The Utah Jazz play the Minnesota Timberwolves in their second game of the year, their first chance against the center that called Salt Lake City home for nine seasons, but that’s one the road. Rudy Gobert won’t get the chance to return to Utah until December 9th, and while many are expecting an emotional homecoming, there’s definitely a good chance for some hostility from the home fans too.
During his time with the Jazz, Gobert won three Defensive Player of the Year awards, and after several failed playoff runs, it was time for both sides to move on. Gobert moved to a team that’s ready to take the next step, and the Jazz got back an immense haul of picks, so both sides worked out fairly well, but that doesn’t mean the fans will be as respectful as you might expect.
Ultimately, the Jazz are outmatched by a T-Wolves team that boasts a starting lineup of Anthony Edwards, Karl Anthony-Towns and now Gobert, but if things work out well, expect a much anticipated game, highlighted by an emotional tribute to a man that gave everything he could to the Jazz for almost a decade.
Utah Jazz</a> have gone from a genuine NBA Championship contender all the way to a team not quite good enough for a top-6 seed in the West, but not bad enough for a top-4 pick in the NBA Draft, and it’s something that needs to get figured out before the season. As of right now, there’s not a whole lot of excitement around the team, but if they can make some moves to make this team better, there’s a chance we could be looking at a playoff team in 2022.</p>
<p>If Utah decide to move on from Donovan Mitchell, then this team is in for a rebuilding year, but no matter what happens, this is going to certainly be a down year for the Utah Jazz, and it’s made looking over the schedule for Jazz fans a lot less exciting. Things could always change, very quickly, and while the season will bring some fun games and some bad games, there are games that fans always look for on the schedule immediately upon its release.</p>
<p>With a lack of televised games and a Christmas Day appearance, the Jazz schedule is very light on big time games, so today, we are going to talk about 3 games that should get Utah fans excited, and should circle on their calendar for the 2022 season, for one reason or another.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2022/08/18/3-games-utah-jazz-should-mark-on-their-calendar-in-2022/3/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 3. The MVP comes to town </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-89596" src=https://thejnotes.com/2022/08/18/3-games-utah-jazz-should-mark-on-their-calendar-in-2022/3/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fthejnotes.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1237557300-850x560.jpeg" alt="" width="590" height="389"><p class="wp-caption-text">DENVER, CO – JANUARY 05: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz reacts during a break in play alongside Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets during the third quarter at Ball Arena on January 5, 2022 in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by C. Morgan Engel/Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>3. Utah Jazz vs. Denver Nuggets – Opening Night, October 19</h3>
<p>It’s always exciting for contending teams to host the reigning MVP, and it’s even more exciting and a bigger challenge when it comes on the opening night of your season, and that’s what the Jazz will have to contend with on October 19, as the Denver Nuggets and Nikola Jokic come to Salt Lake City. Unfortunately for Utah, they’re in quite a strange position compared to 2021, where they were looking to use their All-Star trio of Conley, Mitchell and Gobert to take the next step in pursuit of a Championship, and with a roster that’s right in the middle, they may not be equipped to step up to the challenge of Jokic and a returning Jamal Murray.</p>
<p>It’s tough to see where this team is headed in 2022/23, but opening night is always fun, with the atmosphere of anticipation and excitement, and after a long, wild off-season, it will be good for Utah fans to finally see the Jazz back on the court. As the saying goes however, opening night means that everyone is 0-0, and everyone should have optimism about the upcoming year, and if Utah can put in a strong performance against the MVP, who knows where the 2022/23 season could take the Utah Jazz?</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2022/08/18/3-games-utah-jazz-should-mark-on-their-calendar-in-2022/3/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 2. A familiar face </a>
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