ESPN Places Jazz at 20th in New Post-Offseason NBA Power Rankings

The public opinion on the Utah Jazz headed into 2023-24 is starting to unravel as we inch closer to the exciting season ahead. One of the newest opinions is from the sports media giant of ESPN, one where they recently placed the Jazz 20th in their post-offseason NBA power rankings.

Without many drastic changes to their roster this summer, it is reasonable to expect their standing in the league to stay similar to last season. Progression from some of the young players could easily take this team higher than some would expect, but with all things considered, at this point in the NBA calendar, this is a fair rank.

ESPN reporter Tim McMahon also had some positive comments about the 2023 offseason for the Jazz accompanied by the ranking:

"The Jazz acquired John Collins in a salary dump from the Hawks, and coach Will Hardy is excited to plug a 26-year-old forward a few years removed from being a 20-10 guy between franchise cornerstones Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler. Utah is taking a patient approach, incorporating three rookie first-round picks and holding on to its huge stockpile of future draft capital."

A few of the teams listed directly above Utah include the Brooklyn Nets (19), Atlanta Hawks (18), and New Orleans Pelicans (17). While I don’t have much of an issue with Atlanta or New Orleans being above the Jazz, that Brooklyn placement is more in question.

The consensus around Mikal Bridges and the Nets core has seemed pretty optimistic at this point, but remember: this team only went 11-13 after the All-Star break last season. They also dumped off some valuable floor spacers like Joe Harris, Seth Curry, and Yuta Watanabe earlier this summer. Maybe I’m being too skeptical, but even another first-round exit for this team in 2024 would be an impressive showing.

Outside of Brooklyn though, it is hard to complain about ESPN’s standing on the Jazz. They’re even considerably higher than other teams with far greater title odds than them (+30,000) for 2024. Teams such as the Indiana Pacers (21st, +15,00) Chicago Bulls (22nd, +15,000), and Toronto Raptors (25th, +8,000) are some of those names that stand out.

With just over two months until training camp starts, there is still a ton of time left on the clock until the regular season is in action. Until then, it will be intriguing to see how media and fan judgment on the Jazz roster shifts from now until October.

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