Many big folks with little to no hope.
The Utah Jazz closed out the 2023-24 season with a 31-51 record, marking the second year in a row for the franchise missing the playoffs, both under the guidance of coach Will Hardy.
Despite the tough year, the franchise and its faithful seem to be kinda positive about what might come next, if only because they have a hella young squad full of potential and a bunch of nice shots at upcoming prospects—including consensus no. 1 top talent Cooper Flagg.
The Jazz spent much of the season relying on young players (Walker Kessler, Keyonte George, and Collin Sexton for the most part) and sidelining key and more proven performers such as Lauri Markkanen, Jordan Clarkson, (55 games played each) and John Collins (68), which highlighted the team’s focus on the future over immediate success.
The big question remains: Can the Jazz channel their desire to become competitive at some point into sooner-than-later progress, or are they still taking the first steps into a hella long rebuild barring immense lottery luck?
Jazz’ 2023-24 Record: 31-51, 12th in the Western Conference. Utah’s record last season was bad but definitely not horrible. The Jazz escaped the absolute bottom of both conference standings, breaking the 30-win barrier and leaving seven other teams in the 20s—including the Wizards (15) and Pistons (14) not even getting past 15. Following the Gobert/Mitchell trades this was always going to be the short-term outcome for the Jazz, so there are not many surprises in what they did in 2023 and how they followed up last season. Stinky team did (and will) stink.
Knicks’ record against Utah last season: 1-1
- December 13, 2023, @ UTA: Knicks lost 113-117
- January 30, 2024, vs UTA: Knicks won 118-103
Would you believe it? No, you wouldn’t.
The Knicks visited the Jazz in Salt Lake City in one of the first games without Mitchell Robinson (praying for you, big man) after he went down with a near-season-ending injury and they couldn’t do a thing to stop the Tanking Musicians. In the great Monica McNutt’s words, “Pack it up, throw it away, and move on.”
New York had yet to lose a game against a sub-.500 team when they dropped the ball against Utah on Dec. 13. (Yes, your Knicks were that good.) Alas.
In a positive development, Julius Randle broke the 600-3PM barrier on that bad day finishing the day with 601 treys donning Knickerbocker threads. Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett were still in tow but could do nothing to stop Lauri Markannen, the man of the minute, playing just 25 minutes but dumping 23 points and grabbing 8 rebounds.
Quoth Thibs at the game’s end: “You’re going to have nights like that.”
What a time to be alive January was, even having to endure the Julius Randle and OG Anunoby losses as problems kept piling up for the New York squad.
The second time they met the Jazz the affair ended in a no-contest outcome with the Knicks playing the exquisite basketball they showed all month long, winning more games in a single 30-day span than they had done since 1994. Smooth!
After a little scare to start the game and cutting the Jazz’s early seven-point lead down to nil, the Knicks took charge of the matchup and never looked back.
With OG and Randle going down just days before this game and Thibs still having to work out some unexpected fixes to his depleted lineup, Precious Achiuwa logged 40 minutes while Josh Hart played a team-high 42.
Former Knickerbocker Quentin Grimes led the pine-mob with 12 points in 20 minutes and upcoming starter/first-reliever center Jericho Sims scored 2 points in 18 minutes off the bench.
Jazz’ offseason moves:
In: Drew Eubanks, Cody Williams, Isaiah Collier, Kyle Filipowski, Patty Mills
Out: Kris Dunn, Talen Horton-Tucker, Darius Bazley, Omer Yurtseven
Jazz Projected Depth Chart:
PG: Keyonte George / Isaiah Collier / Jason Preston
SG: Collin Sexton / Jordan Clarkson / Johnny Juzang
SF: Lauri Markkanen / Cody Williams
PF: Taylor Hendricks / Brice Sensabaugh / Kyle Filipowski
C: John Collins / Walker Kessler / Drew Eubanks
We just talkin’ about patience. We talkin’ about patience. Not a game, not a game, not a game. We talkin’ about patience.
Despite rumors swirling around potential trades for Lauri Markkanen, the Jazz stood pat, opted to extend the Finnish lad, kept their core intact for the most part, and that’s that. And what that is, for sure, is a whole lot of losing on the Jazz’s horizon, isn’t it?
With their focus on piling up future assets and the possibility of landing a top draft pick like Cooper Flagg as soon as next summer, expect the Jazz to once and for all move someone because this ship is closer to sinking than sailing. That said, it’s Trader Danny at the helm so who knows what will happen next.
Jordan Clarkson and John Collins, pack your bags just in case. Walker Kessler, do the same. Collin Sexton? You bet!
Knicks / Jazz 2024-25 Schedule:
- Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024: Knicks at Jazz, 5:00 PM ET
- Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025: Jazz at Knicks, 7:30 PM ET
Knicks’ projected record against Utah this season: 2-0
Last season’s loss to the Jazz in December was a true aberration and some sort of one-off defeat that nobody counted on. Hell, the Knicks had not lost a single game to an opponent with a losing record then, more than a month into the regular season!
This campaign will see these two square off against each other at earlier points in both occasions, with the first matchup in late November and the final one kicking off the 2025 calendar year.
The Jazz might show some competitiveness for the first few months of the season trying to keep their players’ value up in case someone comes calling for rentals in trade businesses, but even then it’s hard to envision New York dropping one, let alone two games to this rebuilding Utah team.
With Mitch or without him (and what if Kessler somehow, some way, is a Knickerbocker then!?), I’d bet on a series sweep for the Knicks.