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Today we got some pretty crazy news if you are a Utah Jazz fan. Jeff Sherman, a Las Vegas SuperBook manager tweeted out the odds for the new NBA season and team win projections. He did so in a series of tweets here, here, here, and here. What’s crazy about this? Well, for one, the Golden State Warriors aren’t projected to go for 70. Also, it’s possible for a few teams out west who go under .500 to maybe make the playoffs. But more on point — the Utah Jazz are getting more and more momentum to be in that 4/5 slot come playoff time.
I’ve collected the data and put it in table form for y’all.
| East | Wins | West | Wins | |
| 1 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 56.5 | Golden State Warriors | 66.5 |
| 2 | Boston Celtics | 51.5 | San Antonio Spurs | 56.5 |
| 3 | Toronto Raptors | 49.5 | Los Angeles Clippers | 53.5 |
| 4 | Detroit Pistons | 45.5 | Utah Jazz | 47.5 |
| 5 | Atlanta Hawks | 43.5 | Portland Trail Blazers | 46.5 |
| 6 | Indiana Pacers | 43.5 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 45.5 |
| 7 | Washington Wizards | 42.5 | Memphis Grizzlies | 43.5 |
| 8 | Charlotte Hornets | 39.5 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 41.5 |
| 9 | Milwaukee Bucks | 39.5 | Houston Rockets | 41.5 |
| 10 | Chicago Bulls | 38.5 | Dallas Mavericks | 39.5 |
| 11 | New York Knicks | 38.5 | New Orleans Pelicans | 36.5 |
| 12 | Miami Heat | 36.5 | Denver Nuggets | 34.5 |
| 13 | Orlando Magic | 36.5 | Sacramento Kings | 32.5 |
| 14 | Philadelphia 76ers | 27.5 | Phoenix Suns | 26.5 |
| 15 | Brooklyn Nets | 20.5 | Los Angeles Lakers | 24.5 |
So not only do we see Las Vegas giving the Jazz some respect, they have Utah being a Top 5 team in the Western Conference, and clearly battling it out for the Northwest division title against the Portland Trail Blazers and Oklahoma City Thunder.
And while we’re getting at it, what do those two teams have that the Jazz do not? I guess with the Thunder they have offensive firepower at the guard spots with Russell Westbrook and Victor Oladipo. With the Blazers they have the same, with Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. Their best players are their PG and SG, and both teams can get lots of points from those two spots.
What Utah brings to the table is a potential to actually play defense. George Hill and Dante Exum both have 6’9” winspans and are pests to play against. Shelvin Mack and Raul Neto aren’t as long but are similarly capable of digging in on defense against point guards and shooting guards. Utah also has Alec Burks, who is athletic enough to keep up, and Rodney Hood who at 6’8 presents a challenge most of these guards rarely have to shoot over.
It should be fun. And I don’t always believe what Las Vegas has to say, but the house usually wins. If their predictions are correct, it’s going to be a fun year for Jazzfans.