Vegas Over\/Under: 40.5 <\/p>\n
Fromal’s Record Projection: 44-38
\nThe Bet: Hammer the over The Utah Jazz went 51-31 final season. So how in the world are they expected to win only seven fewer matches after losing their very best player?
\nWell, the answer is simple: They didn’t actually lose their best player.
\nGordon Hayward’s departure to the Boston Celtics stings, and the Jazz will have a tough time replacing his elastic creation. Even a dynamite rookie season from Donovan Mitchell can not possibly fill the void, and the small-forward depth chart looks a little more uninspiring with Joe Ingles and Joe Johnson leading the charge.
\nHowever, Rudy Gobert remains patrolling Salt Lake City, ready to show to the planet he’s indisputably one of the NBA’s 20 best players.
\nWhereas Hayward finished Nos. 29 and 24, respectively, in ESPN.com’s RPM and NBA Math’s TPA, Gobert sat at Nos. 8 and 12 last season. He is arguably the league’s best baseball player, and his amazing finishing ability across the rim makes him immensely valuable about the offensive end.
\nThere is also the simple fact that the Jazz’s net rating increased by 5.7 points per 100 possessions without Hayward, but it fell by 11.3 without Gobert. After the”Stifle Tower” suited up sans his now-departed teammate, Utah still posted a 5.5 net rating, per nbawowy. In the opposite situation, the internet rating stood in minus-6.9.
\nUtah will be worse this season. That much is apparent.
\nBut they’re not dropping below .500. Frankly, they shouldn’t even be especially close to that mark.<\/p>\n