Jazz Face Stiff Test in First Week of 2022-23 Regular Season
The Utah Jazz finalized their roster for the start of the season, with the final cuts being announced on Saturday. Even with the 15-man roster set, Jazz executive Danny Ainge made it clear nothing is off the board as far as trades go.
This offseason saw the franchise go into full rebuild mode and bring new meaning to the hashtag pun on the organization: #tanknote. This roster surely isn’t the roster for the future, and neither is it a championship-contending foundation.
Ainge will surely be looking to make additional moves, whether at the trade deadline or the end of the season. With this uncertainty, head coach Will Hardy is in a tough position as he navigates a tanking organization.
After a rocky preseason, it's hard to predict with certainty what Utah's starting lineup will be for Game 1. The Jazz start the first week and the season against the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday, followed by the Minnesota Timberwolves Friday, and the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday.
This is a prove-it year for the Nuggets and MVP Nikola Jokic. With multiple players returning from injury, including Jamal Murray, expect the Nuggets to come out with a lot of energy and the continuity that the Jazz don’t possess with their roster.
On Friday, the Jazz visit the Timberwolves and face Rudy Gobert as an opponent for the first time. Fans won't have to wait long to see the former Jazz star in Minnesota, and they will face up against a strong Timberwolves team looking to break through in the playoffs finally. On Sunday, the Jazz will travel to New Orleans, where another star returning from injury will look to start the season off strong in Zion Williamson.
With the Jazz still figuring out rotations and forging an identity as a team, this is a tough schedule for the first week, especially with two away games. The Jazz will be tested right off the bat.
With a tanking mentality, the outlook on every game this season is to find new ways to lose. But from an optimistic perspective for onlooking fans, the hope is that the Jazz will figure things out quickly and catch these teams off guard as they form their identity for this season.
Follow Andrew on Twitter @ArembaczNBA.
