The Utah Jazz Have Arrived, Now What?
By Max Seng
For the last few years, the Utah Jazz have been the trendy pick to break away from the pack of mediocrity. They’ve taken that leap this season, making the stakes higher with expiring contracts looming.
The Utah Jazz sit at 28-16, good for fifth in the Western Conference. They rank last in pace, second in defensive rating, first in opponent field goal percentage and second in opponent fast break points per game.
Those stats paint a picture of a conservative offense not beating itself, propped up by a suffocating defense that doesn’t surrender game-changing plays. The Jazz play their game, not their opponent’s, on most nights, and when that happens they usually win. A big part of that has been their depth and versatility, and how they can match up reasonably well with most teams in the association.
The “healthy” starting five has consisted of two traditional bigs in Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors, with George Hill, Rodney Hood and Gordon Hayward. Due to injury, the Jazz have been forced to experiment with different lineups, particularly with Boris Diaw in Favors’ spot and platooning Dante Exum and Shelvin Mack in Hill’s spot.
2015 draftee Trey Lyles, Joe Johnson and Joe Ingles round out the Jazz’s 11-man rotation, all playing over 18 minutes per game. Due to several games missed by Hill, Favors, Exum, Diaw, Hood and Hayward, the Jazz have learned to play a variety of ways.
Diaw lineups in the Favors spot with both Exum and Hill have been outstanding, with Diaw-Gobert-Hill-Hood-Hayward sporting a +38.4 per 100 possessions, and Diaw-Gobert-Hill-Hood-Hayward at +35.9 per 100 possessions, per Basketball-Reference.
This speaks to the obvious point that with a 4 (Diaw, Lyles, Johnson) that can stretch the floor out to the three-point line opens up the lane more for Gobert to roll and driving lanes for Utah’s troupe of penetrating guards.
The numbers also seem to indicate that Gobert is such a presence around the rim that the loss of size without Favors doesn’t hurt the league’s second-ranked defense.
Teams are shooting a putrid 40.9 percent against Gobert, per NBA.com. He’s become a candidate for Defensive Player Of The Year, anchoring a top-notch defense and striking fear in all opposing players who enter the painted area.
Hayward is also having a career year, as his numbers have steadily ticked up each year as he’s matured into Utah’s go-to player. He’s an effective and efficient offensive player, and isn’t a liability defensively.
Not unlike this team, his ceiling is yet to be determined, but most nights he’s the guy the Jazz look to late in close games, and he’s been able to come through more times than not by making a play.
With this success comes questions. Hill’s contract is up after this season, the remnants of a deal signed with the Indiana Pacers four years ago, and he’ll surely be seeking a raise. Gordon Hayward has given every indication he will opt out this summer, meaning the Jazz will have to “back up the Brinks truck” for the Butler alum. Favors’ contract is up at the end of 2017-18 season, with both Exum and Hood’s restricted free agency looming after 2018-19.
The success without Favors and Gobert’s growth in his absence raises questions to the long-term need of the Georgia Tech product with this group. Favors and Gobert are two mobile bigs, but still largely traditional. It’s getting harder and harder most nights to match up that way, and the rebounding margin and points in the paint have not been so overwhelming as to trump the constrictions offensively.
Lyles has experienced a bit of a sophomore slump, but there are many people high on him in the organization. Diaw is a good stopgap in that position, with “Iso-Joe” fully embracing the Paul Pierce closer role when asked.
Depending on Hood and Exum’s development in the next two years, allowing a 26-year-old power forward to walk may be the best option if Utah really believes in this group to not totally handicap their flexibility for years to come.
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The Jazz know that the clock is ticking, and now that it seems this group is finally ready to compete with the West’s elite, they’ll have to figure out just how much they’re willing to shell out to continue playing into May for years to come.