Looking into the crystal ball: Utah Jazz predictions for 2019-20
By Dean Hasan
1. Utah wins the Northwest Division
On paper, this Utah Jazz team is up there with the best of them in the Western Conference. While it certainly won’t be a cakewalk to the division title, the Jazz are well-equipped to challenge the Denver Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers, both of whom finished ahead of Utah last year, for first in the Northwest.
The Jazz split the season series against Portland and took three of four from the Nuggets. While their games against these two teams account for a small portion of their total contests, it’ll be crucial to claim as many games as possible against their top rivals.
Against the Nuggets and Blazers, they match up tremendously well one through five. Mike Conley and Donovan Mitchell are a more talented duo than Jamal Murray and Gary Harris and while Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum may give them a run for their money, the Jazz’s starting wings outmatch those of either roster.
If the Jazz can shut down Lillard and McCollum in their four matchups against the Blazers, they should be able to gain a valuable advantage in the division race.
Against the Nuggets, the key will be to suffocate the perimeter, which the Jazz are well-equipped to do, and shut down star center Nikola Jokic. In four meetings last season, Rudy Gobert proved highly effective at neutralizing the Joker, who managed just 13.3 points per game on 37.3 percent from the field.
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Utah is shaping up to be an elite team shooting the basketball, they have willing and capable passers between their starting guards and wings, and they have a great defense anchored by a two-time Defensive Player of the Year winner. With that combination, they’ll be a tough opponent for any team in the West.