Jazz Insider Renders Bold Prediction for 2023-24
Despite the oddsmakers projecting the Utah Jazz to have a losing record in 2023-24, insiders close to the team continue to have a brighter outlook of what lies ahead in Year 2 of the Will Hardy era.
Recently, ex-Jazz assistant coach Gordie Chiesa predicted Utah to finish sixth this year in the Western Conference this coming season. On Monday, The Athletic's Tony Jones stated that it wouldn’t surprise him if the Jazz finished sixth, too. Jones made the claim on ESPN 700 The Drive with Spence Checketts.
“I think if you look at the totality of Utah’s roster, they have a regular season type of roster that could very well result to—I won’t say a lot of wins but it could very well result in a very competitive team,” Jones said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the Jazz finished sixth with this roster.”
Utah continues to fly under the radar in the national perspective — not only regarding team wins but also year-end individual awards. DraftKings has 24 head coaches with better odds to win Coach of the Year than Hardy, with 32 players ranked higher than Lauri Markkanen to win the MVP.
Also, Jazz rookie Keyonte George has sixteen candidates with a better chance to take home the Rookie of the Year award, even after he made the All-Summer League first team. Are the oddsmakers not paying attention to what’s happening in Salt Lake City?
Maybe the local pundits are making projections with rose-colored glasses? Either way, Jones backed up his lofty prediction with some logic.
“The frontcourt, I think they have one of the most athletic frontcourts in the league,” Jones told Checketts. “I think they have one of the deepest frontcourts in the league. They have 11 guys that are capable of playing rotational minutes. They’ve got a lot of length and athleticism that — they’re just going to bother a lot of teams on a night-to-night basis.”
Indeed, the Jazz are one of the deepest teams in the NBA. This should bode well in a league where resting players and injuries should continue to run rampant.
Pair that with the fact that Utah only has two players over the age of 30, and it should be a successful recipe for a team well-equipped for an 82-game regular season grind.
Follow Inside The Jazz on Facebook and Twitter.
Subscribe on YouTube for breaking Jazz news videos and live-stream podcasts!
