by Elmer Mejia | Indeed the Utah Jazz are ready for the new season to begin. Tonight, the Jazz will fly to Los Angeles and play the Clippers in the final preseason game. The Jazz will finally have their starting unit available for this match.
Royce O’Neale Is Back
After following the Covid-19 protocols that needed to be taken, Royce O’Neale is back with the team. He missed the first two preseason games against the Phoenix Suns. He will look to help the team especially in defense. The Jazz won both of their games and looked really good, but they must now concentrate on their next match.
No doubt O’Neale will help boost the team and it will help some blemishes on defense. This season looks promising for the Jazz as they have a great starting unit and a decent bench.
First Regular Game Of The Season
The Utah Jazz will open up the new campaign on December 23 against the Portland Trailblazers in an away game. It will definitely be a tough road match for the Jazz, but this will help them see where they are at the moment. The Jazz have a great team all around and now need to concentrate to transition it to the floor. After this game, the Jazz will play again on December 26 against the Minnesota Timberwolves in their home opener.
Promising Year Ahead
No doubt the Utah Jazz have a great team in their ranks. They arguably have one of the best players in the league in Donovan Mitchell. Also, they have one of the best defenders in the game in Rudy Gobert. They now have Bojan Bogdanović back from his wrist procedure and looked great in the second preseason game against the Suns. Mike Conley Jr. finished the season strong in the bubble and has proven he can contribute to the team.
Furthermore, the Jazz have a decent bench as they wrapped up Jordan Clarkson who had a great end of season in the bubble. He has continued his incredible form coming off the bench and contributing big time. Joe Ingles is a great three-point shooter and can help in big moments with clutch shots.
The Jazz drafted Elijah Hughes this year as the 39th overall pick at the NBA Draft. He is great behind the three point line and can contribute off the bench.
To conclude, the Utah Jazz have key players to make some noise this year. The Western Conference is packed with great teams, but the Jazz can keep up with the best of them. No doubt the Jazz are a threat to any team and will complicate things for any of the potential NBA title contenders.
The Jazz will look to bounce back from a devastating loss to the Denver Nuggets last season. Hopefully they can learn from that experience, and with a healthy team, they can do bigger and better things this season.
Featured image courtesy Mark J. Terrill | AP Photo