Jazz Picked To Finish 6th In West In GM Survey

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Utah Jazz have been picked to finish sixth in the Western Conference by NBA general managers in the latest leaguewide GM survey.

In the annual survey, executives from around the NBA vote on a series of subjects from the league’s MVP, Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, to the projected standings.

The Jazz were picked to finish behind the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, and Portland Trail Blazers. The Jazz and the Trail Blazers were tied via receiving four percent of the total vote, though Portland got a second-place vote while the Jazz were picked no higher than third.

The Jazz were picked to finish ahead of the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference playoffs.

The @UtahJazz were picked to finish 6th in the latest NBA GM survey. pic.twitter.com/YUkwW5PUJZ

— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) December 18, 2020

Despite their playoff ranking, the Jazz were largely left out of the voting categories by GMs.

Donovan Mitchell didn’t receive any votes as the best shooting guard in the GM Survey. James Harden, Bradley Beal, Luka Doncic, Jimmy Butler, and Devin Booker all bested Mitchell in the rankings.

Meanwhile, Rudy Gobert was left off the best center rankings despite making the All-NBA third team last season. Nikola Jokic, Anthony Davis, and Giannis Antetokounmpo were the only three players to receive votes.

Additionally, Gobert received just seven percent of the vote as the best defensive player in the NBA.

Mitch did receive a vote as the player most likely to become a successful head coach. Derrick Favors received a vote as the most underrated acquisition of the offseason, while Quin Snyder received a vote as the coach most capable of making in-game adjustments.