The Utah Jazz haven't done a ton of winning to this point in the season. Only securing 15 total victories to this point -- a sum dwarfed by their 48 losses -- the Jazz are a team well-positioned for the NBA Draft Lottery, while not well-positioned for immediate playoff contention, or even eventual contention.
With the focus on the future and a franchise centerpiece as the goal, Utah looks to build a winning organization through the draft. When trading away stars Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, Utah stripped their foundation down to the studs, and ironically left very few "studs" on the roster.
A depth chart assigned to failure, a squad destined for doomsday, Utah has lost plenty of games to this point in the season and sees the remaining 19 contests as a likely source of greater punishment than faced prior.
According to Tankathon's remaining schedule strength metric, the Utah Jazz' following battles through the rest of the year look to deliver a bevvy of bruises to Will Hardy and his youth-infused roster.
The third most difficult remaining schedule among their 29 NBA peers, Utah will see their paths cross with real championship contenders, playoff pushers, and very few stuttering steeds like themselves. The only slates deemed more difficult belong to Sacramento and Phoenix -- two franchises with no intention of playing for the lottery.
The Jazz still stand to face off against the likes of Boston, Memphis, and Houston twice each, with battles against Denver, Oklahoma City, and Cleveland filling in the cracks. Still to face Minnesota and Memphis twice each, the Jazz don't find themselves in the home stretch with the support of friends.
The NBA wants to dismantle Utah, and the Jazz are happy to play cannon fodder.
The downside of a challenging schedule is that Utah's position for the draft lottery is not in their control in many ways. With only one game against fellow free-fallers Washington, Charlotte, Toronto, and Philadelphia (which will be played tonight), the Jazz find themselves with many opportunities to force a leg-up on their peers.
The dice are essentially cast for Danny Ainge and company in the front office. Now they wait to see if they'll roll a seven or fall to snake eyes.
Utah's primed to do plenty of losing -- a talent they've developed over years of experience now -- as the rest of their incoming schedule will look to take them out quickly and painlessly.
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This story was originally published March 9, 2025 at 5:00 PM.