Over the next month, we’ll be talking with a variety of people who cover each NBA team to find out a little bit about their team, and how they expect the season to go. We’ll also find out what they believe will be the most intriguing matchup when the two team’s meet during the regular season. We continue the Northwest Division with a look at the Utah Jazz. PurpleandBlues contributor Clint Peterson joins us to chat about the Jazz. You can follow Clint on twitter @Clintonite33. Be careful though, he’s a trouble maker.
Game Dates
Friday, December 5th @ Utah
Friday, December 19th @ Orlando
Last Season: 25-57; Finished 15th in Western Conference
December 18th: Orlando 82 Utah 86
March 22nd: Utah 89 Orlando 88
Projected Starters
Point Guard: Trey Burke
Shooting Guard: Alec Burks
Small Forward: Gordon Hayward
Power Forward: Enes Kanter
Center: Derrick Favors
Q: The Jazz have three interesting young guards in Trey Burke, Alec Burks and Dante Exum. How do you see coach Quin Snyder using these three effectively this season?
A: Jazz fans worry about Exum playing next to Burke, since neither has shown they can keep a defense honest with a perimeter game yet, but we need not worry on that as of yet; Exum isn’t NBA ready at this point. The Jazz front office didn’t draft the Aussie Boomer to throw to the wolves, but rather snatched him up for his promising future.
As I recently noted for PurpleandBlues, Trey is a pick-and-roll specialist who was underutilized under former head coach Tyrone Corbin in that capacity. Snyder, on the other hand, is a PnR pro who even wrote about teaching it for FIBA some years ago. I’d expect we see Exum backing up Burke at the point more than we will see them on the floor together, for the foreseeable future, until one or the other seizes the spot for good down the road.
Alec Burks has shown he can shoot, despite concerns coming out of Colorado. He’s poised to have a breakout season that could stall out a bit as opposing scouts finally have an opportunity to figure him out. He’ll likely start the season for Utah at the shooting guard spot, but could be pulled for dominating the ball from time to time, if he’s not hot and popping shots.
"“Alec Burks’ favorite move is to get the pass in position for a corner three, pump fake, then race the baseline and make something happen at the rim. So far, scouts haven’t seen enough of Burks to effectively stop his uber-athleticism in the paint, but Burks will be forced to expand his repertoire as he garners more attention.”"
Q: With Enes Kanter entering a contract year, what do you need to see from him for him to continue to be in the Jazz’s long-term plans?
A: Defense, defense, passing and defense.
The big Turk was often utterly lost on defense last season, sometimes even running away from his man and bodying up on no one at all, or was caught just standing on the elbow with his back to the basket. He’ll also need to learn to pass when drawing the opposition instead of forcing his way to the basket repeatedly. You gotta love the tenacity, but it’s not very effective for the team, something Snyder, with his San Antonio Spurs pedigree, values highly.
There’s much more on Kanter and the other promising young players in Utah in my latest at PurpleandBlues, in the link given above. You’ll see some misconceptions on the interwebz, so I attempted to alleviate some of the confusion with a comprehensive look at what we should expect to see from Utah’s young guns this season, with the new system and staff.
Q: What’s one matchup you’ll be watching closely when the Magic and Jazz get together?
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A: Isn’t everyone waiting for the rain that Channing Frye and Steve Novak will bring? They might break the sky!
Aside from that amateur weather report, I’ve always been a big fan of Nikola Vucevic, and feel like he’s often overlooked among up-and-coming young bigs. Derrick Favors, with Rudy Gobert backing him up, should be an intense battle around the basket. Vucevic could be a 20/10 machine soon.
Q: What are fair expectations for the Jazz this season? What must they do to take the next step in their rebuilding process?
A: There shouldn’t be much in the way of expectations for wins this season. What we should be watching for is how well can the youngsters grasp the new schemes presented on both sides of the floor. Jazz brass have been in “asset accumulation mode” for some time now, and as a result will probably acquire even a few more assets, intentionally or not, in the way of another high lottery pick or two before the current crop ripens up and gets to the next level.
Players to watch for, concerning reaching that next level this particular season, are Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors. This pair is almost to the NBA minutes played point of where players begin to reach their statistical peak.