The Utah Jazz now stand at 14-7, good enough to earn them 3rd place in the West. They have won six of their last ten games, and are currently on a two-game mini win streak after beating the Portland Trailblazers and getting revenge on the New Orleans Pelicans.

Utah is a very lucky third seed. I mean that with no disrespect. They have played tough games really well, like the battles against Miami, but they’ve also dropped easy games that could’ve helped their standings, like the losses to the Pelicans, Pacers, and Magic.

It wouldn’t take much for Utah to find themselves slipping in the standings, even with the three-game lead they currently have on the fourth place Mavericks, who are tied with the Grizzlies, Timberwolves, Clippers, and Lakers. Given that the Utah Jazz have had a history of going on cold streaks at inopportune times, it’s important for them to have at least a three-game cushion.

One of the questions this kind of thought leads to is “Are the Utah Jazz better or worse than their record?”

Finding the Answer

One of the keys to understanding the sport of basketball is knowing what stats matter and what stats don’t, especially when it comes to team performance. Right here, right now, we will be breaking down the stats that can help us know if the Jazz are, well, good or not.

We begin with the Jazz’s team ratings, offensive, defensive, and net.

  • Offensive Rating: 115.2 (1st) Somehow, some way, the Jazz have remained atop the league in offensive rating, despite not being what some would consider an offensive powerhouse. Perhaps people should be afraid of the offense. Utah’s scored at least 115 points in 11 games this season, and have been held to under 100 points only once.
  • Defensive Rating: 105.4 (8th) Being in the top ten in defensive rating seems better than it actually is. There are five teams with ratings under 105, and there are 15 teams with a rating between 105-109. Those five teams can be considered elite, while the rest are somewhat middle-of-the-pack.
  • Net Rating: 9.8 (2nd) The Utah Jazz are only behind the Golden State Warriors in this category, and this is a big one for the Jazz. Net rating is the difference between offensive and defensive rating. For reference, half the league has a positive rating, while the other half has a negative rating.

These stats tell a story. The Jazz have managed to outscore teams, even if they’re only playing above average defensively. With a very positive net rating, we can tell that Utah is, on average, beating teams by a very positive margin.

It is worthy to note, however, that the Jazz have been boosted in the ratings by a few big victories. Beating the Rockets by over 30 and the 76ers by 35 definitely paints a prettier picture using rankings. However, it does show their ceiling, and that’s valuable to this discussion.

Some Problematic Stats

If you’ve read some of these recaps, you’ve seen my faith in Coach Quin Snyder to figure out the team’s awful assist and turnover statistics.

The Jazz are bottom of the barrel when it comes to assist rate, assisting on only 54% of baskets, 29th in the league. On the other end of the spectrum, we see the Golden State Warriors, who have a 71% assist rate. This lets us know a very valuable nugget of information: the Utah Jazz are somewhat dependent on players getting their own buckets, and creating for themselves.

We’ve seen this in Donovan the most, who has had four 30-point games this season, and averages about 24 points a game. He can be inconsistent and inefficient, but the Jazz need him to get his shots, or for someone else to have an equally hot scoring night.

As for turnovers, the Jazz aren’t doing much better. They’re currently 21st in the league, turning the ball over 15% of their possessions. Turnovers are costly, and for a team to be elite, they’ve got to eliminate turnovers as much as possible.

So, Are They Good Or Not?

After reading this far into the article, you might be generally unsure of if the Jazz are outplaying or underplaying their current standings. Honestly, I was unsure of it when watching and reviewing the Jazz games this year.

This much I know to be true, though: the Utah Jazz are taking advantage of one of the weakest Western Conferences in modern NBA history.

Aside from the overwhelming Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns, the West is weak. There’s a terrifying battle for fourth place that has seven teams within HALF A GAME. The Jazz are both lucky to be where they are, and, at the same time, it’s disappointing that they’re not further ahead.

What we can learn from these stats we’ve discussed is simple. The Jazz represent the tier between championship contender and above-average team. In the West, they are the sole team of that kind. In the East, teams like the Wizards and Hornets have the same status.

Honestly, the Jazz should be what the Bulls are: an elite team that relies on style of play and a cohesive roster with championship aspirations. Right now, they’re a step below. They can always take a step up. I don’t know if they will, but they certainly can. In a Western Conference full of lack-luster teams, I believe they’ll be fine either way, but they won’t be making any playoff splashes unless something changes.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR