The latest NBA power rankings place the Utah Jazz in Ugly Territory

While it has become clear that league members rank the Utah Jazz as one of the NBA's worst teams heading into the 2024-25 season, that sentiment was clearly expressed in the latest batch of power rankings in advance of this week's impending events Preseason.

Following the Jazz's media day appearances, the staff and players made sure to put the emphasis on their young talent, and while that creates some excitement about what the upcoming season could hold, the fact that youth and inexperience can can inevitably lead to some stumbles within the Jazz group league rankings and many power rankings to follow.

The latest preseason rankings are from Bleacher Reportwho kept the Jazz honest and ranked them a lowly 29th, ahead of only the Washington Wizards – a team that had 15 wins in its final season.

B/Rs Andy Larsen added some insight into the Jazz's standings, pointing out that while Lauri Markkanen has signed his long-term contract extension that prevents him from being dealt this summer, Utah will likely be among the bottom teams in the league standings for 2024 becomes. 25 years:

“As he only signed his contract extension late in the summer, Lauri Markkanen is not eligible to play this season. But that doesn't necessarily mean the Utah Jazz will be above the tank race… Utah can still improve its lottery position by moving one or more of Jordan Clarkson, Collin Sexton or John Collins. And there are six first- or second-year players who could get significant rotation minutes. Expect to see a lot of Keyonte George, Taylor Hendricks, Brice Sensabaugh, Cody Williams, Isaiah Collier, Kyle Filipowski and the losses that will come from playing against them.

– Andy Bailey, Bleacher Report

At the top of the rankings, B/R The Boston Celtics regained first place, followed by the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Denver Nuggets. Obviously, jazz is still a long way from joining these conversations.

Still, there is great optimism about the Jazz and its youth movement and their prospects for the coming season. Utah and its staff appear to be more motivated than ever to get their young players active and involved, and while short-term success may be limited, giving the second- and third-year players more opportunities effectively accelerates their timetable for further development and to move the needle and advance this transformation.

Make no mistake, Markkanen will remain heavily involved and could still enter the All-Star discussions if the Jazz exceed initial expectations in the first half of the season. However, compared to Utah's last two campaigns, there's a strong chance that the surrounding veteran talent will take a step back while those 23 and younger look to expand their roles.

The Jazz will begin their preseason on Friday, October 4, when the NBL's New Zealand Breakers travel to Salt Lake City. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. MT.

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