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Northwest Division Power Rankings: A New Leader?

By Blake Holmes

Nov 5, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Jameer Nelson (1) drives the ball to the basket during the second quarter against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Leon Halip-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 5, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Jameer Nelson (1) drives the ball to the basket during the second quarter against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Leon Halip-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 6, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Utah Jazz small forward Gordon Hayward (20) drives the baseline against New York Knicks point guard Derrick Rose (25) during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. Utah won 114-109. Mandatory Credit: Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 6, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Utah Jazz small forward Gordon Hayward (20) drives the baseline against New York Knicks point guard Derrick Rose (25) during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. Utah won 114-109. Mandatory Credit: Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Utah Jazz.

This is a team that I gave serious consideration to put at number two in the division.

Utah has been playing pretty good basketball as of late, and that was without their star small forward, Gordon Hayward. Their newly acquired point guard, George Hill, had truly stepped up and become a leader in the Jazz locker room. In fact, Hill was the Western Conference Player of the Week last week. He had brought the Jazz out of their rough start and put them in a pretty good place for Hayward to make his debut against the Knicks. They won that game, and the Jazz looked like they could have figured something out.

However, as the world can be cruel sometimes, Utah must have the injury bug. Now with Hayward back, Hill has been injured. Their ideal starting lineup has been able to start one game with each other so far. I really hope that Hill’s injury does not affect his play very much, as the veteran point guard had been playing out of his mind to open up the season for the Jazz. The injury bug is what kept the Jazz out of the second spot on this list, and when they are all healthy, this is a team to watch out for.

Their assist and scoring leader is George Hill, who I can’t mention enough in this article. This is a perfect example of a defense first team, as they are 26th in the league in points scored, but 5th in points allowed.

Nov 4, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder talks with guard George Hill (3) during the first half against the San Antonio Spurs at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 4, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder talks with guard George Hill (3) during the first half against the San Antonio Spurs at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports /

The Jazz are currently 5-3, as they look to improve their winning ways with games against the Charlotte Hornets, Orlando Magic, and Miami Heat.

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