Jazz Nation is a Spoiled Fan Base, Insider Claims

Utah Jazz fans aren't accustomed to the tank.

Jan 12, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (23) and head coach Will Hardy speak during a break in first half action against the Toronto Raptors at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images / Rob Gray-Imagn Images

The Utah Jazz are trending to miss out on postseason play for the third consecutive year with no light at the end of the tunnel in sight. This has Jazz fans swimming in uncharted waters. Since the 1983-84 season, the Jazz have missed the playoffs only eight times. 

Utah’s rich history does bring up some questions about fan expectations moving forward. Does previous success tamper fan expectations surrounding Utah’s rebuild? NBA insider Howard Beck of The Ringer addressed the issue and noted that Jazz fans have been ‘spoiled’ considering their storied past. 

“Your [Jazz] fan base there has had the benefit of luxury of, say, spoiled by a lot of teams and a lot of eras of high competence and high competitiveness, and as you say, precision is a great word to use there, but every team is going to have to go through this at some point,” Beck said. “It's hard to sustain without having a teardown occasionally or taking a bunch of steps back, and this is their time to go through it. Eventually Danny Ainge and Justin Zanik are going to make some bigger moves, I'm fairly certain of that.”

The Ringer's @HowardBeck on dipping NBA ratings, West contenders, 5-18 Jazz + more https://t.co/5JCXofBjsE

— ESPN 700 | 92.1 (@ESPN700) December 13, 2024

This is true. Jazz fans have never gone through anything like this before. In fact, the Jazz have never had the No. 1 overall pick. Drafting two Hall of Famers in Karl Malone and John Stockton are big reasons why. Stockton and Malone never missed the playoffs playing in a Jazz uniform despite never winning a championship. 

After Stockton and Malone, the Jazz pivoted to the Deron Williams era. It was a great time to be a Jazz fan, with Williams, Carlos Boozer, Mehmet Okur, and Andrew Kirilenko helping Utah get to the Western Conference Finals in 2007. After falling to the San Antonio Spurs, the Jazz made the playoffs from 2008-2010, led by Williams. 

After Williams departed, the Jazz went through somewhat of a playoff drought. Utah failed to make the playoffs for four consecutive years (2013-2016), and then Donovan Mitchell was drafted in 2017.

The Mitchell-Rudy Gobert-led Jazz made the playoffs for five consecutive years before the breakup in 2022. Since parting with their two All-Stars, it’s been a rough ride for Jazz fans. 

Given Utah’s success, do the fans have the patience to endure this tough stretch? The answer could hinge on how well these next two drafts go. However, even if Utah does strike draft gold, does it give them enough time to build a contender while Markkanen is still in his prime? This is the question the Jazz will ask themselves when their best player becomes trade-eligible this offseason. 

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