Utah JAZZ Mid-Season Report
Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2016 5:59 pm
Western Conference / Northwest Division
Utah JAZZ
C-
FRONTCOURT
C - - It’s hard to judge this group with the amount of changes that have taken place this season but the current rotation is not holding its weight. Larry Sanders is the biggest name with JJ Hickson and Derrick Favors gone. He isn’t flashy and is holding his own on both ends of the court. The duo of Wilson Chandler and Doug McDermott have been formidable but now things could get interesting with Trevor Ariza on board. The Jazz will likely go small until further notice.
BACKCOURT
B - - Quite possibly the best 1-2 backcourt in the league but Damian Lillard and Dante Exum have yet to meet the hype in the win column. Exum is coming off an All Star game starting nod and on the rise to becoming one of the top all around players in the CSL. The supporting cast is the reason this group doesn’t get a higher grade. At this point, Keith Appling is the only reserve and heh is out for another month and a half.
DEFENSE
F - - Just turrible. Nothing more can be said about this facet of Utah’s game. Two players contribute and that’s it.
BENCH
C - - Loaded with backup forwards is just not enough to get the job done. The first unit is respectable and very competitive when looking around the league. It’s the second group that teams manhandle. Most are out of position and or just don’t have one. The guys are doing the best they can, this one is on the GM.
COACHING
D - - Poor Erik Spoelstra has been given no direction with this team. Not one strategy, lineup adjustment. . . nothing. Still the team has shown signs of life for the playoffs with a healthy .548 win percentage against the Western Conference, including 7-2 within their division. If given full reign, this squad might just be able to hang in there and give someone a run for their money come late June.
SUMMARY
Just last season the Jazz put together a band of very young yet talented players with the hopes of watching them bond and grow together. It was a sound philosophy if only the Jazz would have been more patient as they were clearly improving.
But how much more patience was required? Through the first half of this season, Utah remained on the edge of the playoff eight, a place they’ve become very familiar with. To be fair, some of this had to do with nagging minor injuries to a handful of important players, but the team also had a pretty big shakeup in the first half and lost some cornerstone pieces.
The bad news is that the Jazz defense is deplorable. Outside of a few steals and blocks from Dante Exum and Larry Sanders, there is nothing else to speak of. It’s quite literally the opposite of defense, ranking 26th in the league in points allowed. Even what Dante and Larry bring the table are just stat stuffing for the most part. The second unit is also poor compared to the rest of the league.
The good news for Utah is the Jazz have a bonafide No. 1 option; two as a matter of fact. Exum had filled that role by default but isn't an A-list player, at least not quite yet. With the addition of Damian Lillard, the team has a couple top options when the game is on the line. They help lead a top 5 scoring offense in the CSL. The dynamic duo is going to be a great building block this off-season when the Jazz have multiple first round picks and a plethora of cap space to use. With a little help, this team could catapult near the top of the West quickly.
Utah JAZZ
C-
| 2017-2018 Record | (as of Feb. 20) |
| W-L | 26-27 |
| PCT | .491 |
| DIV | 7-2 |
| CONF | 17-14 |
| HOME | 15-13 |
| ROAD | 11-14 |
| 111.5 ppg | 110.3 papg |
| 19.8 apg | 7.3 spg |
| .454 FG% | 6.8 bpg |
| 15.0 topg | 43.8rpg |
FRONTCOURT
C - - It’s hard to judge this group with the amount of changes that have taken place this season but the current rotation is not holding its weight. Larry Sanders is the biggest name with JJ Hickson and Derrick Favors gone. He isn’t flashy and is holding his own on both ends of the court. The duo of Wilson Chandler and Doug McDermott have been formidable but now things could get interesting with Trevor Ariza on board. The Jazz will likely go small until further notice.
BACKCOURT
B - - Quite possibly the best 1-2 backcourt in the league but Damian Lillard and Dante Exum have yet to meet the hype in the win column. Exum is coming off an All Star game starting nod and on the rise to becoming one of the top all around players in the CSL. The supporting cast is the reason this group doesn’t get a higher grade. At this point, Keith Appling is the only reserve and heh is out for another month and a half.
DEFENSE
F - - Just turrible. Nothing more can be said about this facet of Utah’s game. Two players contribute and that’s it.
BENCH
C - - Loaded with backup forwards is just not enough to get the job done. The first unit is respectable and very competitive when looking around the league. It’s the second group that teams manhandle. Most are out of position and or just don’t have one. The guys are doing the best they can, this one is on the GM.
COACHING
D - - Poor Erik Spoelstra has been given no direction with this team. Not one strategy, lineup adjustment. . . nothing. Still the team has shown signs of life for the playoffs with a healthy .548 win percentage against the Western Conference, including 7-2 within their division. If given full reign, this squad might just be able to hang in there and give someone a run for their money come late June.
SUMMARY
Just last season the Jazz put together a band of very young yet talented players with the hopes of watching them bond and grow together. It was a sound philosophy if only the Jazz would have been more patient as they were clearly improving.
But how much more patience was required? Through the first half of this season, Utah remained on the edge of the playoff eight, a place they’ve become very familiar with. To be fair, some of this had to do with nagging minor injuries to a handful of important players, but the team also had a pretty big shakeup in the first half and lost some cornerstone pieces.
The bad news is that the Jazz defense is deplorable. Outside of a few steals and blocks from Dante Exum and Larry Sanders, there is nothing else to speak of. It’s quite literally the opposite of defense, ranking 26th in the league in points allowed. Even what Dante and Larry bring the table are just stat stuffing for the most part. The second unit is also poor compared to the rest of the league.
The good news for Utah is the Jazz have a bonafide No. 1 option; two as a matter of fact. Exum had filled that role by default but isn't an A-list player, at least not quite yet. With the addition of Damian Lillard, the team has a couple top options when the game is on the line. They help lead a top 5 scoring offense in the CSL. The dynamic duo is going to be a great building block this off-season when the Jazz have multiple first round picks and a plethora of cap space to use. With a little help, this team could catapult near the top of the West quickly.
