The Thunder spent one year at the top of the West before the Spurs crashed the party, and now there’s a new team lurking with a similar kind of setup.
San Antonio’s jump to the 2026 conference title looked sudden from the outside, especially after the Spurs finished 13th the year before. But the way they built toward that moment made the rise feel less like a fluke and more like a reveal. The Utah Jazz might be on that same path.
Utah has been buried near the bottom of the West for two straight seasons, and that record has made them easy to dismiss. Still, the losses and injuries have also helped them collect a deep pile of talent. On paper, the roster heading into 2026-27 looks dangerous.
That starts with Darryn Peterson, the second overall pick and a generational prospect, joining a starting group that already includes Jaren Jackson Jr., Lauri Markkanen and Keyonte George. Jackson Jr. and Markkanen give Utah established star power at the forward spots, while George handles the point.
The frontcourt changed this summer when the Jazz dealt Walker Kessler to the Lakers. In return, they brought in a hefty package, and Jusuf Nurkic is set to step into Kessler’s role in the middle.
Utah’s depth may be what really makes the roster pop. Isaiah Collier has finished each of his first two seasons with more than 6.0 assists per game, and the bench also includes Ace Bailey, Brice Sensabaugh and Kyle Filipowski. Even Jaxson Hayes, in a reserve role, has shown he can defend when called on.
That kind of collection of talent puts the Jazz in position to make a Spurs-style leap if the health holds up. They have the pieces to push Oklahoma City and San Antonio.
And the timing may be right. Some of the West’s more obvious threats have stalled out.
The Nuggets did not make any legitimate moves this offseason and lost Peyton Watson, one of their better young players. The Wolves reshaped their roster around Anthony Edwards.
The Lakers moved on from LeBron James while trying to keep Austin Reaves long-term. The Rockets, meanwhile, chose not to do anything as they try to bounce back from their anticlimactic 2025-26 season.
With so much of the league’s talent shifting East, Utah has a clear opening to make noise. If that happens, the Thunder would be staring at not just one young problem in the West, but two.
Right now, plenty of people still see the conference as a two-team race. That makes sense. But last year’s Spurs run was the reminder nobody needed that the West can change fast, and the team that looks ordinary today can be the one holding the trophy tomorrow.
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