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2025-26 Utah Jazz Predictions and Odds to Win NBA Finals

by Spencer Toth - 10/13/2025

Utah Jazz predictions Lauri Markkanen

There are lots of NBA teams that are brimming with optimism heading into the new season. The Utah Jazz are not one of them. Utah finished a dreadful 17-65 last season, and somehow got even worse in the offseason. It is going to be a long season in Utah, but will stellar player development get them heading on the right track?

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Utah Jazz Offseason Recap

The Utah Jazz had a busy offseason in an attempt to brighten their future. Trading away Colin Sexton, John Collins, and waiving Jordan Clarkson makes them significantly worse in the present, but it does open up playing time for their promising class of rookies. Collins, Sexton, and Clarkson all averaged 16+ PPG last season in Utah, and that is a hefty amount of scoring to replace. Injury problems certainly played a role in Utah’s decision to blow up their core, as this season will be primarily focused on player development and tanking for the 2026 NBA draft. 

The Jazz brought in some new talent around the league to replace their departures. They didn’t sign any superstars, but Jusuf Nurkic, Georges Niang, and Kyle Anderson will all get time on the court this season. Nurkic will struggle to break into the starting lineup behind Walker Kessler, and the pair can’t play together given their robust play styles. Nurkic is an NBA veteran who will be a crucial member of the bench, but there isn’t any room for the 31-year-old to grow in Utah. Niang had the best year of his career with 12.1 PPG with the Hawks, and is always dialed in with a 40% career three-point percentage. His arrival will help the Jazz keep pace in the three-point-dominated NBA, but a three-week injury to start the season will leave Niang playing catch-up. 

In the draft, Utah selected Ace Bailey with the 5th overall pick after dropping down due to bad luck in the draft lottery. Bailey just turned 19 last summer, but already has the skills he needs to thrive in the NBA. He is a great pull-up shooter with a soft touch in the paint and is capable of playing multiple positions. Bailey does a great job handling the basketball, and his only glaring flaw is his lack of shot creation. He won’t be expected to quarterback the offense very often, but will still have an instrumental role to play in Utah’s offense. 

Utah Jazz Season Expectations

The Utah Jazz are the front-runners to finish last in the NBA, and it is hard to argue with those odds. They shipped away a majority of their best talents, leaving Lauri Markkanen largely alone in Utah. Markkanen continues to play at an All-Star caliber in Utah, but he must be getting tired of losing at this stage of his career. The 27-year-old is entering his prime, yet doesn’t have any tangible rewards for his years of effort with the Jazz. He led the team with 19 PPG last season, attempting nearly 15 shots per game. Markkanen suffered back and knee injuries last season and has a lingering wrist ailment that won’t be getting any better. Not only is Utah expected to struggle with a healthy lineup, but injury concerns extinguish the dreams of even the most hopeful Jazz fans. 

Utah Jazz Schedule Breakdown

Due to Utah’s isolated geographical location, they have plenty of long road trips and lengthy home stands this season. They have three five-game road trips, including an early trip to the East Coast in the first two weeks of the season. They then follow that up with 9 of their next 11 at home. The streaky scheduling continues into 2026, as the Jazz play 9 of their first 11 games in January on the road, before coming home for five straight. The losses are expected to pile up quickly for this team, but long home stands could allow them to build momentum at certain stages of the season. 

Utah Jazz Odds

The Jazz have the lowest win total in the league at 19.5, and find themselves in a very difficult Western Conference. It is hard to say anything is impossible in the NBA, but the Jazz don’t even have listed odds for making and missing the playoffs on some books. In fact, the Jazz appear to be not only a lock to finish outside the playoff picture, but to finish last place in the Western Conference. They have -3000 odds to finish last in the West, but do have some competition in the basement from the Eastern Conference. Utah has +140 odds to finish with the worst record in the league, as the Wizards (+250) and Nets (+270) are stiff competition. In the NBA Cup, anything can happen, but the Jazz still have lengthy +3000 odds to win a group featuring the Thunder, Timberwolves, Kings, and Suns. 

2025-26 Utah Jazz Season Predictions and Best Bets

The Utah Jazz will have a bad season, but can they eclipse their 19.5 win total? The short answer is no. Utah doesn’t have the talent needed to beat anyone very often and will need to rely on hot three-point shooting nights to steal victories. Unfortunately, the Jazz don’t have many distance shooters and rely on paint points to thrive. That may work against other bad teams, but they won’t create enough variance to pull off many big upsets. While the Under is a good pick at -110, the only pick worthwhile is for Utah to finish dead last in the league at +140. It is a bit surprising to see the Jazz with a plus-money price on this prop. The Western Conference has 11 of the best 15 teams this season, and wins will be few and far between for Utah. The East is bad enough that the Nets and Wizards will be able to beat other bad teams like the Bulls, Hornets, and each other, while Utah doesn’t have that privilege as often. 

Top Pick: Utah Jazz to Finish with the Worst Regular Season Record +140

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