How is this even possible? The Utah Jazz have shocked everyone as not only have they not sucked, but they have also done one better by going 9-3 in the first 12 games of the season to have the best record in the West.
This shouldn’t be possible. Under new CEO, Celtics legend Danny Ainge, the Utah Jazz underwent a huge offseason sell off as they failed to make it deep into the playoffs for a sixth straight season with the core group of HC Quin Snyder, PG Mike Conley Jr., SG Donovan Mitchell, and C Rudy Gobert.
In stunning fashion, Quin Snyder abruptly ‘resigned’ (though, knowing what we know now, he was probably going to get fired if he didn’t) even before the NBA Finals series was played, which was then followed by a small but extremely significant trade. As many ESPN and Brian Windhorst fans already know, the trade I’m talking about is Royce O’Neale getting shipped off to Brooklyn for a few draft picks.
O’Neale, who is a superb defensive forward and was invaluable to the Jazz for many years, getting unceremoniously dumped out of Utah for a few draft picks was not only strange, but was also foreshadowing of the blockbuster Rudy Gobert trade that followed a few days later.
Obviously, immediately after the Gobert trade for 4 1st-round picks, it was clear that the Jazz were in a full rebuild mode as Ainge sought to replicate the success he had as both a player and a GM for the Boston Celtics.
So, to no one’s real surprise, Ainge completed the sell off by trading 3X All-Star and franchise superstar Donovan Mitchell to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Collin Sexton (a former 1st round pick), Ochai Agbaji (the Cavs 1st round pick in 2022), Lauri Markkanen (a former 1st round pick), 3 future 1st-round picks, and two 1st-round pick swaps in a trade that gave the Jazz the needed draft capital to properly rebuild this roster in Ainge’s vision.
Of course, it’s never easy to trade away a young ‘face-of-the-franchise’ guard, which Mitchell most certainly was, but everyone knew that the Jazz and Ainge needed to do it in order to get enough picks to create a true contender in the West for the future.
Players like Sexton and Markkanen were nice to have as role players, but the Jazz desperately needed a culture change that could only come through new, fresh, inexperience rookie superstars.
And that was something Donovan Micthell, despite all of his talent, could not provide anymore.
Unfortunately, the only consequence of Ainge’s wise decision to blow up the roster was that the Jazz were going to suck. A LOT.
How could they not as they not only traded away their two superstars, but they also only replaced them with bench players and future draft picks? Plus, they were up against the powers of Golden State, Dallas, Los Angeles, Denver, and Phoenix nearly every night being in the West. How could they seriously compete for a playoff spot this year?
Well, rather easily as it turns out as the Jazz have steamrolled nearly all of their opponents to start off the season 9-3, proving to be the best team in the West.
Journeymen like Jordan Clarkson (18.3 PPG, 4.6 REB, 5.2 AST), Lauri Markkanen (21.9 PPG, 8.8 REB, 2.7 AST), and even Kelly Olynyk (12.2 PPG, 4.0 REB, 3.3 AST) have had renaissances as they have worked well with the young players, such as Collin Sexton (14.6 PPG, 3.1 REB, 2.0 AST), Jared Vanderbilt (9.0 PPG, 8.2 REB, 3.1 AST), and Talen Horton-Tucker (7.5 PPG, 2.9 REB, 1.5 AST), and have upset many great teams early on.
I mean, I can’t believe that a team that starts Kelly Olynyk at center in 2022 has the best record in the West, even though the reigning NBA Champions are in the West too. It’s unbelievable!
Still, I’m not holding my breath that the Utah Jazz are going to finish as the 1st seed in the West and make a surprise run for the Championship as I think their momentum will run out.
Sooner or later these players will realize that they are playing with house money and that the house always wins. Once the Warriors, Nuggets, Suns, and Mavericks get their acts together, they’ll overtake the Utah Jazz and send them back down the league standings.
Though, don’t be too upset Utah fans, you guys should be much happier seeing the Jazz lose and get better odds for the Wembanyama tank race rather than making it into the playoffs too early in this rebuild.
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