ESPN Names Jazz Worst Team in NBA

The Utah Jazz's reputation is a bit down after a rough regular season.

Mar 19, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Washington Wizards guard Jordan Poole (13) makes steal attempt against Utah Jazz forward Cody Williams (5) during the second half at the Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Peter Creveling-Imagn Images / Peter Creveling-Imagn Images

Things have been rough for the Utah Jazz as of late.

While the team is coming fresh off a 128-112 win vs. the Washington Wizards on Wednesday, before that came an extensive ten-game losing streak to stamp their place at the bottom of the Western Conference, all as a part of their long-spanning tank process on the year in which they've resided near the depth of the league mix.

However, with that tank underway, the Jazz may now officially be at the bottom of the barrel when asked by many in the league to rank the best teams in the NBA.

In the eyes of ESPN's Tim McMahon, the Jazz have now hit that league-worst status –– ranking them 30th in the league within their latest power rankings, slotting in right behind the 29th-ranked Washington Wizards and 28th-ranked Charlotte Hornets.

While a far from appealing fate for Utah to hold, McMahon does go on to mention an interesting aspect to note within his evaluation of the Jazz's ranking: Walker Kessler's extended range from deep.

"As the Jazz place a heavy emphasis on player development, third-year center Walker Kessler has been given the green light to fire away from 3-point range recently," McMahon wrote. "The 7-footer had attempted only six 3s all season before the losses to the Timberwolves and Bulls earlier this week and is 1-of-11 from beyond the arc in the Jazz's past two games."

The big 30 is a new placement for the Jazz at the bottom of the power rankings, as the Wizards have held those honors for most of the season considering their brutal campaign. Through Utah's diligent losses following the All-Star Break, they've begun to make even more headway in that race to the depths of the league standings.

Utah has collected a 3-13 record following All-Star Weekend, combined with a collection of injuries on the books with names like John Collins, Lauri Markkanen, and Jordan Clarkson all missing significant time.

In the short-term, it's a rough watch, but it's all a part of Danny Ainge and the Jazz front office's plan to climb their way to the top.

Tthe big end goal through the lapses of this season will be to reach the highest they can in this summer's draft lottery odds, and so far, they're on a great pace of doing so. They'll need to parlay those chances with a bit of luck to come their way to secure a true difference-maker for next year and beyond.

If they can manage to do so, the outlook can begin to trend up for the Jazz soon after, but expect a few bumps in the road while that process unfolds.

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