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SALT LAKE CITY — Concluding a road trip with a two-game winning streak infuses a heavy dose of confidence into the Utah Jazz, a team that has struggled to achieve consistent success this season.
Boo.
Winning streaks and the Jazz don't belong in the same sentence this year. Too many good results could potentially thwart the grand plan to build a championship contender.
To get there, the Jazz have got to pile up the losses over the remaining 48 games. The future quite literally depends on it.
June's NBA draft is expected to feature some top-end talent capable of going a long way toward changing the direction of a losing franchise, which is what the Jazz have been since trading All Stars Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell in the summer of 2022.
Playing the odds, which doesn't guarantee drafting a future star, the Jazz have no choice but to try getting a top three selection in the draft. Winning games isn't worth trading short-term gain for long-term pain, which helps explain why John Collins, Keyonte George and Jordan Clarkson are all out for tonight's game against the Atlanta Hawks
Staying with the time of year, the team's New Year's resolution must include losing as much as possible while sprinkling in the occasional win. Manipulate lineups whenever necessary, holding out the better talent against the slew of teams also in tank mode.
At 32, Clarkson is productive enough to get in the way of losing and doesn't fit the timeline for when the extended rebuild finally ends. Management needs to find a suitor to take Clarkson, who has a torn left plantar fascia and will be re-evaluated in two weeks, off coach Will Hardy's hands.
Here's a few other resolutions for some of the locals:
Utah football
With an influx of coaches and players, the Utes will have an entirely different look on offense next season. Coach Kyle Whittingham has got to unleash the newbies, allowing coordinator Jason Beck to build the attack around quarterback Devon Dampier.
Beck and Dampier combined to terrorize Mountain West defenses last season at New Mexico. Dampier individually accounted for 390 yards of total offense in a 61-39 loss to Arizona, which held Utah's offense to 364 yards of total offense in the win last season at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
BYU football
Repeat the 2024 season. Going 11-2 is worth an encore every time, even if it doesn't result in a Big 12 championship.
But a word of caution, be prepared for a pooch punt by the opposing quarterback.
Utah State football
All this program requires is a tad bit of time before fortunes turn for the better. Bronco Mendenhall may not have been the first choice to be head coach, but the administration got it right in turning to him.
Look at his work in instantly turning BYU into a winner 20 years ago. He will do the same in Logan.
BYU basketball
Less hype and improved play tops the list of resolutions. All sorts of positive publicity surround the Cougars and first-year coach Kevin Young, but the team has yet to do anything more than the expected.
A steady diet the likes of Mississippi Valley and Florida A&M in the nonconference did not prepare BYU for the difficult Big 12 schedule. The Cougars are not predicted to win the conference, but the definition of a successful season for them is making the NCAA Tournament.
Don't fret about the blowout loss to Houston, which is far superior to BYU at this point in the season. Given the newness of the coaching staff and several players, the Cougars were always going to need time to jell.
Utah basketball
Impossible as it is this season, total makeover is order for the Utes. Maybe it will come next year, complete with a new coaching staff.
The program has improved its win total in each of Craig Smith's prior three seasons, but two blowout losses to start conference play doesn't inspire much confidence going forward. The Big 12 is not kind to struggling teams.
