Fansided

NBA Season Preview 2018-19: Depth and continuity are advantages for the Jazz

By Jerry Christodoulatos

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - OCTOBER 2: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz gets introduced before the game against the Toronto Raptors on October 2, 2018 at Vivint Smart Home Arenaa in Salt Lake City, Utah. 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 the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - OCTOBER 2: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz gets introduced before the game against the Toronto Raptors on October 2, 2018 at Vivint Smart Home Arenaa in Salt Lake City, Utah. 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 the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Utah Jazz finished off the 2018 season on an awe-inspiring rampage. With a nearly identical roster and depth at every position, are they poised to make a significant leap?

On Jan. 22, 2018, the Utah Jazz looked dead in the water. They fell to 19-28 after losing comfortably to the lowly Atlanta Hawks. From that day forward, Utah completed one of the most remarkable mid-season transformations in recent memory, blitzing the NBA with a stifling defense and a re-energized offense. The Jazz went 29-6 to finish the season, securing the No. 5 seed in the West before subsequently eliminating the Oklahoma City Thunder. As the start of the new NBA season looms one question lingers over the Jazz, to what degree can we believe in their remarkable season-saving streak? Although the Jazz dominated the league for nearly half of the season, similar runs have proven to be fool’s gold before. The Miami Heat eerily come to mind here.

And yet, despite all the cautionary tales many facets of Utah’s success seem realistically sustainable. The defense, in particular, should be as sturdy as ever. With Rudy Gobert healthy, loads of wing depth and rock solid backcourt defense, the Jazz ground opposing offenses into dust last year. They posted an unthinkable 96.5 defensive rating during their 35 game rampage. Given the fact that the roster is almost exactly the same as last season’s, the ingredients for a stingy defense are still very much present in Utah.

This team has a concrete identity as a defensive monstrosity with an egalitarian offense that will attempt to pick and roll teams to death. Fantastic depth and roster continuity will buttress and strengthen that identity as the season wears on, which at the very least, should make the Jazz a dangerous regular season player in the Western Conference. Now let’s take a look at this roster a bit more carefully.