition.
There is such a thing in the NBA as too much talent; or too many good players. It’s a problem the Jazz could have run into. But they’ve all bought in, and they’re playing well because of it. In doing so, they’re flipping the bird at everything normal about the modern NBA.
In Favor of a Holistic Approach
To win a championship, you need 8+ quality players. But, the thing that separates the good teams from the great teams are the stars. The league has never been more star driven. To win a championship, it almost required you to have a top ten player on your team. Since the 1984-85 season, there have only been five championship winning teams that didn’t feature an All-NBA First Team member.
The Utah Jazz aren’t going to win a title. But, they’re playing a winning brand of basketball without a true superstar. It makes them unpredictable. On any given night, you could see a big scoring surge from anybody. Markkanen, Beasley, Clarkson, Conley, Sexton, or even Kelly Olynyk can take over parts of games. That’s what makes Utah’s five out offense so deadly. Utah is one of just four teams league that doesn’t have a single player with a usage rate above 27%.
Under the previous Quin Snyder regime, the Jazz shot a lot of threes and ran lots of pick-and-rolls. Their offense was one dimensional thanks to the likes of Gobert and Mitchell. While this iteration of the Jazz also shoot a lot of threes, it’s coming in a completely different way.
Last season, the Jazz ranked 27th in passes made and assists. This season, they rank 19th and 8th in those categories, respectively. It’s a different and more conducive way of getting things done. Utah also ranks 4th in drives per game. This Utah offense is anything but one-dimensional, which makes them even more fun to watch.
Sure, they can’t play defense, but this offense is lethal. Lauri Markkanen’s breakout, in particular, has been very fun to watch. No teams in the NBA set out to play like this. We see more and more teams constructed like the Mavericks, a one-man show built around one generational talent.
But that’s not what the Utah Jazz are going for. They’re not trying to be normal because what’s the fun in that?
A New Vision
The tank for Wembanyama is all but dead. Even though Utah’s defense holds them back from being contenders, they’re still good. Too good to be near the bottom of the standings. Even if the Jazz had their minds set on Wemby, it would take a lot of phone calls and weeks of negotiations to tear down this roster.
But, because of their two deals this offseason, the Jazz are set up for the future. They can be competitive without worrying about the future. Minnesota gave them unprotected first-rounders in 2023, 2025, and 2027, along with another protected FRP in 2029. Cleveland, on the other hand, gave Utah five first-rounders, including two pick swaps.
In other words, Danny Ainge has more first-round picks than he knows what to do with. Utah doesn’t need Victor Wembanyama. They have assets for the next decade. So, they don’t have to try and tank to get talent on board. Instead, they can just focus on being as good as possible.
The Jazz are by no means set up for the future. Outside of Markkanen, there aren’t any pieces that I see being on this team long-term. But, with that many picks, the Jazz have fluidity in future negotiations. In the coming weeks, months, and years, the Jazz can become any team they want to.
The Jazz front office sees this season as “a fact-finding mission,” according to general manager Justin Zanik. The Jazz enter every game knowing what they are, enjoying the start of what could be a magical ride. They play free, understanding it could all end before any of them want it to.
“But until then, man…” Conley says. “We’ve got blinders on. We’ve got earmuffs on.”
And I don’t think they’d have it any other way.
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