NBA Power Rankings Week 12: The Utah Jazz Are In A Groove

The Utah Jazz looked like they might be in contention for a high lottery pick in this summer’s NBA Draft when they got off to a 7-16 start this season. Front office sharks were circling the Jazz, hoping to pick off useful veterans at the trade deadline, and there were even rumblings about teams hoping to land star forward Lauri Markkanen if Utah was going to pull the plug and enter a full-on rebuild.

However, since then the Jazz have gone 15-5, including a recent 6-game win streak that included wins over the Sixers, Bucks, and Nuggets in succession. Utah has been one of the league’s best offenses over their hot streak, boasting a 121.7 ORtg (5th in the NBA) over the last 15 games. They’ve also raised their level on defense with a 113.2 DRtg (10th in the NBA) in that same stretch. Only the Celtics and Cavaliers have managed to be top-10 in offensive and defensive rating over their last 15 games like the Jazz, and Utah has gone from being a potential fire sale candidate to a potential buyer at the deadline.

Getting Markkanen back on the floor after he missed some time has helped, as he’s once again playing at an incredibly high level, backing up his All-Star campaign a year ago with averages of 24.0 points and 8.8 rebounds per game on 49.7/39.7/87.5 shooting splits this season. However, what has really allowed the Jazz to finally find their groove is improved play from their backcourt.

Early in the season, Utah was just not getting anything consistent from their guards, and as such there wasn’t a great flow to their offense. However, when the Jazz moved Collin Sexton into the starting lineup for an injured Jordan Clarkson in mid-December, the team took off. Their 15-5 run has coincided with Sexton becoming a starter, and Clarkson has returned to the sixth man role he has thrived in for many years. That shift was one Will Hardy wasn’t sure he wanted to make, but circumstances called for it and the result has been a rejuvenated Jazz team, with Hardy noting Sexton’s play has taught him a lot about coaching without leaning on preconceived notions of what a player is from past teams.

In the Jazz starting lineup, Sexton is enjoying the best stretch of basketball of his career, averaging 21.9 points, 4.8 assists, and just 1.6 turnovers per game on 52.2/41.5/90.8 shooting splits. What he provides this Utah team is an element of rim pressure they simply don’t get from anyone else. Clarkson is a terrific scorer, but with the spacing the Jazz have in their starting lineup, Sexton’s ability and willingness to attack downhill relentlessly puts immense pressure on defenses — take his 30-point performance against the Pacers on Monday, where he got two feet in the paint consistently.

With Sexton in the starting lineup, Hardy has made some adjustments to help open up those driving lanes and create tough decisions for defenses. Walker Kessler, who is not a three-point threat, now stations himself in the corner fairly regularly, daring his man to sink to the paint to provide help on a driver. That creates a runway for Kessler to cut to the rim and finish lobs like he would from the dunker’s spot, but makes the read easier for the guard by putting the defender in more space and making them make a decision quicker. He’s also moved Simone Fontecchio into the starting lineup alongside Sexton, putting another three-point threat on the floor to open things up, while moving Clarkson and rookie Keyonte George to the bench unit.

All of the strings Hardy has pulled of late have been working, and the Jazz have gone from a group that appeared aimless to a legitimate threat as a Play-In team in the West, vaulting into ninth at 22-21, just 2.5 games back of the 6-seed. How they proceed from here as an organization will be fascinating. A year ago they sold at the deadline in a similar position, but with a less enticing Draft this year (and clearly no chance of getting into the tank race with how bad the bottom of the league is), they could very well become buyers or at the least let this group play it out and see how far they can go.

Where do the Jazz find themselves in this week’s DIME Power Rankings? Let’s find out…

TIER I: The Contenders

1. Boston Celtics (32-9, Last week: 1)
2. Minnesota Timberwolves (30-11, Last week: 3)
3. Oklahoma City Thunder (28-13, Last week: 2)
4. Los Angeles Clippers (26-14, Last week: 4)
5. Denver Nuggets (28-14, Last week: 5)
6. Milwaukee Bucks (28-13, Last week: 6)
7. Philadelphia 76ers (26-13, Last week: 7)

Last week I broke this group up and put the Celtics by themselves and they promptly got beat by the Bucks so badly TNT switched to showing a different game. Lesson learned, even if Boston still looks like the class of the league overall, and this week we bring them all back together. These look like the seven most complete teams in the NBA, even if there are lingering questions that need to be answered come playoff time for almost all of them. Boston bounced back from that Bucks loss to beat up on a soft spot in the schedule and Minnesota’s back on track with four straight wins to move back into the second spot. OKC beat the aforementioned red-hot Jazz on Thursday to end a short skid, while the Clippers just keep winning. Philly got the best of Denver in a clash of MVP bigs this week that was one of the games of the year so far this season, but both teams look the part so long as Jokic and Embiid are on the floor. Milwaukee looked like a buzzsaw for most of the last week before a 40-point loss to Cleveland, as they can’t help but have one performance every week or so that keeps you from fully buying in on them.

