The Utah Jazz Futures Odds (BetDSI Sportsbook)
Utah Jazz to win the Northwest Division: +1200
Utah Jazz to win the Western Conference: +8000
Utah Jazz to win the NBA Championship: +15000
Utah Jazz Total Win Prediction: Total 38.5 (Over -140, Under +110)
The Utah Jazz experienced a fantastic 2016/17 season, winning the Northwest Division ahead of the Oklahoma City Thunder and finishing in the fifth place in the Western Conference. Although they were the underdogs in the opening round of the playoffs against the Los Angeles Clippers, who had the home court advantage, the Jazz made an upset and knocked out the Clippers in seven games. However, the champions Golden State Warriors dominated in the semis and swept the Jazz, but Utah undoubtedly left an excellent impression.
This summer wasn’t very good for the Jazz, though, as Gordon Hayward decided to quit and join the Boston Celtics instead. The fans were quite disappointed with his decision, and Hayward cannot be replaced, at least not this season, so Utah are facing problems, and they are not the favorites to enter the playoffs this time around.
They did bring Ricky Rubio, who came to replace George Hill, but the Spaniard is not the profile of the player that the Jazz need to drive them forward. Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors are left to lead the team, but it’s going to be hard to qualify for the postseason, especially now when the Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets, and Oklahoma City Thunder look stronger than in 2016/17.
Read on to find out more about the Utah Jazz offseason moves and the 2017/2018 futures and props brought to you by BetDSI Sportsbook. Also, don’t forget to visit our Get More Sports website for more NBA teams season previews.
The 2017/2018 Utah Jazz Roster
Arrivals: Jonas Jerebko, Ricky Rubio, Thabo Sefolosha, Ekpe Udoh, Royce O’Neale, Tony Bradley, Donovan Mitchell.
Departures: Boris Diaw, Gordon Hayward, George Hill, Trey Lyles, Shelvin Mack, Jeff Withey.
The Utah Jazz selected Tyler Lydon with the 24th pick overall in the 2017 NBA Draft, but they traded him away, along with Trey Lyles, for Donovan Mitchell, who came from the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets took him with the 13h pick overall, and the shooting guard spent the previous three seasons with the Louisville Cardinals. Mitchell is listed as the No. 2 option at the shooting guard position, behind Rodney Hood and ahead Alec Burks. Utah also picked the shooting guard Josh Hart and center Thomas Bryant, but traded them to the Los Angeles Lakers for the 28th pick overall, Tony Bradley. Bradley played for the North Carolina Tar Heels in 2016/17 and won the NCAA championship with them, and the center will serve behind Rudy Gobert and Ekpe Udoh on the depth chart. Royce O’Neale joined the Jazz after spending the last two years in Europe, representing Ludwigsburg and Gran Canaria. Although he signed a contract with the Lithuanian side Zalgiris Kaunas this June, O’Neale played for the Jazz in the 2017 NBA Summer League and then penned a deal with them. The 24-year-old small forward is listed behind Joe Ingles, Joe Johnson, and Thabo Sefolosha in the pecking order.
Ekpe Udoh returned to the NBA after playing for the Turkish and EuroLeague champions Fenerbahce in the previous two years. Udoh won the EuroLeague in 2017, was named the EuroLeague Final Four MVP and made it to the All-EuroLeague First Team. The former Milwaukee Buck averaged 20.7 ppg and 7.8 rpg in 32.0 mpg for the Turks in 2016/17 and will be Gobert’s backup at the center position.
Following his three-year stint with the Atlanta Hawks, Thabo Sefolosha left Georgia and came to Utah, where he should provide a healthy competition to Joe Ingles and Joe Johnson at the small forward. Thabo averaged 7.2 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.7 apg, and 1.5 spg in 25.7 mpg, and the 33-year-old can still contribute on both offense and defense, so he is a solid addition to this squad.
Jonas Jerebko was a fringe player in his eight-year career in the NBA, and his arrival will not change anything for the Jazz. I don’t expect him to get more than 15 minutes per contest, but I don’t see the big things will come from the power forward who recorded only eight starts over the last six seasons.
