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After Golden State/San Antonio/Cleveland are there any teams that are clearly better than the Jazz?

honestly, on paper, that group has a pretty fair chance at being the best defensive group in the league.

The problem is offense. Who scores in that group? Hayward isn't the best one on one guy. Hill is a very good role player. Favors and Gobert can't pass. Gobert has zero offensive game. Exum has zero offensive game (hopefully that changes). That lineup would get you to a 10-9 quarter.
 
I'm not ready to compare the Jazz to the entire league, but here are my expectations:

We should win our division. I think we leapfrogged Portland, Minny is still behind us, Denver certainly is behind us, and I'm not going to crown an OKC team that just lost KD and Ibaka. I don't think Westbrook is enough with that new surrounding cast.

Learn how to win your division. Hell, maybe get a 4 seed and get outta the 1st round this year. Gotta learn to crawl......
 
We havent done anything yet though. We have a lot better team, but we still have to go out and perform.

Are we better than the Thunder? IDK, on paper I would say it's pretty close. They obviously have the best player between the two teams. I think we are better but I also realize that I'm super bias in that.

Are we better than the Blazers? Also hard to say. I thought we were better than them last year and they just had a spectacular season. Lillard/McCollum are probably more explosive scorers than anyone on our team but I hate the Turner addition and them losing Crabbe (and Henderson), while not a monumental loss, is significant. Can Noah Vonleh emerge this year though?

The only thing I can say with 100% confidence is that we have leapfroggged the Mavs and Rockets, which makes us at least the 6th seed (I don't think anyone who finished below us last year is a real threat to pass us). I guess if Denver actually got D-Wade they would merit a conversation. I think we can be better than the Blazer, Grizzlies, and Thunder, but I dont see us being better than the Clippers, so I think the 4th seed is our ceiling.
 
We havent done anything yet though. We have a lot better team, but we still have to go out and perform.

Are we better than the Thunder? IDK, on paper I would say it's pretty close. They obviously have the best player between the two teams. I think we are better but I also realize that I'm super bias in that.

Are we better than the Blazers? Also hard to say. I thought we were better than them last year and they just had a spectacular season. Lillard/McCollum are probably more explosive scorers than anyone on our team but I hate the Turner addition and them losing Crabbe (and Henderson), while not a monumental loss, is significant. Can Noah Vonleh emerge this year though?

The only thing I can say with 100% confidence is that we have leapfroggged the Mavs and Rockets, which makes us at least the 6th seed (I don't think anyone who finished below us last year is a real threat to pass us). I guess if Denver actually got D-Wade they would merit a conversation. I think we can be better than the Blazer, Grizzlies, and Thunder, but I dont see us being better than the Clippers, so I think the 4th seed is our ceiling.
Agreed.
 
The problem is offense. Who scores in that group? Hayward isn't the best one on one guy. Hill is a very good role player. Favors and Gobert can't pass. Gobert has zero offensive game. Exum has zero offensive game (hopefully that changes). That lineup would get you to a 10-9 quarter.

Hayward is in the top 1/3rd of the league in isolation (66th percentile), as is favors (67th percentile). but the real selling point (and as exhibited last season) is that close & low scoring games, are our best shot at getting wins, and there will be plenty of holding teams to the 80s and 90s with that unit.
 
There is some extreme homerism in this thread.

Maybe- OK, likely. But some optimism at this point is justifiable. The concentration of power has left the 2nd tier pretty wide open behind the elite teams. The Jazz, with the pickups they have made, have as good a chance as any to rise to the top of that 2nd tier.
 
Utah is as good as any team outside Cleveland and GSW, because of defense. The offense will take a little time. Deepest team in the league, but one or two guys need help defensively. Fantastic offseason that allows Exum to reintegrate at whatever speed he likes.
 
In before ncoloradojazz comes in here and calls us all homers and says the jazz suck and that most of the league is better than the jazz..... Basically trolls the hell out of this thread.
While the mods look the other way.

If his posts bother you, please report them.
 
It really depends:

-If the Jazz continue to be the team most negatively affected by incorrect referee calls, it will hard to be a 1-4 seed.

-If we can avoid the injury bug that has hit the past few seasons, we will be in good shape.

-The speed in which Hill fits into the new system, Exum's improvement from season 1 and Quin's ability to adapt with better PG play will all have an impact.


We have the ability to get home court advantage. with the talent we have.
 
1. Golden State
2. San Antonio
3. Cleveland
4. Clips
5. Toronto
6. Houston
7. Boston
8. Memphis
9. Utah
10. Minnesota/Portland/Phoenix/Heat/Hornets
 
Go listen to 'The Lowe Post' and go to the 33:30 mark or so if you want to hear Zach and his guest rave about the Jazz.
 
Go listen to 'The Lowe Post' and go to the 33:30 mark or so if you want to hear Zach and his guest rave about the Jazz.

There's a good discussion on the Hawks after that. They're definitely one of the most interesting franchises and they had an interesting offseason.
 
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