The NBA is no joke and the Northwest Division is no laughing matter either, that is unless you’re a fan of the Denver Nuggets. If that’s you, then keep laughing. Emmanuel Mudiay will one day get you into this conversation, but not this year.
However, if you’re a fan of the other four teams in the division then right now you’re gloating coyly. Last season, the Northwest Division had one lone representative in the NBA playoffs and that was the Portland Trail Blazers. Many people at the beginning of the year wrote off the Trail Blazers since they traded away 80% of their starting lineup, leaving Damian Lillard as the most recognizable face on the team. As of today, that same Trail Blazers team that everyone (including myself) wrote off stands as the seventh-best team in the Western Conference.
What does this mean for fans of the Utah Jazz? It means that their team is going to have a more difficult time than imagined to make the NBA playoffs because the division is much better than anyone expected. For those who thought that Utah ending the season 19-10 was a fluke, guess again. The Jazz look like they have one of the better teams in the Western Conference, and numbers can validate their case.
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As of today, the Jazz are in a place they never were last season, as they stand as the second-best team in the Western Conference. The Jazz have been able to maul their opponents with their stifling defense, and they use their opponents shooting misfortunes to their advantage. Those shooting misfortunes aren’t by chance either. Instead, it’s a product of Utah’s great defense. Utah is only allowing their opponents to shoot 39.4 percent from the floor, adding up to a paltry 85 points per game. Both of those key defensive stats place Utah atop the NBA. In addition, their point differential is the fourth-best in the league, outscoring their opponents by 8.3 points per game.
If you said something along the lines of “But D’Joumbarey it’s only the first six games of the season, shouldn’t we wait a little longer?” Theoretically you could wait. Nevertheless, keep this in mind — last season Utah had the stingiest defense in the league and they only allowed their opponents to score 94.9 points per game. That too was the best output in the league. This isn’t a fluke. The foundation that head coach Quin Snyder laid out is continuing to work in the second year as the leader of the team. The defense that Utah plays is what will give them a grand opportunity to win the Northwest Division.
Furthermore, in spite of their blown 20-point lead to the Detroit Pistons, remember how great Portland is doing this year? Well, the Trail Blazers aren’t the only Northwest Division team who is currently in the Western Conference playoff picture. In addition to the Trail Blazers, the Minnesota Timberwolves are the fifth best team in the Western Conference, only three spots behind Utah.
The Timberwolves are playing with a ferocious bite and it’s because of several factors, including the emergence of Ricky Rubio as a threat offensively. In addition, the Timberwolves have gotten solid production out of their No. 1 draft pick Karl-Anthony Towns, who looks like he’s going to become a big time player in the immediate future.
Andrew Wiggins, (the player who I believe will become the best player in the league one day) started off the season slowly, missing a lot of jump shots — but after the 31 points he dropped on the road against the Chicago Bulls in an overtime win, it’s easy to assume that he’s found his rhythm again. Wiggins is averaging more points this year than his rookie season, in spite of shooting a worse percentage.
Moreover, you know the Northwest division is deep when the Oklahoma City Thunder are currently sitting in the third spot in the division. The Thunder have gotten off to a rocky start and it’s led them to the seventh spot in the Western Conference. Even though it’s early, everyone expects the Thunder to make it to the playoffs. Everyone also expects them to finish the year with a top two seed. We’re only in November and we’re already seeing four teams from the Northwest division take over.
What it means for Utah is that this won’t be a cakewalk like they thought it would be. What it means for their opponents is that they’re going to crank up their intensity fairly early. Racking up easier wins at the beginning of the year is an easier path to securing a playoff spot instead of playing from behind and attempting to get near the end of the season.