TIER II: Playoff Hopefuls

8. Cleveland Cavaliers (24-15, Last week: 12)
9. New Orleans Pelicans (25-17, Last week: 8)
10. New York Knicks (25-17, Last week: 11)
11. Miami Heat (24-17, Last week: 14)
12. Dallas Mavericks (24-18, Last week: 13)
13. Indiana Pacers (24-17, Last week: 10)
14. Phoenix Suns (22-18, Last week: 16)
15. Sacramento Kings (23-18, Last week: 9)

The gap between this tier and the next is closing steadily, as the middle of the playoff race in both conferences is heating up. The Cavs are scorching right now and have vaulted into fourth alone in the East, as they’ve gone back to embracing the three-ball and playing with more pace, which has opened up the floor and seen their offense take off. The Pelicans are likewise rolling offensively, while the Knicks are getting it done with defense since bringing in OG Anunoby. Miami and Dallas haven’t been making a ton of headlines, but just steadily roll up wins and keep themselves firmly in the top-6 race in their conferences. Indiana picked up a surprising win over Sacramento without Tyrese Haliburton or the newly acquired Pascal Siakam, who is expected to make his debut in Portland this weekend as they look to establish themselves as a real threat in the East. Phoenix appears to be on the upswing again as they get more reps with their full big three on the floor, as they get more comfortable playing together by the game, while the Kings are in a slide with four straight losses that have pushed them into a Play-In spot for now.

TIER III: The Play-In Chase

16. Utah Jazz (22-21, Last week: 18)
17. Orlando Magic (22-19, Last week: 15)
18. Los Angeles Lakers (21-21, Last week: 19)
19. Houston Rockets (19-21, Last week: 17)
20. Chicago Bulls (20-23, Last week: 20)

The Jazz finally had their winning streak snapped by the Thunder, but there’s no shame in that and even in a loss their offense continues to impress. Orlando has not been able to recapture the (pardon the pun) magic they had early in the season, and they’re a candidate to take a swing at the deadline to try and get some more backcourt help. The Lakers seem to have stabilized things a bit and climbed back to .500 this week, but trade rumors continue to swirl in L.A. and it seems likely that a roster shakeup is on the horizon. Houston’s home/road split continues to be outrageous, as they went 1-5 on their road trip through the East with a lone win in Detroit. The good news is they’re back at home for three in a row coming up. Chicago hasn’t been stringing wins together of late, but they are staying afloat in the Play-In race in the East, thanks in large part to a breakout year from Coby White.

TIER IV: In The Mud

21. Golden State Warriors (18-22, Last week: 21)
22. Atlanta Hawks (17-23, Last week: 24)
23. Toronto Raptors (16-26, Last week: 25)
24. Memphis Grizzlies (15-26, Last week: 22)
25. Brooklyn Nets (16-24, Last week: 23)

The Warriors are off until at least Wednesday as they grieve the sudden, tragic death of assistant coach Dejan Milojevic, as that takes precedence over anything on the court. The Hawks have won two in a row amid rumors that Dejounte Murray is a near lock to be traded by the deadline, and how they reshape this roster in the coming weeks will be fascinating to see. Toronto has finally picked its direction with the Siakam and Anunoby trades and can begin building around Scottie Barnes in full. Memphis’ injury report would be a really solid starting five and it’s just tough for them to hang on a nightly basis right now, but they do have some fun young players getting valuable experience that could benefit them long-term. The Nets are 1-9 in their last 10 and are in desperate need of some changes as it’s pretty clear this roster just doesn’t have it — Nic Claxton is really good, though, on a positive note.

TIER V: Tank Generals

26. Portland Trail Blazers (11-29, Last week: 26)
27. San Antonio Spurs (7-33, Last week: 28)
28. Charlotte Hornets (8-30, Last week: 27)
29. Detroit Pistons (4-37, Last week: 30)
30. Washington Wizards (7-33, Last week: 29)

After losing to the Pistons, the Wizards have earned the 30th spot for this week. The Spurs don’t beat many teams but they do absolutely bludgeon the three bottom teams in the East when they get the opportunity, so they move up after destroying the Hornets this week. Portland can be frisky some nights and others they lose by 62.