The Utah Jazz were a staple atop the Western Conference standings for the five years leading up to this past season. They had greater regular-season success than most other teams in the league, making for an entertaining on-court product.
The two-man tandem of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert proved very successful, but the Jazz blew things up last offseason. Both of those players were traded, and Utah hit the reset button.
Mitchell got sent to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Gobert got sent to the Minnesota Timberwolves, and, heading into the year, the Jazz were projected to be one of the worst teams in the NBA.