Jan 1, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy reacts during the first half against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Utah Jazz's Betting Odds to Make Playoffs Are Worse Than You Think

Originally posted on Utah Jazz on SI | By Jared Koch | Last updated Sep 1, 2025 10:31 AM ET

Heading into the 2025-26 NBA season, there are some clearly defined expectations for this Utah Jazz roster in the midst of a drastic rebuild.

After a busy summer of shipping out veteran talent like John Collins, Collin Sexton, and Jordan Clarkson, the Jazz will be set to have a season leaning upon development and handing their young players more of an extended opportunity than they've yet to do in the four years of the Will Hardy era.

And with that in mind, it looks like oddsmakers don't see a playoff appearance being in the cards for the Jazz come next regular season.

According to DraftKings, the Jazz currently have the lowest odds in the entire NBA to reach the playoffs at +3000, while their odds to not make the playoffs reside at an eye-popping -20000.

As for the closest team to the Jazz, that would be the Brooklyn Nets. They currently sit with +1800 odds to make the playoffs, compared to -6000 odds that they'll miss.

It's easy to see why the Jazz's odds are where they are for a few reasons.

The roster will be younger and more experienced than it's been in the first three years of the rebuild, two starters of last year have been moved out of the picture, and perhaps most importantly, Utah is in the Western Conference–– where if you don't have a truly talented and balanced team on both ends, it'll be tough to compete on a nightly basis.

Last season, the Jazz won a franchise-low 17 games on the year, while the eight-seeded Memphis Grizzlies were at a 48-34 record, posting nearly 50 wins across the regular season, and then having to win a Play-In matchup on top of that. Of course, anything is possible in the NBA, but a near 30-win turnaround to even have a shot at being the eight-seed in one season would be pretty miraculous.

Instead, the more likely outcome for the Jazz consists of a year doubling down on development for youngsters like Ace Bailey, Keyonte George, Isaiah Collier, etc., get a full picture of what this group's young talent looks like, and if all goes well, obtaining a top pick in next summer's draft lottery to add another core centerpiece to this ongoing rebuild process.

In the short term, those playoff aspirations are likely a bit too ambitious, but this year should act as a major stepping stone for the Jazz to find and hone the tools they'll need in place to return to the postseason for the first time since 2022.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

This article first appeared on Utah Jazz on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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