Utah Jazz: Chris Johnson or Jack Cooley?

To start the 2014-15 NBA season the Utah Jazz are going to have five players on their roster that went undrafted. All of them are expected to help contribute next season.

Even though none of these players heard their name called by either David Stern or Adam Silver on draft night, the Jazz are ready to make a playoff push and each of these players roles within the team will play a vital part in Utah’s goal.

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The reason the Jazz have a lofty goal a year removed from picking No. 5 in the 2014 NBA draft is because of the way that the roster has been constructed. You can’t say enough good things about the way that general manager Dennis Lindsey has assembled this roster.

Lindsey’s scoured the far ends of the Earth looking for talent to play in Utah and he’s done a wonderful job bringing them into Salt Lake City.

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With that being said, two of the undrafted players that deserve to a real opportunity to get minutes next season are none other than Jack Cooley and Chris Johnson. The only problem is, there might not be a roster spot available for both.

On an NBA roster a you are only allowed to have 13 players dressed for the game that can sit on the bench. In addition, there are also two other players under contract that sit in suits behind the bench. By the end of the Las Vegas Summer League, the Jazz could have as many as 17 players under contract, which means something’s got to change.

Let’s say that you had the opportunity to pick between giving Chris Johnson or Jack Cooley consistent minutes, which person do you think would help Utah win more games?

Last season Chris Johnson was one of the players who ended up making his arrival in Salt Lake City fairly late. His first game came March 27 against the Denver Nuggets and he scored six points in 17 minutes.

By the end of the season though Johnson finished the season strong, scoring in double figures in his last three games. Johnson scored 11 points against the Portland Trail Blazers, and 13 points twice against the Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets. By the end of the season a lot of fans were impressed with the instantaneous offense that Johnson brought off the bench.

Fast forward to the Utah Summer League….

Johnson played well in the 25.3 minutes per game. He averaged 9.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2 steals and 1.3 blocks per game. He also helped lead Utah to an undefeated record.

More importantly he impressed defensively which leaves a lot of room for optimism that Johnson could become the backup shooting guard or small forward depending on which lineup is thrown on the court.

Cooley gets the steal and Chris Johnson hits the game-winning shot, but the Jazz called timeout first #JazzSummer pic.twitter.com/SNb0FP8QIj
— Tommy (@tomcat340) July 10, 2015

For Jack Cooley, it’s going to take a lot for him to get minutes in the regular season. Thankfully Cooley’s given the Jazz management and coaching staff a reason to keep him around. During the Utah Summer League, Cooley was one of the most impressive players in the entire league.

Cooley’s effort and motor are two huge factors as to why he’s getting ready to earn a roster spot in the NBA.

Cooley averaged 19.7 minutes and averaged 9.7 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. Cooley’s 9.7 rebounds were the second highest total in the entire league.

However, because Utah drafted Trey Lyles and finally signed Tibor Pleiss to play backup roles to Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert, it’ll be difficult to see how Cooley will get his minutes. Pleiss is a 7’1″ German center that’s been playing professional basketball in Spain with FC Barcelona. He’s extremely polished offensively and will play an excellent backup center to Gobert.

Lyles was the No. 12 pick in 2015 and he’s oozing with way too much potential to earn bench splinters.

Even though both Johnson and Cooley will have to scrap and fight for all of the minutes that they will earn, it’s not an impossible task for them to get on the court.

Johnson and Cooley each brings a unique skill set to Utah that will help win games. Johnson’s a developing defender and already a decent offensive weapon. Cooley, on the other hand, is someone who’s going to crash the boards, he’s going to attempt to draw charges and he’s going to play tough defense on whoever the matchup is.

In all actuality the truth is that each of them should be getting an opportunity to play. Personally if I had to choose to between one of the two, Johnson would get the nod because Utah’s missing perimeter depth on their roster. What will be interesting to see is if Utah can make a trade and get value for Cooley.

If Cooley wants to become a rotation player in the league (which he’s more than capable of becoming) he’s going to need a new start. Utah would be a perfect place but with the abundance of big men on the roster it’ll be hard for him to earn minutes.

On teams like the Los Angeles Lakers, Washington Wizards, San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors and the New York Knicks, you could see Cooley earning a lot of clock.

Either way it feels good knowing that players who are perceived as the 14th and 15th men on the roster have the ability to come in and change the game for Utah.

A chain is only as strong as the weakest link.

Next: Utah Jazz: Do You Believe The Rodney Hood Hype?

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