Utah Jazz
Quin Snyder’s squad is dangerous for a couple reasons. First off, Utah poses a tremendous mismatch for a potential second-round playoff series against either Golden State or San Antonio. The length of Rudy Gobert, Derrick Favors, Boris Diaw and Trey Lyles will make for a bullish series against either of those two top-end teams.
It’s also important to note that Utah boasts a 46-29 record and will earn one of the top-five seeds in the Western Conference Playoffs. That will assuredly lead to a first-round matchup with either the Clippers or Thunder, teams that Jazz boast a combined 2-6 record against. That’s where it will get difficult for the Jazz.
With all that said, this isn’t the same team that vied for and ultimately fell short of the playoffs in each of the past two seasons. No longer are the Jazz a team without that one true star. All-Star Gordon Hayward has improved in each of his first seven seasons. This year alone, he’s averaging north of 21 points per game while shooting at a stellar 46 percent clip from the field. Add in the presence of Rodney Hood and George Hill out on the perimeter, and there’s a lot to like about the Jazz’ wing game.
Depending on how Utah finishes up the season, it could be looking at home-court advantage in the first round with a potentially advantageous second-round matchup. That makes this up-and-coming team extremely dangerous when all is said and done.