Utah Jazz: Biggest Takeaways From Summer League

It’s starting to look more and more like the Utah Jazz are making all of the moves necessary to make a big playoff push in the Western Conference and why shouldn’t they?

The Western Conference is going to have three teams from last year’s playoffs who most likely will not make next season’s postseason tournament. Utah is grasping that idea and is making the necessary moves in order to compete.

ALSO ON HOOPSHABIT: Utah Jazz: What Would Be Best For Bryce Cotton?

With the two additions in point guard Raul Neto and center Tibor Pleiss, Utah has filled out some of the weaker parts of the roster. However, because the NBA season isn’t until October we get a chance to see some of the other bench players that will make an impact for their team. Utah’s got a few players during the Summer League that are going to become standouts in the regular season.

Here are three of the biggest takeaways from the summer.

Next: Trey Lyles = A Perfect Fit

Trey Lyles

Trey Lyles’ versatility on the court is truly one of a kind.

Even though Lyles is extremely versatile, it’s going to take him some time in order to make the big splash that many expect from him. The problem with living in the year 2015 is that we’re so used to instant gratification. We’re the YouTube and Vine generation and we want highlights all the time.

We expect rookies to come in and make an immediate impact and sometimes it’s not going to go that way.

Lyles had a lot of high expectations coming into the Las Vegas Summer League and rightfully so, because everyone knows how talented he is. It took Lyles a bit of time to get adjusted to the speed of the game but he’s started to hit his stride after signing his rookie contract late.

The biggest takeaway from Lyles’ game is that he’s a genuine stretch 4 and that’s something that Utah desperately needed last season. Because Lyles can space the floor, he’s going to open up the lanes for Derrick Favors, Gordon Hayward and Alec Burks to go to work in the paint.

Next: Lyles Cont.

Trey Lyles Cont. 

During the Summer League we saw Lyles’ real game.

Lyles has the skill in order to bring the ball up the floor with ease. He also possesses the ability to step out to the three-point line and make shots. In fact in Las Vegas, Lyles made it a routine to roam on the perimeter and space the floor.

With his size at 6’10”, when Lyles caught the ball on the three-point line, he was taking smaller opponents straight to the post to go to work on the block. Whenever he was matched up against  bigger opponents though, Lyles, used his intelligence in order to take them off the dribble.

Because of his versatility in his rookie season, we’re going to see Lyles get utilized at a bunch of different positions, including small forward and power forward. His versatility, combined with the roster that Utah has already, will have opponents shaking their head on how to guard each matchup.

Next: Goodbye, Bryce Cotton?

Bryce Cotton

There hasn’t been a player that’s been more impressive playing for the Jazz during the Summer League than Bryce Cotton.

Because of his awesome play during the summer, the undersized point guard is going to earn himself a guaranteed contract on someone’s roster. Utah might not be able to keep Cotton and it might be in his best interest if he didn’t.

Playing on a roster that already has Trey Burke, Dante Exum and the newly signed Raul Neto all under contract won’t give Cotton the minutes on the court that he deserves to play.

In essence each of Cotton’s summer league games is a tryout.

The question is what team will eventually pull the trigger on his contract. Anyone can see that he’s got combination of elite athleticism, a wicked jump shot and the ability to take his defenders off the dribble. Teams need to get over his size and start to look at what he’s doing to his opponents.

Cotton’s talented and in reality I’d rather have him starting point guard over Exum or Neto, but that’s Utah’s decision to live with.

Cotton’s going to make the New York Knicks or Philadelphia 76ers very happy.

Next: Rodney Hood

Rodney Hood

Winning any award in the NBA is a very difficult task to do. Winning an award during your sophomore season in the league is even more challenging. Rodney Hood looks like he was built for the task because the second-year professional looks like he’s primed for a breakout season.

Entering into his second season in the league, Hood’s finally healthy and isn’t plagued by the injuries that kept him out of the rotation last season. There are no doubts in my mind after watching Hood play in the Utah Summer League that he’s going to become one of the candidates for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award by the end of the season.

The 6’8 lefty swingman can play three different positions on the court–including point guard, shooting guard and small forward–and he might be good enough to thrive at all three spots.

Next: Rodney Hood Cont.

Rodney Hood Cont. 

Hood’s going to play for a Jazz team that should (yes, they should) make the playoffs. If his numbers are anywhere near  15.5 points, 2.1 assists and 1.9 rebounds per game, then look for him to make a strong case to win the award. Of course Utah also has to win close to 44 games and in the Western Conference it’s not an easy task.

Want to know who put up that stat line last year? Lou Williams averaged those numbers for the Toronto Raptors, who went on to win 49 games and made the playoffs. Williams’ numbers combined with the Raptors’ success gave him enough validity to win the award.

Hood, in his rookie season, wasn’t too far away as posted a stat line of 8.5 points, 1.7 assists and 2.3 rebounds per game in 21.3 minutes. If the Summer League wasn’t evidence enough, look for those numbers to increase in the regular season.

Next: Utah Jazz: Chris Johnson or Jack Cooley?

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