Predicting Utah Jazz 2024-25 Win Total

Did the oddsmakers get the Utah Jazz right this year?

Dec 28, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (23) celebrates with Utah Jazz guard Collin Sexton (2) against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images / Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

With the NBA season right around the corner, it’s now or never to get some last-minute predictions off for the 2024-25 NBA season. The Utah Jazz are projected to be among the worst teams in the league this season. It makes sense, this is a rebuilding team likely to allocate a large portion of their minutes to first and second-year players who historically don’t help you win many games.

As such, Las Vegas has set the team’s over/under for games won at 28.5, which is good for the sixth lowest in the league. Let’s dive into a couple of reasons it could go either way and ultimately plant a flag on one side. 

When thinking of reasons they could go over, two names stand out: Will Hardy and Lauri Markkanen. Hardy is one of the brightest coaches in the league and consistently gets the best out of his players. There is so much talent in the NBA, regardless of the team, that simply playing hard will put teams in a position to win games.

Hardy’s teams consistently play hard. They are also always prepared, another testament to Hardy and his staff. Because of Hardy, regardless of the talent on the roster, the Jazz would struggle to truly bottom out. 

Next up is Markkanen, a 27-year-old All-Star whose goal is to speed this Jazz rebuild up. We talk about him a lot, and he’s an incredible shooter in a rare seven-foot frame. He has unique athleticism for his size and consistently puts opponents on posters. On top of that, he’s a great system player because he doesn’t dominate the ball. Markkanen’s talent is going to win the Jazz games. 

The last reason I’d argue for the over is the other talent on the roster. Keyonte George looks like he has taken a major step forward heading into his second season. Collin Sexton had a very good season a year ago. Walker Kessler looks to bounce back. The team also has veterans in John Collins and Jordan Clarkson who figure to be key rotation pieces early in the year. 

Now let’s talk about why this could go the other way. After the Jazz traded away Kelly Olynyk, Simone Fontecchio, and Ochai Agbaji a season ago, the team went a whopping 5-25. Yes, guys missed some time but the Jazz lost regardless of who played. They added little this summer in terms of production. Does adding three rookies bolster that roster that mightily struggled down the stretch? 

Next, the Jazz ranked dead last in defense a year ago in the NBA. If you want to lose games, having a bad defense is the quickest way. They also let their best perimeter defender walk at season’s end. Yes, there could be some internal growth on this end, but the Jazz will still have a poor defense this year. 

Lastly, the Western Conference is loaded this year. With a wide-open conference race and teams that have pushed their chips forward, I expect teams to want to grab as many wins as possible to avoid falling into the play-in tournament or out of the playoffs entirely. 

Prediction: Under 

While I think it’ll be close, wins will be hard to come by this year. The Jazz are young and investing in the development of their youth. Trying to win in a loaded conference with five rotation players under 21 years old will be tough. Add in their room for improvement defensively and eyes toward the lottery and that’s the direction I’ll lean.

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