Why the best is yet to come for the Utah Jazz

The Utah Jazz have been the hottest team in the league as of late, but things will only get better in the near future.

The Utah Jazz are on the longest active winning streak in the NBA; a streak that extended to 10 games with their most recent game against the sneaky Brooklyn Nets.

Now, before getting into the positives about the recent play of the Jazz, it’s a good idea to shed some light on criticism surrounding the streak. As for any good thing in sports, there are always the naysayers and Utah’s recent string of success is no different.

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The primary concern that has been voiced is the fact that the Jazz have only beaten one team above .500 during their streak. That team was the LA Clippers, who were also missing Kawhi Leonard.

However, it is important to note the Jazz have played every game in this run without Mike Conley, their star point guard they traded for this summer. While Conley has certainly not been himself when he has played, this recent success the team has found allows for him to not rush back into the fold and slowly integrate himself back to form.

It’s never a negative thing to add an All-Star caliber point guard to an already-successful team.

Onto the positives for the Jazz; there’s a good amount of them. First up is their addition of Jordan Clarkson. In the month of December, before they acquired Clarkson, their offensive efficiency was 110.6.

In the month of January, Utah is at the top of the league with a rating of 122.7. That type of increase, of course, cannot be put on the shoulders of one player. Increasing offensive output like that is a team effort, so all players deserve credit for the offensive uptick in the past month.

To go along with the theme of offense, the Jazz also hold the NBA’s best field goal percentage in the month of January. That is surely a good sign for a team missing their point guard. They are still able to get good looks and capitalize on them.

The reason the Utah Jazz have found their groove as of late is due to the balanced scoring they present. Currently, they have four players averaging at least than 15 points per game (Donovan  Mitchell, Bojan Bogdanovic, Joe Ingles and Clarkson).  Two of them, Mitchell and Bogdanovic, are averaging greater than 20 points per game in that span, too.

There is also Rudy Gobert, with 14.9 points per game, just missing the cut.  Gobert is averaging more rebounds than points, as well, with 15.1 rebounds a night.

Donovan Mitchell has also evolved his game; not only during the winning streak but also throughout the season. By checking each month’s averages, he as increased his assists every month, jumping from 3.0 in October to 4.9 in December. Over their last 10 games, he is nearing six assists per game, averaging 5.8.

That type of playmaking is crucial for the team, as it opens up opportunities for other players. As evidenced by the scoring breakdown, that seems to be happening in the best possible way.

In their next 10 games, the Utah Jazz have two matchups against the Denver Nuggets (One of which is on the second night of a back-to-back), a showdown with the San Antonio Spurs and games against the Dallas Mavericks, Indiana Pacers and Houston Rockets.

They also have a tough game in Portland against the Portland Trail Blazers and a game against the New Orleans Pelicans. Long story short, the Jazz will be tested within the next two weeks.

With the fourth-best winning percentage in the league, the Utah Jazz can add quality wins to their resume and stretch their winning streak to possibly 15 games or more. They are playing with extreme confidence at the moment and even have a win without Mitchell against the surging Washington Wizards.

The team has fight and that is a strong quality to have when fighting in the West. They are 4½ games back of the Los Angeles Lakers and can close the gap/move into second place with a strong run before the All-Star break.

If the Utah Jazz can continue their strong shooting and keep beating the teams they’re supposed to, they’ll be in great position once Conley returns to the lineup. They are already a scary team now, but they’ll only be more intimidating at full health.