Wait... the Jazz beat the Bucks by double-digits in Milwaukee? Wait...the Jazz beat the healthy reigning champion Nuggets by double-digits and lead the whole game? Wait...the Jazz are 9-2 over their last 11 games? And those two losses were to the surging Pelicans and the top-team in the league Boston Celtics? That's a lot of questions, and there's one word that answers all of them...Yes.
pc: Rick Egan/The Salt Lake Tribune
The next two questions I'm asking following this incredible stretch of games from an otherwise unimpressive Jazz team are why and how. Why, as in why would a team who even at their absolute best aren't going to contend, win so many games and take themselves out of the top end of the draft? And How, as in how does a team with such odd roster makeup and a questionable fit across the board win this many games in the first place?
The question of why has a pretty simple answer: this isn't the year to tank. When Utah sent Derrick Favors to the Thunder in 2021 to clear up salary space they also sent a protected first-round pick. That pick will only convey to OKC if it falls outside of the top ten. That means if the Jazz tank they will get their pick, and if they win enough games the Thunder will get the pick. So why would the Jazz want to give up a top-ten pick? Because this year's draft is projected to be one of the worst drafts in over a decade. The Jazz would much rather lose games and get a high draft pick in next year's stacked draft and let this year's pick convey to OKC instead of vice-versa.
In addition to that, the Jazz are desperately trying to even out their timeline going forward. That means they want to trade off their stockpile of veterans who don't fit into the long term plan for the team. Players like Jordan Clarkson, Kelly Olynyk, and Talen Horton-Tucker are on the trade block in Utah, and these winning ways increase their trade value. Sure, they're helping the team win games, which is what Utah wants to do, but what's more valuable for Utah is using these guys as trade pieces to strengthen the future of the team. Don't be surprised when these guys get traded over the course of the next month, causing Utah to lose some games. The real test is how Will Hardy will retool the current roster after those trades to get back to winning as soon as possible afterwards. If they can trade those veterans off and continue winning, that would be the best possible scenario.
In short, the Jazz want to win games so they get a good pick next year instead of this year, and so that they can milk as much value out of their trade pieces as possible. Now onto the more important question: how did the Jazz go from being one of the worst teams in the league to a potential playoff contender over night?
pc: via Deseret News
To be frank, it didn't happen over night. I'm a Jazz fan, and I watch most games, it was certainly not a quick fix. The Jazz looked atrocious the first few months of the season. Jordan Clarkson looked like the worst player in the league. Horton-Tucker was a close second. Rotations were all over the place. The only constant was how good Lauri Markkanen was, and that just wasn't enough. What we didn't know was that Will Hardy was simply experimenting until he found what worked. Once he found that, everything became concrete and things started to change. Horton-Tucker was relegated to sitting out entire games. Clarkson moved back to being the team's sixth man. Kris Dunn went from barely playing to being the starting point-guard. Young players like Keyonte George and Walker Kessler were given control of the second unit. All of these changes have led the team to becoming a winning group.
What has been very evident is how these changes have bettered certain players. John Collins went from playing very inefficient non-impact minutes to being very solid as the team's starting center. This has surely increased his trade value. Olynyk no longer has to be the team's offensive hub for large portions of the game, effectively making him the role playing big he's supposed to be. This has surely increased his trade value. Clarkson finally looks like himself coming off of the bench. This has surely increased his trade value. Remember what I said earlier about the team's trade strategy regarding their veterans? Exactly.
When those guys get sent off to their new teams (most likely two of the three will be traded, in addition to Horton-Tucker) Hardy has a clear path forward on how to replace them. Clarkson is the player I'm certain will be traded. Once he's gone, Keyonte George's usage will increase, and I think he's shown enough promise for fans to believe that this is a positive for the team. If Olynyk is traded, Collins will move to the four and Kessler will be inserted into the starting lineup. If Collins is traded, Kessler will take his spot. If both Olynyk and Collins are traded that will open up room for rookie forward Taylor Hendricks to finally get some minutes off of the bench. Again, the Jazz may lose some games out of the gates after these moves, but I trust that Will Hardy will figure it out and get the team back on track.
pc: via Fan Nation
All in all, I believe this team can make the playoffs with or without those veteran pieces. What's most important is that the Jazz make moves that will improve the team's future. Trading those guys for future value and opening up minutes for the developing youngsters does just that. Then getting the team some playoff experience, even if it's only one round, would be very valuable as well. Next year is where stuff may get sticky as the team kind of needs to lose game to get a good draft pick. However, I think the path THIS year is a clear one, and it seems like the front office is intent on following it.