Projections seem a little low regarding the Utah Jazz for the coming season.
After a relatively conservative summer for the Jazz, without much change outside of newly signed rookies, this group of young players on a rebuilding team could see a slight drop in the standings for the 2024-25 campaign. Especially when placed in an improving and already strong Western Conference, the road to victory only gets tougher.
ESPN recently dropped their Western Conference forecasts records throughout the 2024-25 NBA season, and the forecast didn’t look very bright for the Jazz. Utah found itself ranked one spot out of last place at 14th, with a projected 26-56 record. The only team below them is the Portland Trail Blazerswho is between 22 and 60 years old.
The 26-56 projection leaves the Jazz with a bit of a steep drop-off from their final 2023 season results, in which they finished 37-45. As this team continues to get younger and prioritize development, their chances of being a team that is ready to win games continue to diminish.
While the Jazz haven’t gotten significantly worse over the summer, the competition around them has only gotten better. Factor in the improved health of Memphis Grizzliesthe improvements made by the San Antonio Spurs & with Victor Wembanyama’s jump to sophomore status, as well as the star-studded teams that already finished ahead of Utah last season, the chances of even a Play-In spot are hard to see.
Even with All-Star Lauri Markkanen returning to the team in the near future, it may not help their cause in terms of win-loss ratios for the upcoming season. There are still several holes to fill and development to be done on this team before they reach competitive status, especially on defense. Until those issues are resolved, a finish in the bottom third of the conference could be in order.
Fortunately for the Jazz, this season could be the perfect opportunity to position themselves well enough to land top talent in the draft, unlike their marginal top-10 finishes over the past two summers. Given the prestige of the 2025 incoming class, this season could be the one where Utah bottoms out on securing its next franchise cornerstone.
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