Going into the season most people just assumed that the Jazz would be a bottom feeder not only in the Western conference, but in the league. However, three games into the season it's looking like the Jazz have no interest in tanking this year. I am a Jazz fan, and while I have long been a proponent for tanking this year, seeing a group of new faces go out there and get wins using a whole new style is a breath of fresh air. That being said, I do think it is important for this team to start losing games, because at the end of the day this isn't a playoff team, and the last thing the Jazz want is to find themselves in purgatory between the playoffs and the lottery.
pc: The Associated Press
The Jazz started their season off with a huge win over the Denver Nuggets and reigning league MVP Nikola Jokic. This game showed exactly why the Jazz may be a decent team this year, because they are incredibly deep and there is no guy on the team going out their trying to steal the show. Seven guys scored in the double-digits, with Collin Sexton eclipsing the 20-point mark. The team did what the Jazz have done for the past several years and took a ton of threes, shooting 42% as a team on 38 attempts. They also maintained what the Jazz have been known for over the past half decade or so, that being solid defense. With guys like Rudy Gobert and Royce O'Neale gone, most figured the Jazz would struggle mightily on the defensive end of the floor. However, guys like Jarred Vanderbilt and rookie Walker Kessler stepped up to anchor the Jazz's defense. They just looked solid, that's the best way to put it.
They then got an overtime win against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The T-Wolves played great in this game, and were still outplayed by a team who's best player was Lauri Markkanen. The Jazz had six guys in double-digit scoring in this one, but this time three of them had over twenty points. Like the first game, the Jazz were able to overwhelm their opponent with their depth. There is no guy on this team that an opponent can focus their efforts on, every single player is liable to get a bucket on any given play. A poster dunk from Markkanen on former Jazz star Rudy Gobert was the exclamation point on this win.
Finally, the other night they took on the incredibly stacked New Orleans Pelicans. This game was a little different. Unlike the first two games where there was a total team effort, this game featured a stellar solo performance from Markkanen. He finished with 31 points and 12 rebounds, and was able to get buckets at will all night. New Orleans didn't play bad either, only losing the game by one point. Kelly Olynyk hit a goofy layup in the final seconds to win the Jazz the game, once again going to show that it really could be anyone to put the final nail in the other team's coffin.
So here we are, a Jazz team that should be getting blown out every night currently sits as the top team in the Western conference. I understand that we are only one week into the season, but from what I've seen so far it's hard to believe that this team is going to plummet to the levels we expected from the originally. I still do think the team should be losing games in an effort to tank for a top pick in next year's draft, but hey, it's hard to tell a hot team to cool down. For the time being I am going to sit back and enjoy my team winning basketball games, and maybe when they come back down to Earth we can start talking about tanking again.
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