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SALT LAKE CITY — The foundation of a budding Western Conference contender was torn apart — prematurely, some would say — but the holdovers and newcomers are gunning to surpass the low expectations.
After breaking a four-year playoff drought last spring, the Jazz won 51 games in the regular and won a first-round series, all of which seemed to set the stage for an extended run of success. Those plans came crashing down when Gordon Hayward signed with the Boston Celtics, leaving the Jazz without their leading scorer and lone All-Star. George Hill, who also made a significant difference at point guard when he was healthy, also left via free agency.
For a top four team in the rugged West last season, the Jazz are, to a degree, starting over. This year’s cast is eager to prove last season’s success was not built upon the departed players.
“I’m more than happy with the group we’ve got,” said forward Joe Ingles, who quickly re-signed with the Jazz last summer rather than go on a tour of teams as Hayward thought necessary.
With the season starting Wednesday, most prognosticators pick the Jazz to finish anywhere from outside the eight-team playoffs to as high as sixth. Virtually none of them anticipate a repeat of last season.
On paper, it is hard to argue the much lower expectations. While the Golden State Warriors are the overwhelming favorite to repeat as NBA champions, the top half of the conference — notably, the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder — are expected to be much stronger this season.
As winter inched close to spring last year, the Jazz were in a fight for playoff positioning. Realistically, this campaign might be more about just qualifying for the postseason.
“Within our group, I think we’re very confident,” Ingles said. “Realistically, we see what goes on, we hear what goes on and what people say, so it’s not a surprise. But I think we’ve got a group that is really excited. Obviously, we lost (Hayward), but we’ve got some great guys back.”
At the top of the list is Rudy Gobert, who should replace Hayward and the team’s All-Star representative. The 25-year-old center is on the verge of superstardom, capable of a dominating a game in a way few others in the league can match.
As good as he was last season, which earned him second-team All-NBA, Gobert was barely getting started. From March 1 on, which consisted of 21 games, he increased his scoring average from 14 to 17 points a game.
Related:
The Jazz Daily: Dante Exum Q and A about his shoulder surgery, Dennis Lindsey speaks
On Tuesday, Dante Exum spoke about his decision to undergo shoulder surgery knocking him out for most of the 2017-18 season. Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey also spoke about the injury and more.“We’re a little bit underrated,” said rookie Donovan Mitchell. “I think we like having that chip on our shoulder, especially when you have our big guy Rudy who’s kind of had that chip on his shoulder for a while. It kind of rubs off on everybody.”
Hayward’s loss means the Jazz have to find more scoring. With his determination to succeed, Gobert is an obvious solution.
So is Derrick Favors, who is coming off an injury-plagued season in which he was barely a factor in 50 games. Entering a contract season, Favors is saying he is healthy and can return to the form that saw him average 16 points and eight rebounds the prior two seasons.
Favors holds the key to the Jazz making the playoffs. If he can live up to his enormous talent and play at least 70 games, the Jazz could be the surprise team in the West.
The same can be said of Rodney Hood. But until the shooting guard can find some consistency, he will be nothing more than a tease.
The mysteries are newcomers Ricky Rubio and Mitchell, two players who enter the season as wildcards. Both could go a long way toward proving all the doubters wrong.
In Rubio, who spent his first six seasons with Minnesota, the Jazz have a pass-first point guard capable of getting his teammates good shots. But he’s an erratic shooter, reaching 40 percent only once in his career.
A 6-foot-3 guard, Mitchell is an intriguing prospect who dazzled with his sterling play over the summer. If Rubio has a career year and Mitchell comes close to matching his summer production, the guess here is the Jazz exceed expectations with 46 wins and at least the No. 7 seed in the playoffs.
