The Utah Jazz haven’t made the playoffs since the 2011-12 season when they were swept in the first round by the San Antonio Spurs.
Guys like Al Jefferson, Enes Kanter and Paul Millsap were on that squad. So was a guy named Blake Ahearn, who unfortunately started balding at a young.
The only players on the current roster who were on the team were Derrick Favors (first year), Alec Burks (rookie) and Gordon Hayward (first year).
Utah is 37-38, tied for the seventh/eighth spot in the West with the Dallas Mavericks. The two teams are just a half game ahead of the Houston Rockets. It’s no secret that every game is a must-win for all three teams.
And if a team gets in with a losing record, well, then we go back to the jokes about the Eastern Conference two years ago when the Suns missed out with 48 wins and the Hawks made it with 38 wins. But such is life. When 16 out of 30 teams make the playoffs, that’s going to happen.
If the Jazz do make the playoffs, chances are it’ll be a repeat of the 2011-12 playoffs. They’ll either get the eighth seed and get swept by the Warriors or the seventh seed and get swept by the Spurs.
But for a team without a real point guard (sorry, Shelvin Mack), the Jazz have outperformed expectations. Alec Burks looks like he’ll be ready before the playoffs and the Jazz could use his 14 points per game and another guy who can shoot from deep. Dante Exum is out for the season and while he struggled as a rookie, he’s still more reliable than a chucker like Trey Burke.
You could argue that the Jazz shouldn’t want to make the playoffs. Why get the eighth or seventh seed when you’re going to get swept when you can get a lottery pick instead? Well, the difference between 14 and 16 isn’t a huge difference in the draft and this team is loaded with lottery picks. Eventually, they have to pay off and this is the first step.
Every team starts somewhere and if Hayward can have a 30-point game in the playoffs or Rudy Gobert can swat six shots, it will at least give the team some national attention, raising expectations internally and externally for the team.
The Jazz have a fairly kind schedule, playing the Wolves tonight, following by the Suns, Spurs, Clippers, Nuggets, Mavericks and Lakers.
The Mavericks play the Pistons, Wolves, Rockets, Grizzlies, Clippers, Jazz and Spurs.
The Rockets play the Thunder, Mavericks, Suns, Lakers, Wolves and Kings.
You may have noticed all three teams play the Wolves and Minnesota will look to do what it did against the Washington Wizards in March and play spoiler. It’s easier than it sounds (or reads) as all three teams will be giving it everything they got, hoping to get one of the last two spots in the playoffs.
