SALT LAKE CITY — It has the makings of a great revenge story. The Utah Jazz make the playoffs, just nine months after former All-Star Gordon Hayward abandons the Jazz for greener pastures with the Boston Celtics. Instead of crumbling, the team vengefully rallies around one another to prove Hayward wrong.

There’s even evidence to make it seem true. Joe Ingles has taken a few veiled, and not so veiled, shots at Hayward. Rudy Gobert has spoken openly about the move as well, disagreeing with Hayward’s way of business.

There is circumstantial evidence as well. The Jazz went into Boston, the scene of Hayward’s crime, and beat the Celtics in blowout fashion. It felt personal, even if Hayward wasn’t on the floor to experience it. Hayward even appeared to take a dig at Jazz fans when being introduced to Boston. At his introductory press conference with the Celtics, Hayward said, “What's special about here (Boston) is it seems they are especially educated sports fans … they know a little more here.”

But let’s be honest, the Jazz aren’t here because of Hayward. Not even if they wanted to be. The Jazz are in the playoffs because Gobert just happens to be the best defensive player in the league. Gobert was last year, according to ESPN’s Defensive Real Plus-Minus with Hayward in the lineup, and he is again this year without him. In his 54 starts, the Jazz are 18 games above .500. In the games when he doesn’t play, the Jazz are 11-15.

The Jazz are going to the playoffs because coach Quin Snyder has found a way to get something out of players few others in the world can.

Ricky Rubio had played for a litany of coaches in Minnesota before being traded to Utah. For the most part, Rubio was the same flawed player regardless of whose system he ran. Rubio, who had made a career of being one of the NBA’s leading assist men, is now asked to carry a larger scoring load.

Though Rubio’s assist numbers have been cut nearly in half from last season, he’s averaging career highs in points, field goal percentage and 3-point shooting percentage, and he’s doing it despite playing a career low in minutes per game. Rubio and Hayward were teammates for a total of four days and never once saw the floor together.

Likewise, Royce O’Neale was barely on the NBA radar before the Jazz signed him this past summer. Despite playing with the Los Angeles Clippers in the NBA summer league, O’Neale appeared destined to play a third consecutive season professionally in Europe before signing with the Jazz. He’s now a sturdy rotation player on a playoff-bound team, often playing in crucial late-game situations. O’Neale signed with the Jazz two weeks after Hayward’s departure.

The Jazz are in the playoffs because despite losing Hayward, general manager Dennis Lindsey didn’t panic in trying to replace him. Truthfully, there is no quick fix in replacing a team’s leading scorer and All-Star.

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The Jazz could have overspent on a free agent to appease an anxious fan base and may have hamstrung the team’s flexibility long term. Instead, he signed three unspectacular, yet consistent, veterans in Thabo Sefolosha, Jonas Jerebko and Ekpe Udoh, and throughout the season, each player has helped the Jazz win games in a historically close playoff race. Sefolosha, Jerebko and Udoh all signed with the Jazz after Hayward had left for Boston and were likely limited in competitive offers.

The Jazz are in the playoffs because despite signing a massive four-year $52 million contract to play alongside Hayward, Ingles bettered his game in every aspect despite Hayward's departure. Ingles is averaging career highs in minutes, points, rebounds, assists, field goal percentage, 3-point percentage and free-throw shooting percentage. He could have simply cashed his checks and accepted that the team was expected to embark on a rebuild that could realistically outlast his contract length.

The Jazz are in the playoffs because, despite less than ideal roles, there has been an impressive buy-in to the team’s culture from Derrick Favors and Alec Burks. Favors, who is a starting caliber center for every team in the NBA, has accepted his role as a starting power forward and backup center. He rarely finishes games, something he would certainly do on another roster.

Burks has been relegated mostly to backup minutes. Both would likely play more in another NBA city, but despite a few scattered trade rumors in February, both have tried to help the team win when they’ve been on the floor. Both players are fighting for their future careers. It’s hard to imagine Hayward’s offseason decisions influencing their play.

Finally, the Jazz are in the playoffs because they found a diamond in the rough in Donovan Mitchell. Having drafted a player who was supposed to be an undersized, defensive-minded complementary scorer, they ended up with a rookie averaging a rare 20 points per game, who regularly exceeds even the highest expectations when the spotlight shines brightest.

Though he may not win the NBA’s Rookie of the Year Award, he’s proven to be a force, even among the league’s best players. Mitchell played one game in a Utah Jazz Summer League uniform before Hayward left.

The Jazz are playoff bound. Where they land in the standings and who they’ll play in the first round remains to be seen, but why they are there is no question. Though Hayward’s departure seemed like a rallying cry for fans, the team’s top-level talent, culture, coaching and luck are responsible for the team’s success on the floor.

Fans should enjoy the success of this roster but recognize that the team made the playoffs despite Hayward’s departure and not because of it.

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