ESPN Ranks Utah Jazz Rebuild Among NBA’s Best and Worst

Since three summers ago, when the Utah Jazz decided to hit the reset button on their roster, this front office has spent its time trying to retool this group into a competitive group, managing to add an assortment of young and budding pieces that can be a part of this team and their aspired success for the foreseeable future.

This year, the Jazz brought in Ace Bailey and Walt Clayton Jr. Last summer, Isaiah Collier, Kyle Filipowski, and Cody Williams were added into the fold, and so on. And while it hasn't quite resulted in the extensive wins coming their way just yet, or a proven future superstar to come aboard just yet, there's certainly some appealing pieces in play for how this team could develop for the next three to five years.

But in terms of where the rest of the NBA's rebuilds stack up, where exactly do the Jazz rank amongst the top of the league?

In the eyes of ESPN, it's pretty interesting.

ESPN's Tim Bontemps recently ranked the league's 14 most notable rebuilds from best to worst ahead of next season and for the future ahead, where in terms of the Jazz's ranking, they found themselves as the eighth-highest on the list–– spearheaded by a top-end front office that can guide the ship, but still a considerable distance away from contending.

"Utah's front office is in a good place. Ainge and Justin Zanik form a quality tandem along with the team's CEO, Danny Ainge, and recently extended head coach Will Hardy," wrote Bontemps. "But the Jazz have yet to find the luck it takes to get the kind of talent that moves teams up this list. Until they do, it's hard to see things dramatically progressing in a brutal Western Conference race. Still, the Jazz have a lot of future draft picks and the potential for their young players to develop. Bailey, a talented wing scorer, could be the foundational player Utah desperately needs."

There are certainly pros to bank on in the Jazz's process, as they do have key cornerstones starting to file into place in the form of Bailey, Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler who can be future starters for years to come, while also having the assets in place to fill out the rest of the rotation in both young players in picks, once it's time to compete.

However, when it comes to the Jazz's return to relevance, Bontemps didn't see things too brightly.

"Between the state of Utah's roster and the competitive West, it's going to be an extremely long road for the Jazz to return to competitiveness," Bontemps wrote. "The organization is well-positioned to navigate that path, but it doesn't make it any easier."

Compared to the rest of the field, seven names rose above the Jazz: from seven to one, the Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards, Memphis Grizzlies, Philadelphia 76ers, Atlanta Hawks, Dallas Mavericks, then the San Antonio Spurs at the top spot.

You could likely debate Utah one or two spots higher or lower than where their ranked, but one thing remains clear–– compared to the best rebuilds in the NBA, the Jazz are still way off from climbing atop the totem pole.