The Utah Jazz are aiming to sneak into the NBA Playoffs this season. However, they have fallen from their once lofty perch in the Western Conference. Right now, the Jazz currently tote a 29-31 win-loss record. That is good enough to put them in 11th place in the West. Of course, take note that there are just 4.5 games separating the West's third-seed (Sacramento Kings) from the 12th-seed (Portland Trail Blazers). Anything can still happen, but Utah certainly needs a strong finish to the season to make it to the top 10. What's next for the Jazz? Here are some bold Jazz predictions for the rest of their season after the 2023 NBA All-Star Break.
The Jazz returned from their All-Star break after some solid performances from their players. Lauri Markkanen made his All-Star debut, participating in both the 3-Point competition and the 72nd All-Star game. Although he was eliminated in the opening round of the shootout, Markkanen impressed on Sunday night, scoring 13 points and seven rebounds on 6-of-13 shooting. This included a half-court alley-top from former Jazzman Donovan Mitchell. Meanwhile, Jordan Clarkson, Walker Kessler, and Collin Sexton led Team Utah to victory in the 2023 Kia Skills Challenge on NBA All-Star Saturday Night. Despite struggling in the team relay, the trio bounced back with impressive performances in the passing and shooting competitions. They defeated Team Antetokounmpo and Team Rookies.
Now that the smoke has cleared from the All-Star Break, though, where do the Jazz stand? With only 22 games remaining in the season, Utah is expected to make a push for a spot in the Play-In Tournament and beyond.
Now, let's look at our Jazz bold predictions for the rest of their season.
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4. Jazz fail to make the playoffs
After an impressive showing at All-Star Weekend, the Jazz will return to their home court for three games. They're half a game behind 10th place and in contention for the play-in race. Remember also that 11 teams are separated by only six games. The Jazz, in fact, are just two games behind Dallas for the sixth seed. Amazingly, they're also just 3.5 games behind the Clippers for homecourt advantage in the first round. It's improbable that the Jazz end up that high, but it's pretty amazing that they're not far off.
Recall that Utah's start of the season was modest due to the departure of Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell and the hiring of new coach Will Hardy. Although it came as a surprise, they briefly held first place in the West in November before falling back to reality with multiple losing streaks before the All-Star Break. Not surprisingly, the team further reshuffled its roster at the trade deadline. They brought in Damian Jones, Juan Toscano-Anderson, and Russell Westbrook (who later agreed to a buyout), and received a future first-round pick from the Lakers. We'll see how this new look plays out for Utah.
Looking toward the end of the season, take note that the Jazz will play three of their last four regular season games at home. As such, we expect them to continue competing until the end. However, given how strong their competition is, we also feel that they will ultimately fall short of advancing to the Play-In Tournament.
3. Lauri Markkanen wins Most Improved Player of the Year
Lauri Markkanen on his All-Star weekend experience 🤩pic.twitter.com/8lsGcKoO1d
— Jazz Nation (@JazzNationCP) February 21, 2023
Markkanen and the Jazz have achieved relatively phenomenal results this season. Keep in mind that the 25-year-old player averages career-highs in points (24.9), field-goal percentage (51.3 percent), 3-point percentage (41.3 percent), free throw percentage (87.7 percent), and minutes (34.3). He also puts up 8.6 rebounds per game and has tallied 22 double-doubles. Markkanen is the first All-Star from Finland and one of four European All-Star starters, alongside Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Luka Doncic. Interestingly, he attended All-Star Weekend in 2015 as a 17-year-old prospect at the NBA's Basketball Without Borders Global Camp.
All these numbers, firsts, and narratives make him the unequivocal favorite to win Most Improved Player of the Year this season. Yes, he has pretty stiff competition with OKC's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Still, we have Markkanen walking away as MIP when all is said and done.
2. Jazz don't get Victor Wembanyama
The Jazz are continuing to amass assets for the future. As of this writing, they have 15 first-round picks through 2029. They've done this while managing to remain competitive thanks to a youthful core that includes three players from the Mitchell trade. These are the aforementioned Markkanen, 2022 first-round pick Ochai Agbaji, and Collin Sexton.
Right now, the Jazz are slated to pick probably between 11th to 12th in the 2023 NBA Draft. That definitely means that unless they make a blockbuster deal to trade up, they won't get Victor Wembanyama. In fact, right now, they're projected to get maybe someone like Baylor's Keyonte George, Kansas' Gradey Dick, or even South Carolina's GG Jackson. We're not sure if any of those guys can turn out the be game-changers for Utah, but they certainly don't hold the same clout and weight as Wembanyama.
1. Jazz get a true starting center in the offseason.
Having said that, missing out on Wemby doesn't mean the Jazz are not going to fill their need at the slot. The aforementioned Jackson could be that guy, while two more first-round picks can help them stock up on more young talent.
And then there's the free agent market. This is where the Jazz can give unrestricted free agents like Nikola Vucevic, Brook Lopez, Dwight Powell, Jakob Poeltl, and Mason Plumlee some looks. The development of Markkanen & Co also makes this Jazz squad have an interesting and potentially attractive core. They'll obviously need someone who can grow with these guys and match their development timeline. However, they would also benefit from having an experienced veteran manning the middle. No matter which direction they choose to go, the Jazz should get an upgrade at the slot during the 2023 offseason.
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