ESPN Sizes Up Jazz's Title Chances Among Zero-Time NBA Champions

The Utah Jazz haven't tasted an NBA title yet, but how close are they to making it happen?

Oct 25, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (23) reacts to missing a shot against the Golden State Warriors during the fourth quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images / Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Throughout their 50-plus year franchise history, the Utah Jazz stand among one of ten teams in the NBA who have yet to achieve the peak of the league mountain by finding their way to an NBA Finals win.

Of course, it's a team that's had a few close calls in the past, most recently coming from their 1997 and 1998 appearances vs. the Chicago Bulls. However, thanks to the dominance of Michael Jeffrey Jordan and their 90's dynasty, Utah came up just short of reaching their long-standing goal, now sitting in 2024 without a ring to their name.

Utah has yet to touch those NBA heights, but it's not to say this squad isn't on the right track to getting there in the near future. The Jazz have done an impressive job over the past few summers of stacking together talent, both young and veteran, and future assets to position them as one of the most appealing rebuilds within the league. By facilitating the right development and time within this core, a championship roster could be imminent in Salt Lake City.

Yet, when it comes to ESPN evaluating the title chances of the NBA's title-less teams, the Jazz didn't get the most optimistic outlook of the ten candidates.

ESPN's Neil Paine sorted through the ten zero championship teams throughout the NBA to rank their chances of becoming the next of the bunch to get over the hump, with the Jazz coming in at the eighth spot, placing just ahead of the Charlotte Hornets and Brooklyn Nets.

"The Jazz are one of the biggest wild cards on our list," Paine said. "Utah has yet to make the playoffs under coach Will Hardy, the team won just 31 games last season, and its preseason ESPN BET title odds are very long. However, between Lauri Markkanen and Collin Sexton -- both of whom are still 27 or younger -- the Jazz also have an intriguing core to go with one of the league's youngest rosters. Markkanen signed a big extension in August, so if Utah does see postseason success down the line, he'll presumably play a large role in it. The rest of the roster has a lot of flexibility after the next few seasons, which makes predicting the Jazz's long-term future -- for good or bad -- difficult."

Out of the collection, Utah had a 3.8% chance to be the first champion if there was a first-time winner in the next six years. Right ahead of them was the Los Angeles Clippers, who sat with a 7.3% chance.

Appearing atop the list was the Minnesota Timberwolves, who come off their first Western Conference Finals appearance in 20 seasons. As for their percent chance to win a title, the number sits far above the Jazz at 24.9%. The Indiana Pacers and Phoenix Suns followed to round out the top three.

While yes, the Jazz may be a few steps away from immediate title contention as opposed to franchises like the Timberwolves, Pacers, and Suns, the pieces are in place to see a serious team be formed together in the next half-decade. They have the chance to secure twelve first-round picks in the next five years, and while already having an established young core in place, this youth will come around in due time. Once it does, those odds for a championship will as well.

The process may be a slow grind in the meantime, but with the correct time and development in place, the title drought in Salt Lake City may not be much longer.

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