Jazz See Steep Drop Off in NBA Power Rankings Amid Losing Streak

With only six games left in the season, the Utah Jazz are trending down amongst the league.

As the regular season begins to wrap up for the Utah Jazz, the team has sunk lower and lower into the league standings due to their lengthy recent losing streak. Currently, the team is stuck in the middle of an ugly ten-game winless stretch as the tank is looking stronger than it ever has before.

Therefore, it's easy to see where the Jazz may stand when it comes to their position in the power rankings. For a team that was once one of the biggest risers in the league during their successful December and January period of winning basketball, they've now hit one of their lowest points of the season.

In Bleacher Report's latest NBA power rankings by Andy Bailey, the Jazz dropped to the 25th spot in the league, seeing a dip from their previous placement at 22nd. After suffering from a historic losing streak like the team has over the past few weeks, it's not a shock to see Utah this far down by any means.

Bailey went to discuss his rationale for his placement of the Jazz at 25, noting that while the product on the floor has been brutal to watch, there is reason for optimism moving forward.

"It's been a rough few weeks for Utah Jazz fans, who are suffering through their first 10-game losing streak since 1982," said Bailey. "The latest loss was a blowout at home to the Cleveland Cavaliers, who were without Donovan Mitchell. There are some silver linings, though. The organizational veer toward tanking has meant more opportunities for 2023's three first-round picks, and they've all shown flashes of upside. Now a fixture in the rotation, Brice Sensabaugh has averaged 12.0 points, 3.0 assists and 2.5 threes, while shooting 37.5 percent from deep over his last six games. Over his last 10 games, Taylor Hendricks is averaging 10.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.1 threes and 1.0 blocks in 29.3 minutes. And Keyonte George, who forced his way into playing time far earlier than the other two, leads this rookie class in total assists."

With Lauri Markkanen, Jordan Clarkson, and John Collins all missing time to close out the year, it has opened the door for an expanded role and opportunity with the young rookies on the roster. Sensabaugh, Hendricks, and George are all players who have continued to show flashes of production down the stretch despite not managing to win games.

It won't get any easier the rest of the way for the Jazz, as they hold the league's second toughest strength of schedule with just under two weeks to go in the regular season. Though for a front office looking to retain their top-ten protected selection come draft lottery time, it's likely not the worst news to hear.

The Jazz will hit the floor once again on Friday night when they face off against the Los Angeles Clippers in Crypto.com Arena.

Follow Inside The Jazz on Facebook and X.

Subscribe to YouTube for breaking Jazz news videos and live streams!