Timberwolves’ ranking in the Western Conference – Part Two
By Will Long
Mar 30, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) fouls Minnesota Timberwolves guard Zach LaVine (8) in the fourth quarter at Target Center. The Utah Jazz beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 104-84. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
8. Utah Jazz
The Jazz are back? The Jazz are back.
After missing the playoffs in three straight years and (four of the last five), the Utah Jazz are finally back, starting from the ground up.
Rudy Gobert is starting to gain attention, but there are still two other very underrated players on this basketball team. Gordon Hayward is much better than advertised, and Derrick Favors might be one of the more underrated players in the NBA. (No, Mike Conley is not an option anymore).
Quin Snyder has a team that can defend really, really, really well. The Jazz gave up the least amount of points last season, and that was with Enes Kanter — who is as good defensively as Austin Rivers is at playing point guard, relatively speaking — for nearly fifty games. In the Western Conference, with teams like the Rockets, Warriors, Thunder, Spurs, etc., teams have to have the ability to defend, and the Jazz certainly have that.
Unfortunately, Dante Exum was diagnosed with a torn ACL, which could certainly hurt his team’s playoff odds. But, in contrast to contrary belief, Trey Burke isn’t a bad starting point guard; as long as he can initiate the offense, shoot the long ball efficiently, and defend, the Jazz will live.
The biggest concern with Exum’s injury is the loss of depth. Utah goes from Exum and Burke to Burke and Bryce Cotton/Raul Neto, and the latter two guys haven’t played any meaningful NBA minutes at all.
Next: #7 - Davis and the Pellies on the Rise