The Utah Jazz are a team that is known for making the playoffs every season under the Donovan Mitchell-Rudy Gobert duo. They generally have a good regular season defense, but it seems as though their defense falters everytime they enter the postseason.
Bill Simmons has recently roasted the Utah Jazz, pointing out that they haven’t been able to get past the 2nd round since 2017, and that they have been subpar even against teams that were or are missing their stars.
Well. Utah 2017-2022. Swept in round 2 by Golden State. Lost in round 2 to Houston. Lost in round 1 to Houston. Lost in round 1 to Denver. Lost in round 2 to the Clippers, and headed to what it seems like a loss this year to the Mavs.
“What’s crazy, no Kawhi last year, they lose. They might lose to the Mavericks without Luka Doncic. Even crazier, Luka might get to the 2nd round for the first time, he’s not even f***ing playing. He’s wearing street clothes.”
Bill Simmons is far from the only person that has blasted the Utah Jazz for being disappointing. Stephen A. Smith and JJ Redick have both criticized the Jazz for being subpar previously, with them pointing out that the Jazz “let you down” every time they face expectations.
“I can’t stand the Utah Jazz, they make me sick. I love the new owner and I love where their heart is. I love the fact my brother D-Wade is a part of that ownership, and I love me some Donovan Mitchell. He’s something special. I can’t stand anything else. I can’t stand this team because they always always wet the bed.
“Luka Doncic is out. You have good players on Dallas like Dorian Finney-Smith and Jalen Brunson, but Doncic and Tim Hardaway Jr. are out. It’s a playoff game and Brunson dropped 40? He’s a good player, but 41 points? This is what Utah does. Every time you expect something from them, they let you down.”
“Stevie Wonder can see that Rudy Gobert can’t cover anybody because they’ve got perimeter shooters. Why is he out there? Same problem last year when they were going against the Clippers. Styles make fights, get him off the floor. You’ve gotta go small, you can’t keep doing this.”
There’s no doubt that the Utah Jazz haven’t delivered on expectations, even blowing a 2-0 lead to the Clippers as the No. 1 seed last season. They clearly need to make improvements to either their roster or their strategy to succeed.
Hopefully, we end up seeing the Utah Jazz figure things out and get out of the first round. They are clearly a solid team, and perhaps they can exorcise their playoff demons this season.
