Jazz 19th in The Athletic’s NBA Power Rankings, ‘Edge of Competition'

Did the Utah Jazz get rated fairly amongst the league in The Athletic’s newest NBA rankings?

The glorious NBA offseason at this point, for the most part, has wrapped up. With the draft, free agency, and most trades (outside of Damian Lillard and maybe James Harden) completed, everyone can take a step back to look at how their roster has filled out going into next season.

Now is the perfect time for major publications to drop their power rankings, judging where each team in the association places after their variety of roster acquisitions and departures. NBA writer Zach Harper wasted no time dishing out his own for The Athletic.

The Utah Jazz are a team with an argument to be in a collection of different spots. In this case, The Athletic has the Jazz at 19th out of 30 teams, right at the top of the tier titled: "Edge of Competition."

"The Jazz refused to tank last season, and they still ended up with a great haul in the draft...Acquiring Collins was a weird addition, but he’s someone they’ve been eyeing for a while and it ensures Lauri Markkanen stays at the three. This team’s competitiveness waned in the final weeks of the season, but they have more than enough talent and depth to ruin someone’s season as they hope to at least make the Play-In Tournament."

Honestly, it is a fair judgment all things considered. The Jazz managed to do well this summer with the pieces they had, maintaining competitiveness while also keeping tons of flexibility for the future. Even if it may not translate to being a playoff lock this season, fans can still hold hope with the potential of Utah reaching the .500 mark.

A few of the debatable teams ranked ahead of Utah include the likes of the Atlanta Hawks (18), Dallas Mavericks (17), and New Orleans Pelicans (16). Harper also decided to split the Jazz up from those listed above, placing them in what he called: the "Play-In Battleground.”

There is a world where the Jazz could lift themselves ahead of these teams, but it is hard to confidently project that, given the stellar talent they will be competing with in the Western Conference. It's a conference filled to the brim with established star talent, rising young players, and extensive depth looking to be a dogfight all year.

With way more hope in the roster construction going into next season than last year, fans should be joyous in what Danny Ainge has been cooking with this young, up-and-coming franchise.

---

Follow Inside The Jazz on Facebook and Twitter.

Subscribe on YouTube for breaking Jazz news videos and live-stream podcasts!