Utah Jazz: Young or Not, That is the Frontcourt Question

Al Jefferson was the Utah Jazz’s leading scorer this season at 17.7 points per game. (NBA.com photo)

For the Utah Jazz, it was a disappointing end to the regular season as their postseason hopes crumbled from their grasp. Now the team’s attention has turned towards July 1, which marks the start of the free agency frenzy, as well as the future, perhaps without both Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap.

For a while now, Jefferson and Millsap have been the franchise’s epicenter, building around them since the departure of Deron Williams. As good as they have been, the duo has borne no fruit as the team is again watching rather than participating in the postseason festivities.

With just $26 million in guaranteed money going into the free agency, general manager Dennis Lindsey has plenty of cap room and options to work with, one being to stay in-house and go young to fill their possible big man hole.

Derrick Favors has been coming along nicely, but has been stuck behind Millsap and Jefferson in the Jazz’ rotation. In just 23.2 minutes of play, the third-year big man averaged 9.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.7 blocks and nearly one steal per game. Imagine what he could do with 30-plus minutes of court time.

Here is a glimpse of what it would be like; According to NBA.com’s Stat Central, if Favors played at the same level for 36 minutes game, he would average 14.6 points, 11 rebounds, 2.6 blocks and 1.3 steals per game. However, he would also be in constant foul trouble with five fouls per game.

At 6’10” and nearly 250 pounds, Favors is the perfect size for the power forward position currently occupied by Paul Millsap. He doesn’t have Millsap’s versatility nor his scoring prowess, but he is extremely athletic and is a force defensively, challenging and altering all shots that come his way.

Another big man Utah have waiting in the wings is Enes Kanter.

The Turk was highly touted and considered to be the next great European product as he headed to the University of Kentucky in 2010. However, Kanter was deemed permanently ineligible by the NCAA on grounds of receiving excessive benefits, after being paid more than $30,000 by his previous team, Fenerbahçe Ülker.

Even though Kanter missed a full year of basketball, the Utah Jazz selected him with the third overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft.

During his rookie season, he didn’t exactly blow the door to stardom off its hinges, posting just 4.6 points, making less than 50 percent of his field goals and shooting 67 percent from the foul line.

Having said that, Kanter did grab 4.2 rebounds while playing merely 13.2 minutes a game, which equates to 11.4 boards a game converted to per 36 minutes.

In 2012-13, he increased his scoring to 7.2 points while seeing just 15 minutes of on court action. In addition to this, his free-throw shooting has improved significantly, shooting nearly 80 percent during his sophomore year.

It still remains to be seen whether Enes Kanter can fulfil his potential and have a successful career. However, the fleet-footed center shown glimpses of what he can do as he has exhibited impressive post scoring moves. Also, at 6’11” and 260 pounds, he has the size and determination to bang with the big boys when crashing the boards, though his defense still needs a little work.

With the possible departure of Big Al or Millsap, Kanter will definitely see an ample increase in playing time next season. He might even be pushed into a starting role if both them leave. After all, his only competition will be Jeremy Evans. However, it would be smart for Utah to keep at least one of their star big men in case Kanter doesn’t impress, preferably Jefferson since Favors’ natural position is at the 4 spot. Besides, it would be tough for Favors and Kanter to replace 2,426 points, 365 assists and 182 steals by themselves.