No More Blues In Salt Lake City

No More Blues in Salt Lake City

The 2016-2017 NBA season starts tomorrow; this has been one of the most anticipated seasons in the last several years due to all the offseason additions many teams made this summer. Golden State won the offseason with the addition of former MVP Kevin Durant, followed by the Pacers who brought in Jeff Teague and Al Jefferson. The Celtics also brought in an All-Star in Al Horford this offseason. There is one team that is on the rise and demands respect around the league and it is the Utah Jazz. The Jazz barely missed the playoffs last year with a 40-42 record.

Although the Jazz didn’t make big splashes this offseason they still brought in key veterans that will improve their team significantly, such as former All-Star guard Joe Johnson, established veteran in Boris Diaw, and Point guard George Hill. Joe Johnson will bring another threat to the Jazz’s bench his ability to put the ball in the basket from all three levels is great asset to have on your team. Diaw is a former NBA champion, meaning he will bring much needed leadership to a young and upcoming team. Also he is a great passer, his elite passing skills will cause nightmares for opposing defenses. Finally, Hill is to be the projected starter he brings more depth and more consistency from the PG position. These three players will help the Jazz return to the playoffs for the first time since 2011-2012 season.

In addition to these significant acquisitions, many players on the team have improved their game such 2015 first round pick Trey Lyles. This offseason during the NBA Summer League Lyles improved his three-point shot along with his ability to shoot off the dribble. Lyles put up an impressive 20.3 PPG and 10.3 RPG during his time in the summer league. Expect to see a big increase in minutes from his 17.3 from last year. Lyles will be the Jazz’s secret weapon off the bench this season, he will have to show up big for the Jazz to live up to their potential this season. The Jazz are expected be much improved this season, I believe they could increase their win total by at least 8 to 10 wins placing them in the sixth or seventh spot in the West. In addition to their offseason signings the Jazz brought back majority of their team including their star players in Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors. Hayward could be the most underrated player in the league, last season he put up very good numbers with 19.7 PPG, 5 RPG, and 3.7 APG. Along with Favors’ 16.4 PPG, 8 RPG, and 1.5 BPG. Favors missed several games due to injury he will need to stay healthy for the Jazz to be successful. If the Jazz can stay healthy the sky is the limit for this team, they will catch many fans and other teams by surprise this season. Not that many people are big on the Jazz, meaning they are one of the more underrated teams in the league. After this season I expect the Jazz won’t be considered to be a sleeper in the Western Conference or throughout the league anymore.