Jazz Facing an ‘Uphill Battle’ in 2023-24? Insider Spills Beans
The low expectations regarding this year's outlook for the Utah Jazz continue in the national media. The latest comes from NBA writer John Hollinger of The Athletic, having Utah slated as the No. 12 seed in the Western Conference this upcoming year.
“The team, as it stands, is not particularly bad and will once again challenge for the Play-In for most of the year, but given that the West has 11 teams that consider themselves playoff-caliber, it will be an uphill battle to break through. That’s especially true given the odd on-court fit of the talent this year, with no real point and a lot of shot-happy perimeter players starving [Lauri] Markkanen and [John] Collins. Mike Conley will be missed.”
Hollinger has Utah ahead of only the Portland Trail Blazers, Houston Rockets, and the San Antonio Spurs in his preseason rankings. This is par for the course with what the oddsmakers are projecting. Currently, the Circa Sportsbook has Utah’s over/under win total set at 36 games.
Utah's biggest concern heading into the new year is at the point guard position. Where it stands today, it appears Talen Horton-Tucker and Jordan Clarkson will be the starting backcourt to begin the season, but that won’t be cemented in stone as the year progresses.
The player to keep an eye on is No. 16 overall pick Keyonte George. The first-year pro will get opportunities to take over the starting point guard job as the season moves along. However, it won’t be easy considering head coach Will Hardy’s stance on rookies needing to earn their minutes.
That said, Hollinger does bring up a good point regarding the uncertainty in Utah’s backcourt. The Jazz have an overabundance of ball-dominant guards that have a score-first mentality. This doesn’t bode well for players like Lauri Markkanen and John Collins in Utah's half-court offense.
Indeed, Mike Conley will be missed in some facets, but the ex-Jazzman did bring his share of baggage to the table. Without Conley, Utah should be a better team on the defensive end and play at a faster pace, with a younger backcourt steering the ship.
Hardy has one more preseason contest to figure out how the rotation will play out to begin the season. The final game will be against the Sacramento Kings on Thursday at the Delta Center. The tip-off is at 7:00.
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