NBA: Forecasting the Unpredictable Northwest Division

Apr 13, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Emmanuel Mudiay (0) dribbles as Portland Trail Blazers guard Brian Roberts (2) defends and Denver Nuggets center Jusuf Nurkic (23) screens during the 4th quarter at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Mandatory Credit: Cole Elsasser-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 13, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Emmanuel Mudiay (0) dribbles as Portland Trail Blazers guard Brian Roberts (2) defends and Denver Nuggets center Jusuf Nurkic (23) screens during the 4th quarter at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Mandatory Credit: Cole Elsasser-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 6
Next
Sep 26, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) during Media Day at Zion Bank Basketball Center. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 26, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) during Media Day at Zion Bank Basketball Center. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports /

Utah Jazz

I’m going to be completely honest here in saying that I’m just not too high on the Utah Jazz.

It seems like every year we anticipate a breakout performance for this squad, but it still hasn’t happened yet. They’ve repeatedly disappointed everyone for the past few years, and there are legitimate reasons to think that they’ll do the same again.

More from Nuggets News

Don’t get me wrong, they have a tremendous amount of talent. That much is un-debatable. But there’s just something about this team that I don’t fully trust.

Maybe it’s something serious, or maybe it’s just an unwillingness to see the bright side of a team that has repeatedly been a let-down. Either way, I still don’t see the Jazz coming out on top of the Northwest Division this year.

It’s almost guaranteed that they’ll have a great defense, but in comparison, their offense will leave a bad taste in your mouth.

That issue may be solved with the key additions of veterans names like Joe Johnson and Boris Diaw. Hopefully those two can help their young core develop into an offensive force.

They’re sure to be competitive, but they’ll likely finish the year being a piece away from being legitimate contenders for a Championship.

Realistic Expectation:

They’ll finish fourth in the Northwest Division narrowly missing the playoffs by around three games.

My bold prediction:

Gobert leads this team to becoming the most efficient defense in the league, but their offense ranks within the bottom 15 teams.