Utah Jazz: 3 most likely scenarios for the 2019-20 season

1. Second Round

This prediction is based off of the idea that the Lakers and Clippers will finish top 2 in the West. If that is so, the Jazz will be forced to play against one of them in the second round.

As stated in the previous slide, any matchup with either team would result in them losing in five or six games in the conference finals. That is no different for the second round. Both teams will present a challenge for the Jazz that they may not be able to overcome.

As for which team the Jazz would prefer to face, the Lakers would be a more favorable matchup than the Clippers. The Lakers don’t have as much depth and don’t boast the type of defense that the Clippers roster presents with names like Patrick Beverly, Kawhi Leonard, and Paul George.

Even so, the Lakers would be a tough team to beat in 4/7 contests, with LeBron James leading them after resting for the summer of 2019 and most likely sitting out games for load management.

For the Jazz, a second-round exit shouldn’t hurt as bad as previous years. The West is loaded with talent, and while the Jazz are right at the top, they don’t present a threat to the top two teams in California (no team does, though).

Due to the circumstances, a second-round exit feels most likely for a team wanting to do more. It just doesn’t feel like a year for underdogs, As previously mentioned, injuries and other factors could fall in their favor, but that will have to wait for April and May when the playoffs are underway. For now, the second round is the peak of this Utah Jazz team.