Following the recent exodus of Kyle Korver, Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams, the Utah Jazz was left without a star, and I was left without a favorite player on the team, but this season, that has changed.

Before the start of the NBA season, I felt pretty confident that the Utah Jazz wouldn’t do very well this year without a solid point guard or a true star on the team.

I’ve been mostly surprised with how well they have started off the season.

Despite my fears (and pretty much everyone else’s), the Jazz have been doing pretty well (minus last night’s loss to Toronto). Currently, they are 10-6, sitting in third place in their division, and they will hopefully bounce back against Dallas.

It’s pretty much clear, though, that if the Jazz are going to be successful this year, they’ve got to get rid of/stop playing Devin Harris.

Harris hasn’t produced solid numbers for Utah this season. He’s averaging nine points a game, four assists and .9 steals. On top of those numbers, the most frustrating thing about seeing Harris play is there’s a much better option sitting on the bench.

Earl Watson’s numbers this season aren’t amazingly impressive, but when he is on the court, things get done. He seems to be able to inspire his teammates, make key plays and get the crowd into the game. Nearly every Jazz fan I know loves Watson.

My favorite thing about him is the heart he shows when he’s on the court. It was evident in the loss to Dallas last week when Watson got a technical foul for going toe-to-toe with Dallas big man Dirk Nowitzki. It was also evident after the game, which the Jazz lost.

After the game, Watson was gloomy, and it was clear that the loss affected him. I love his heart, passion and the things that he makes happen while he’s on the court. It’s what the Jazz need.

When he is taken off the court and Harris replaces him (especially in crucial situations), the Jazz tend to struggle.

I hope that as the season goes on, Head Coach Ty Corbin will realize the difference that Watson makes on the court. There’s a reason he is a fan favorite. There is a reason why he has his own hash tag on Twitter. It’s because he works hard, cares about the team and hates to lose.

Throughout the game against Dallas and in the game against Toronto when Watson was on the court, my Twitter feed was flooded with the hash tag #LeaveEarlIn.

It’s clear that I’m not the only one who loves Watson and wants to see him get more playing time.

Following the loss to Dallas last week, Watson told reporters that he couldn’t get paid enough money that would make losing not matter.

I’m not sure what will happen for the Jazz this year. I don’t know if they will make it to the playoffs or whether there will be many more games like the one against Toronto.

One thing I do know is that I love Watson, and I want him on the court as much as possible. For me, Watson is the most important part of the team.

If you ask me now, there’s not much question of who my favorite player is. It’s Earl Watson.