We’re already 20 games into the 2018-19 NBA season and the Utah Jazz are struggling to keep pace in the Northwest Division.
Remember when the Utah Jazz were the creme de la creme of the Northwest Division and primed to duke it out with the Houston Rockets for the No. 2 spot in the Western Conference?
Its seems like it was only yesterday that Donovan Mitchell and the Jazz were putting the wraps on an undefeated preseason slate, but we’re suddenly at the 20-game mark of the team’s 2018-19 campaign. Needless to say, the first quarter of the season has not played out as expected for the team or the division at large.
Last year, all five teams battled it out for playoff position. As it stands now, two teams — the Jazz and the Minnesota Timberwolves — rank among the bottom three in the West standings.
Now, for the million-dollar question: is what we’re seeing real or will the 60-plus games that remain bring about a return to the expected norm? At the quarter point of the season, we may still be experiencing some measure of small sample size, but we’re also approaching that juncture where some truths have emerged. Like, the Western Conference is WAY better than the Eastern.
So, without any further ado, here are my division power rankings at the quarter mark of the season.
- Denver Nuggets
Record: 13-7 (1st Northwest, 4th Western Conference)
The Nuggets look like world-beater’s right now! They have beat all the top 6 teams from last year, including the Warriors, before Steph got hurt. They’ve seemingly replaced the Jazz as the ultimate example of a whole being greater than the sum of its parts.
Denver has five players averaging double figures. He, Jokic, Jamal Murray and Gary Harris are all hovering around the 16-17 PPG mark, while Paul Millsap isn’t far behind at 13. They’re sharing the ball to great effect and, as a result, are second league-wide in assists/100 poss. at 26.6.
They are also a menace on the boards ranking first in Offensive rebounds and 5 in defensive boards. I think the Nuggets are for real this year.
- Oklahoma City Thunder
Record: 12-7 (2nd Northwest, 5th Western Conference)
When the Thunder opened the year with four consecutive Losses, I thought a storm was brewing in OKC. But now, the Thunder look to be right on schedule thanks to some stellar defense.
Through Sunday night’s games, the Thunder leads the Association in defensive rating at 102.6. They’ve also racked up more steals than any other team at 10.6 per contest and have held opponents to just 32 percent shooting from 3-point range, which is second only to the Boston Celtics.
The fact that they’ve managed all this without the services of their All-World defender Andre Roberson is pretty incredible. If he can come back late this season and get back into the swing of things, the Thunder will be a force come postseason play. We all know What Paul George and Russell Westbrook are capable of.
- Portland Trail Blazers
Record: 12-8 (2nd Northwest, 6th Western Conference)
After exploding out of the gate and shooting to the top of the West standings initially, the Blazers have cooled off significantly in recent days. They just finished up a six-game roadie that saw them go 2-4 with losses of nine, 16, 28 and 43 points.
Nevertheless, you have to tip your hat to Portland for continuing to rate with the best teams in the West.
As ever, Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum have been the motor; they’re combining to put up nearly 50 points per game on the year. That said, Jusuf Nurkic deserves major credit for their success, too.
The 24-year-old is well on his way to having a career year, dropping 16 and 11 on a nightly basis and hitting 53 percent of his field goals and 76 percent from the line.
- Utah Jazz
Record: 9-11 (5th Northwest, 14th Western Conference)
When Donovan Mitchell failed to appear in the second half of the Jazz’s game against the LA Lakers due to a rib injury, you knew a loss was coming. If he continues to miss games, many more could follow as the team faces another difficult December slate.
Injuries and scheduling aside, though, the Jazz just haven’t been very good through much of the early campaign.
Despite having reigning DPOY Rudy Gobert down low, the Jazz ranked just 23rd in paint defense. The new freedom of movement rules have definitely hampered the effectiveness of the team’s more physical defenders, with Gobert and Royce O’Neale being the most affected.
But as bad as the D has been, the team’s woes from 3-point range have been the real killer. They’re under 33 percent for the season and were the worst team in the league over the seven games preceding the Kings game at under 27 percent.
With the Western Conference being so competitive though, the Jazz are only 4 games back from 1st place.
- Minnesota Timberwolves
Record: 9-11 (4th Northwest, 13th Western Conference)
You have to feel for Wolves fans who, just a year ago, thought their squad was finally set to be a contender. Now with Butler gone most of those thoughts are too.
On the Bright side, they made a pretty good haul in trading Butler to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Robert Covington is a gamer, and I, haven’t given up on the thought that Dario Saric will develop into one of the league’s elite floor-spacing big men. Saric’s fit with Karl-Anthony Towns is particularly intriguing. Through six games, Minnesota has outscored opponents by 12.3 points/100 poss. in the 63 minutes, they’ve shared the floor.
So while I believe there is hope for a future with this young core of talent, I don’t think this is the year that they solidify themselves as contenders.
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