Jazz Notes Grades: Where Does Utah Fall In Western Conference, NBA?
Nov 16, 2023, 11:40 AM
Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson (00) shoots during the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023. (Photo courtesy of Spenser Heaps, Deseret News)
(Photo courtesy of Spenser Heaps, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY – After a rough start to the season, the Utah Jazz gave fans hope with a starting lineup switch that looked like it could bring success.
On the Jazz Notes podcast, Ben Anderson and Chandler Holt gave Utah grades on veteran performance, youth development, and fun factor.
The Jazz Notes podcast is bringing Jazz Grades back ‼
🅱s across the board for the first week which saw Utah go 1-1.#TakeNote pic.twitter.com/lyH7D1aHDS
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) November 16, 2023
In the week, Utah lost to Indiana and beat Memphis in its first-ever In-Season Tournament game.
Keyonte George got the first two starts of his NBA career, Jordan Clarkson had a resurgence after struggling to start the year, and the Jazz had a multitude of highlights.
In Walker Kessler’s absence, Lauri Markkanen and John Collins stepped up big on both ends of the floor.
RELATED: Elbow Injury Will Sideline Walker Kessler At Least Two Weeks
JOHN COLLINS OH MY GOODNESS 🤯
🏆 NBA In-Season Tournament
🏀 West Group A action on NBA App
📲: https://t.co/UUlT3l5zFN pic.twitter.com/NLdqjnFMST— NBA (@NBA) November 11, 2023
“The Memphis game was great fun but the Indiana game was dreadful,” Anderson said. “Keyonte (George) is really fun and he adds a watchable factor that the team did not have when it was Talen Horton-Tucker starting.”
Utah currently sits 11th in the Western Conference with a record of 4-7.
The Jazz won back-to-back games for the first time this season against Memphis and Portland. They will have a tougher task this week as they welcome the Phoenix Suns to the Delta Center for two games on Friday and Sunday.
waking up this morning like: pic.twitter.com/drSUcPTtBD
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) November 15, 2023
Utah Jazz In NBA Power Rankings
Where does the NBA world put the Jazz amongst its West competition and the rest of the league?
The official NBA Power Rankings slotted Utah in as the 24th team in the NBA, CBS Sports had them one spot higher at 23rd, and ESPN had the Jazz the lowest with a ranking of 25th.
Portland and Memphis were ranked lower than Utah in all three rankings. San Antonio and the Los Angeles Clippers also fell behind the Jazz on some of the lists.
With a defense and turnover problem outshining some of the early positives, it makes sense for the Jazz to fall somewhere in the 20s.
If the Jazz can creep towards .500, they will put their name in the hat for the postseason and continue to rise up the power rankings.
The Jazz Notes podcast, hosted by Ben Anderson and Chandler Holt, keeps you up-to-date with Utah Jazz news from on and off the court every week. Check back on Tuesday afternoons for the latest episode!
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Chandler Holt is a co-host for the Jazz Notes podcast and a Digital Sports Producer for KSLSports.com, specializing in all things basketball and football. Follow Chandler on Twitter @ChandlerHoltKSL or on Threads @chandlerho1t.