Utah’s biggest addition this offseason is surely Ricky Rubio, who joined in a trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Wolves will get a protected future first-round pick from Oklahoma City in return, and they parted ways with the Spaniard after six seasons. The versatile point guard averaged 11.1 ppg, 9.1 apg (both career highs), 4.1 rpg, and 1.7 spg in 32.9 mpg, and will become a starting PG ahead of Dante Exum and Raul Neto. Although not a reliable scorer like George Hill, Rubio can do a lot of things on both ends of the floor, and the rivals should be aware of his chemistry with the center Rudy Gobert, they have the potential to terrorize opposing defenses.
| PG | SG | SF | PF | C |
| Ricky Rubio | Rodney Hood | Joe Ingles | Derrick Favors | Rudy Gobert |
| Dante Exum | Donovan Mitchell | Joe Johnson | Jonas Jerebko | |
| Raul Neto | Alec Burks | Thabo Sefolosha | Joel Bolomboy | Ekpe Udoh |
| Royce O’Neale | Tony Bradley |
As I mentioned, Gordon Hayward’s departure hit the Jazz pretty badly after the All-Star small forward opted to quit the Jazz following his seven-year stay in Salt Lake City. Hayward left for the Boston Celtics, where he’ll lead the team alongside Kyrie Irving. In the 2016/17, Gordon averaged 21.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg (both career highs), 3.5 apg, and 1.0 spg in 34.5 mpg, and none of the forward who stayed in Utah can replace him, so the Jazz will have to adapt to life without their best player.
George Hill joined the Sacramento Kings’ revolution after a season with the Jazz, in which he averaged 16.9 ppg (career high), 4.2 apg, 3.4 rpg, and 1.0 spg in 31.5 mpg. Although he is a better scorer than Rubio, the Spaniard is a more all-around point guard, and the Jazz will get over Hill’s departure easier than they will Hayward’s. Utah waived Boris Diaw who didn’t have a significant role since his arrival from the San Antonio, and the Jazz decided it is the best for both parties to move on. Trey Lyles was a part of Donovan Mitchell’s deal and he left for the Denver Nuggets. The 21-year-old power forward spent the previous two years with the Jazz, and in 2016/17, he averaged 6.2 ppg and 3.3 rpg in 16.3 mpg. Shelvin Mack ended his two-year stay and moved to the Orlando Magic this offseason. In 55 matches in 2016/17, Mack averaged 7.8 ppg, 2.8 apg, and 2.3 rpg in 21.9 mpg and was a good backup option at the point guard. Finally, the center Jeff Withey left Utah and joined the Dallas Mavericks, but he failed to make an impact during his two-year stint with the Jazz, so he will surely not be missed at all.
The starting lineup with Rubio, Hood, Ingles, Favors, and Gobert doesn’t look too bad, but whether they are capable of reaching the playoffs is rather questionable. Although they have Joe Johnson, Thabo Sefolosha, and Alec Burks to help them off the bench, this Utah squad is relatively weaker than the one in 2016/17. Rudy Gobert had the season of his life last year, averaging 14.0 ppg, 12.8 rpg, and 2.6 bpg in 33.9 mpg (all career highs) and is expected to lead this team, while Derrick Favors will provide assistance below the rims following dreadful 2016/17 campaign, when the Former Brooklyn Net missed the big part due to an injury. Now, Favors should get back to his usual 16.ppg and 8.0 rpg, which would be more than helpful for the Jazz. With Ricky Rubio in the squad, there will be opportunities to other players to shine, as the Spaniard’s great quality is to make players around him look better.
The Bottom Line and Total Win Prediction
The Jazz will have a lot of problems to retain the Northwest Division title, and that seems virtually impossible at the moment, but the season is long and anything can happen. However, let’s be realistic and say that Utah should be proud of themselves if they even make it to the playoffs, let alone win the division. The Jazz recorded 51 victories in 2016/17, but they will not come near to that this time around, and the BetDSI Sportsbook set the number of season wins at 38.5, which practically proves my point. Given the competition in the West and the strength of their divisional rivals, I believe Utah will not get more than 38 wins, so I suggest you to go with under here.
Season total wins: 38.5 Under (+110)
