ESPN Gives Jazz Humbling Grade in Mid-Season Report Card

The Utah Jazz haven't had the most successful season in terms of putting wins on the board, but for their long-term outlook of an extensive rebuild process, the year has gone about as you would expect, and really, as some would hope.

Utah currently lies on the floor of the Western Conference standings with a 10-32 record halfway through the NBA season, keeping their eyes set on the main prize of premier lottery odds at their campaign's end.

So far, the Jazz have done a solid job of their primary task, but still have room to grow.

ESPN's Kevin Pelton dished out mid-season grades for each team across the NBA, where the Jazz landed with a C grade. Pelton mentions that their season is going according to plan, but some of their top young prospects haven't developed as quickly as anticipated:

"The Jazz's 10-31 record is going to plan," Pelton wrote. "After starting strong and losing their way into the middle of the lottery the past two seasons, Utah would have the second-best odds if the season ended today. Playing teenagers at guard is the easiest way to accumulate lottery odds, and the Jazz's rookie duo of Isaiah Collier and Cody Williams has predictably struggled. But there has been progress elsewhere from second-year players Keyonte George and Brice Sensabaugh, plus third-year center Walker Kessler."

"How they can improve: Continue being competitive enough to play close games but not win them. The Jazz are a league-worst 4-13 in games that reach clutch time."

With any youth movement and development of young players, there are expected to be bumps in the road. Players like Cody Williams, the Jazz's lottery pick from last summer's draft, have struggled significantly in the first half of his rookie campaign. Isaiah Collier, while he's shown flashes, still hasn't been extremely consistent or efficient during his reps.

On the contrary, guys like Walker Kessler, Keyonte George, and Brice Sensabaugh have continued to surge, showing why they can be long-term parts of what the Jazz are building.

Development isn't a linear process, and building a winner takes time. Thankfully, the Jazz have that at their disposal, and have enough pieces to work with for now and for the future to eventually get there.

In the meantime, the Jazz's task is simple: get the best odds for a top prospect, and give the young cornerstones heavy minutes and opportunity. It's not the most appealing in the short term, but it could be the ideal way to get this team back on track to contention.

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