Fansided

30 biggest questions for the 2018-19 NBA season

By Hunter Kuffel

OAKLAND, CA - JUNE 12: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors holds up the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy during the Golden State Warriors Victory Parade on June 12, 2018 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - JUNE 12: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors holds up the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy during the Golden State Warriors Victory Parade on June 12, 2018 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images /

27. Are the Jazz for real?

Speaking of the Jazz, they are looking to prove that what they found at the end of last season wasn’t just a flash in the pan. After the trade deadline last season (Feb. 7), the Jazz had the second-highest net rating in the league, trailing only the red-hot 76ers. Their defense was unbelievably stingy, allowing only 96.3 points per 100 possessions.

Naturally, the question is whether we’ll see that team smother opposing offenses for 82 games this season, or whether we’ll see something a bit more muted. There’s evidence on both sides of the question.

First, let’s look at the positives. In terms of personnel, the Jazz really are the same team they were at the end of last season. The only players they lost who played more than trivial minutes are Jonas Jerebko and Seven-Time All-Star Joe Johnson. Not to bash either of those guys, but I think the Jazz will survive.

On top of that, it’s safe to expect that Donovan Mitchell will improve at least marginally. Learning the ropes of NBA life is a steep learning curve, and Mitchell managed to play sensational basketball and lead the Jazz in minutes while navigating that curve. Now that he has his NBA sea legs, he could raise his play even further.

All that said, there are a couple of red flags about the Jazz’s hot streak. Despite having one of the more difficult schedules over the course of the whole season, their slate of opponents post-deadline wasn’t quite as competitive.

If you average out the 2017-2018 record of every team Utah played from Feb. 7 until the end of the season, you get the equivalent of a 38-win team. But you don’t even need that much math to know that playing well in March and April isn’t the same thing as playing well for an entire season. The great teams start coasting after they’ve locked up playoff seeds, and the lottery teams start seeing what they have in their promising young talent and Cristiano Felicio.

This isn’t to say that what the Jazz accomplished last season wasn’t impressive. It definitely was. However Utah taking the West by storm — and maybe even giving Houston a run for it’s money as silver medalist — isn’t going to be easy.