Can Utah make the playoffs for the first time under head coach Quin Snyder?
Last Season’s Record: 38-44
Key Additions:
Trey Lyles
Tibor Pleiss
Raul Neto
Key Losses:
Dante Exum (injury)
2015-16 Season Outlook
The open nature of modern NBA offenses has led to a bevy of high-scoring affairs. So wouldn’t it make sense that a defensive oriented team finds a way to make the playoffs?
The final playoff seeds in the Western Conference are wide open. It is widely agreed upon that the Warriors, Spurs, Clippers, Rockets, Thunder and Grizzlies will compose the conference’s top six teams, while others around the web insist on the Pelicans inclusion in this list. That leaves the Mavericks, Suns, and Jazz realistically competing for the eighth slot.
The greatest strength of the Utah squad lies in the interior with Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors. Gobert could establish himself as the top defensive center in the league, while Favors has quietly become one of the most underrated big men in the league. The Georgia Tech-alum averaged 16 points and eight rebounds per game last season, posting a 21.86 PER that ranked ninth among power forwards and centers a year ago.
The duo protects the rim well, which allows its perimeter players to press for steals and play tight defense on the wing. After the All-Star break in 2015, the Jazz posted a defensive rating of 94.8 – which ranks 4.6 points better per 100 possessions than the next team on the list, the Memphis Grizzlies.
On the offensive end, Gordon Hayward is the club’s most important player, both as a scorer and facilitator. After posting averages of 19.3 points and 4.1 assists per year ago, the team will lean on the former Butler Bulldog to take one more step towards being an All-Star caliber wing. Very few players in the league are capable of posting a 20-5-5 stat line, and Hayward could join a select group if he can get there.
Starting point guard Dante Exum is out for the season after tearing his ACL playing for the Australian national team, and look for Alec Burks to wind up reaping the benefits. As I wrote in September, Burks could be one of the league’s breakout players. For the Jazz to make the playoffs, he’ll need to be the team’s second-best scorer on the perimeter.
Other rotation players that will play key roles are Trey Burke, Rodney Hood, Trevor Booker and rookie Trey Lyles. The team also brought over Tibor Pleiss to back up Gobert and provide needed frontcourt depth after the team dealt Enes Kanter a year ago.
The biggest obstacle to Utah’s success will be its youth and ability to penetrate offensively. One of the league’s youngest teams, Favors and Hayward are the elders of the starting unit at the spry ages of 24 and 25, respectively. Both, theoretically, should be on the edges of entering their prime, and maintaining the success found at the end of last season is imperative to Utah’s playoff chances.
Finally, while Exum struggled with his efficiency as a rookie, his lethal first step and long arms created plenty of issues for opposing defenses. Utah needs to find a player that can create off the dribble and kick to shooters – an aspect of the Utah offense that has been absent over the past few seasons. If Hood and Hayward struggle from the 3-point line, Utah could be an intriguing buyer at the trade deadline for a shooter as well.
Dallas is set to take a step back after an underwhelming offseason and Phoenix has an intriguing combination of players, but a group that also struggles defensively. As Portland rebuilds and Minnesota remains a few years away, there has never been a greater opportunity for Utah to rejoin the playoff ranks in the west.
Can they capitalize?
Projected Record: 44-38
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
