A month ago, if you told Utah Jazz fans that they would lead the West after 13 games, they would've laughed you out of the room. After all, Danny Ainge just traded both of their franchise cornerstones in Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. The tank for Victor Wembenyama was supposed to banner Utah's season.
One month into the season, and the Jazz are leading the West with a superb 10-3 record. It's not like Utah's been beating up bad teams. They won against the Nuggets, the Grizzlies (twice!) and most recently, the Hawks. How does GM Danny Ainge feel about all this winning? Pretty good, and he also proceeded to shame the fans who insinuated that he'd be mad. (via Sports Illustrated)
“Pleasantly surprised… I mean, come on,” Ainge says. “Who would say that? And who would I ever have told that to? Just think about that for a second.”
Win or lose, Danny Ainge and the Jazz should be pretty happy with how things have been going for them. The trade with the Cavs uncovered a hidden gem in Lauri Markannen, who's showing why he was a top-5 pick in his draft. Colin Sexton has also been a revelation for the team. That, along with the veteran savvy of guys like Mike Conley and Jordan Clarkson, has steered them to where they are now.
There's a chance that the Jazz start to fall off sometime this season. There's also a chance they ride this hot streak all the way to the playoffs. Whatever happens, Utah will be pretty damn happy with what they've seen from their players.
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