OKC Thunder vs. Utah Jazz, 2019-20 team preview
An offseason spent revamping the Utah Jazz to add comprehensive talent sets them up for title contender. How will they measure up versus the OKC Thunder in 2019-20?
While all the talk out West is about the two LA teams, one club sitting quietly in the background who made big moves in the offseason is the Utah Jazz. There are two ways the Jazz can elect to view this. Either it puts a chip on their shoulder for feeling disrespected or they recognize being ignored will allow them to quietly go about their business away from the media glare and constant dissection.
Parity is at an all-time high in the league, especially in the Western Conference. Utah built a solid foundation but there were specific gaps that didn’t allow them to make deep runs in the postseason. By upgrading their talent Utah is poised to ascend and could be the dark horse to win the Conference.
The Basics:
2018-19 Record: 50-32
Playoff Seed: Finished with the fifth seed losing in the first round to the Rockets (1-4)
Head Coach: Quin Snyder begins his sixth season as the bench boss.
Points per game: Ranked 17th (111.7) | Opponent points per game: Ranked 4th (106.5)
Pace: Ranked 13th (100.3) | Offensive Rating: Ranked 15th (110.9) | Defensive Rating: Ranked 2nd (105.7)
Vegas Odds:
Win-Loss: 54.5 games
Odds to NBA Title: +1536
Odds to Win Conference: +847
* Odds courtesy of The Action Network.
The OKC Thunder swept the regular-season series against the Jazz. Next up, let’s look at the offseason changes made by the Jazz and review what to expect when the team’s tipoff versus each other in their four contests.