4 NBA Teams Primed for Breakout Seasons
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz are a little more established than the other three teams here, but they still have an average age a hair under 26 years. That includes the recent additions of George Hill (30), Boris Diaw (34), and Joe Johnson (35). As tenured as each are, they're exactly what the doctor ordered in Utah.
A veteran presence with playoff experience is just about all the Jazz need to go from reloading franchise to playoff contender. Hill, Johnson, and Diaw just so happen to have a total of 284 playoff games between them.
They'll definitely be a valuable part of Utah's rotation, but it's really all about the young core of Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors, and Rudy Gobert. Last year, these three accounted for 45.2 points, 24.1 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 4.0 blocks, and 3.1 steals per game. Needless to say, they are the heart and soul of the team.
But, as we all know, you need more than a few good (or even very good) players to win. There are teams with two, three, even four superstars nowadays, so there's no room to compete for a team like Utah to compete if not for a lights-out supporting cast. That, however, is what coach Quin Snyder now has at his disposal.
In addition to his trio of offseason acquisitions, Snyder has Rodney Hood and Trey Lyles locked and loaded on the bench. The two both averaged at least 12.7 points per 36 minutes a year ago while shooting a combined 35.6% from deep. These are without a doubt two players who would start on 10 to 12 other teams in the NBA. In Utah, their production is a luxury to have.
Utah's going to need them, as well as the other newcomers, to produce at a higher level if they want to get better ball movement and more efficient shots. The Jazz ranked 28th and 15th in assists per game (19.0) and effective field goal percentage (50.1%), respectively. The team and all of its parts will need to gel if they want to enjoy more efficient offense.
As for defense, that's covered. Last year, Utah finished second in the league in opponent points per game, seventh in defensive rating, and sixth in offensive rebounds allowed. They're surprisingly sound defensively for a team that's lacked true veteran teammates.
You could say that the Jazz have both overachieved and underachieved so far for their current roster. They've been very good with the amount of youth they have, but they've been struck down by injuries over the last two years, stripping from us what could've been. This year will be one that sways the perception one way or the other. Utah's win total is 47.5, from 40 last season. We're more comfortable with projecting a 44-win campaign, accompanied by a 82.2% chance of making the Western Conference playoffs.
