Where do the Utah Jazz fall in NBA power rankings?
Winning 15 of their last 16, the Jazz are playing as good as any team in the league. Let's take a jot around the media landscape to see where the Jazz are standing in various power rankings. Each of the following rankings were updated Monday.
The Ringer
Kevin O'Connor is the harshest on the Jazz of all the power rankings I looked at. He is the only one to have Utah out of the top 5, moving them from 10 up to 6 in his latest power rankings. His approach seems less predicated on current win streaks and more on championship equity so a 4 spot job is actually pretty decent. He points out the success of Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley, Donovan Mitchell, and Jordan Clarkson. He then concludes:
Over the next two weeks, Utah will face the Celtics, Bucks, Heat, and Sixers at home, and then the Clippers twice on the road. After a game versus the Hornets in late February, they’ll host the Lakers to cap off a doozy of a stretch. This eight-game marathon won’t necessarily change the fact that the Jazz will be a formidable playoff opponent. It could, however, show they belong in the NBA Finals conversation.
While slotting the Jazz in at six seems like a slap in the face to their current production, considering them as legitimate championship contenders feels right.
ESPN
ESPN's power rankings have the Jazz moving up from 4 to 2. They stay behind the returning-champ Lakers--which is hard to argue against when picking a favorite for a head-to-head matchup. Tim McMahon mentions the recent injury to Mike Conley put points out:
The silver lining is that Donovan Mitchell has thrived in the past when sliding over to point guard -- and did so again against the Pacers on Sunday, when he had 27 points, 11 assists and finished one rebound shy of his first career triple-double.
Bleacher Report
Per Bleacher Report's power rankings, Utah is the best team in basketball right now. BR backs up their claim with the following statistics:
They have been lights-out from deep over those 16 games, shooting 42.0 percent from three while leading the league in deep attempts.
For the season, the Jazz have a top-five offensive and defensive rating.
They are allowing the third-fewest points per game and lead the league in rebounding.
It's a good time to be a Jazz fan.
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