Jazz Hit the Right Note

5 Reasons the Utah Jazz are shocking the NBA.

After hitting the proverbial reset button and trading away All-Stars Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, most were expecting the Jazz to be playing for nothing other than a shot at the first pick in the 2023 draft and the ability to take French phenom Victor Wembanyama.

Instead, Utah has jumped out a 10-3 record, which is tops in the Western Conference, and it is slowly looking like less of a fluke with each passing day. The Utah Jazz have, quite frankly, shocked the league by beating three teams considered to be Western Conference playoff contenders — the Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves and New Orleans Pelicans — when nearly everyone expected the Jazz to lose more often than not.

While almost everyone outside the organization has been shocked by the “overnight” success of the Jazz, rookie head coach Will Hardy would call the Jazz’s hot start anything but surprising. “He’s tired of looking at media or even his friends telling him, ‘Wow, you guys are winning, this is crazy,’” Malik Beasley said, recounting what Hardy told the team. “It’s not crazy. We’re not even playing well and we’re still winning.”

The question is, what does Hardy know that we don’t? How has Jazz been so good?

The Starting 5 for the Jazz’s Success

NBA analyst Tim Legler devoted a segment to the up-and-coming Jazz on SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt. Legler broke down what’s going on in Salt Lake City.

1. Confidence: “First thing, this is the loosest team in the league," Legler said. “Everybody is relaxed and in a comfort zone. Will Hardy obviously has great command of the situation. Everybody feels empowered to take a shot in their wheelhouse.”

Legler then dished on the adversity that Utah faced in the win against the Hawks on Wednesday.

2. Grit: “Seven out of ten of their rotational players are in their first season in Utah," Legler said. "They got hit with a gut punch by Atlanta in the third quarter. They’re down double digits and you think Atlanta is going to get this, but Utah comes out and dominates in the fourth quarter and gets another win.”

3. Smart Shooting: The Utah Jazz rank fourth lowest in the percentage of their points coming from the midrange at only 4.5%. That means 95.5% of the team's points come from the paint, the three-point line, or the free throw line. According to cleaningtheglass.com, the Jazz take the league's lowest percentage of "long midrange" shots. That's modern, intelligent, efficient basketball.

4. Officiant Offense: The Utah Jazz have the second-ranked offense in the NBA, behind only the Boston Celtics. This comes from a combination of factors, including ranking top ten in effective field goal percentage, assist percentage, and offensive rebounding percentage. The Jazz move the ball, take smart shots, and crash the offensive glass.

5. Prolific Passing: The Utah Jazz are sixth in the NBA in assists per game with 27.9. That's the best mark the Jazz have had in 35 years. They're led by Mike Conley's career-high 8.0 assists per game, which ranks ninth in the league. It's not just the point guard, though. There are nine players on the Jazz averaging at least one assist per game. All five starters are posting career-high assist numbers. When people say that sharing the ball is contagious, they need only look at this team for evidence.

Despite their success, there are still some pundits who think Utah should play for draft position. Ex-Jazzman Richard Jefferson voiced his views on ESPN.

“They need to stop whatever they’re doing in my opinion," Jefferson said. “Yes, they have a lot of nice pieces, but if anyone on this panel can tell me a top ten free agent they’ve brought in? They have to do it via the draft”

Whether you believe the Jazz are “for real,” still think they should “tank,” or stand somewhere in-between, this season is already shaping up to be one of the most exciting and dramatic in recent Jazz history.