ESPN Standings Forecast

[Gameface]

I expect the Jazz to be a sixth seed this year. Anything less than a solid eighth seed is a huge disappointment in my book. 40 wins would be a huge disappointment for me. 50 wins would not be some huge bonus to my expectations.

If the Jazz miss the playoffs this year then I'm not sold that we have a core (barring major injury issues). Missing the playoffs tells me I've got my homer glasses on too tight and none of our players are really all that special, where I currently feel like Hayward is a special player, Favors is a very solid/special player and Gobert is truly a generational talent, with Burks and Hood as solid complementary pieces. If none of that is true then I don't really care what happens next because it'll be another full rebuild before the Jazz are relevant again.

 

[Ferguson_Mellochill]

I think it will still take at least 45 or 46 wins to make the playoffs in the West.

1 GSW
2 Hou
3 OKC - pending health
4 Clips
5 Spurs -- I like Aldridge, but he's not a ball mover; Tony Parker is declining, and Manu probably can't play more than 25 mins.
6 Grizzlies
7 Jazz -- Gobert starts to become a more complete player, Favors keeps building confidence, Hayward keeps improving offensively, Burks goes HAM, Hood gets more quality games, Burke sits back and complements, Neto impresses with his relentless energy and creativity, Lyles becomes a solid contributor....looks good to me.
8 Pelicans -- Davis, Tyreke and Ryno....eh
9 Mavs
10 Kings
11 Suns


I think the Jazz are better than the Pelicans overall, but it's close. The ESPN writers tend to think that Exum is a big loss not due to his production, but because he kept Burke off the floor. No one seems to like Burke. That said, I think Neto may surprise and give us quality minutes.