Utah Jazz Must Make Winning Record the Goal in 2026-27

The Utah Jazz have had four consecutive seasons now where they've finished the year with a losing record.

The Jazz have won 37 games or less every single season since 2022-23, have had less than 25 wins in each of their last two seasons, and have a 107-221 record for the last four years to show for it.

So it's safe to say that the Jazz, and all of their fans, are ready for that dreary trend to change this season. Only twice throughout their franchise history has Utah had four or more consecutive years in which they've finished with a losing record, with the last time happening back in the early 1980s.

But the Jazz, based on how their roster is currently constructed on paper, are in a perfect position to change that trend this coming season. It may still be a little over two months away from tipping off, but there's no doubt that this year is their best chance to get over .500 since hitting the reset button for their rebuild.

Jazz Could Be In Line for Winning Record in 2026-27

The Jazz, while certainly holding a young roster, have an extremely talented group of guys from top to bottom. Not just with the talent––and especially young talented––they hold at the top of their rotation, but in their second unit as well.

They've got two All-Star-level players in Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson, two top-five picks from the last two drafts, and come out to six first-round picks in the last four years to be in Utah's rotation this season.

Utah has the offensive ceiling to rank in the top half of the NBA, has the pieces in place to develop in a big way defensively by adding Jaren Jackson Jr. to their frontcourt, and alongside growth from one or even multiple young players, this Jazz roster that's been actively trying to lose games for the past few seasons can shift things in the other direction for 2026-27.

Dec 30, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy watches the team warm up before a game against the Boston Celtics at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

And the Jazz have actually made a clear committment to turning things around this coming season. That was made apparent in their trade deadline move to acquire Jackson Jr. from the Grizzlies in which they gave up the rights to their first round pick in 2027.

Pair those implications with the fact that the draft lottery odds have shifted significantly for this coming year, and the incentive for the Jazz to lose is out the door, compared to what it has been for the past four years.

Now, the Jazz have got a talented roster with a strong top five players, a deep group that can sustain the blows of a long regular season, and every incentive to go out and change their losing woes from the last four years.

Bottom Line

If there were any time for the Jazz to flip the switch from what their rebuild has looked like throughout the past few seasons, this next season would be just that.

They have all of the talent that can be a threat to post regular season wins, a coach in Will Hardy who's eager to start winning games, and a young, talented roster that could be a problem for opposing defenses on a nightly basis.

So as long as a couple of key factors break Utah's way once the action kicks off in October, expect them to be right in the mix of the top eight teams in the Western Conference, and end the season with above a .500 record for the first time since 2022.

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