The 2013-14 Utah Jazz roster may or may not be the one that is set at the moment. Whether the Jazz make another trade or sign another free agent, this offseason has had its fair share of action. As the dust has more or less settled after general manager Dennis Lindsey’s roster reconstruction efforts, the team is only partially recognizable. What we see is a roster full of potential, but one that may also be filled with holes. The Jazz’ core of the last few years has had very distinct strengths and weaknesses and the 2013-14 Jazz will have a very different skill set, for better or worse.
At point guard, there are more questions than answers. What is currently the most uncertain spot on the roster, may be the most exciting. Trey Burke is certainly positioned to get the lion’s share of minutes with John Lucas III the primary backup. Jazz fans will be eager to see what Burke can do. Burke has been predicted by many to win the Rookie of the Year award due to the fact that he will almost certainly be put in a position to get minutes right away and the role of primary scoring threat is more or less up for grabs. If John Lucas gets most of the minutes as the backup point guard, the Jazz will be hoping that the veteran can show some of the potential he has never had very much of an opportunity to show. Lucas has played many years in the NBA, but has never played extended minutes. It’s likely that the Jazz will add one more PG to the roster, as the team usually keeps three at a time. If the Jazz stand pat, it’s likely that Alec Burks will share minutes between point guard and shooting guard. This group’s strength would be on offense, getting into the lane and making things happen inside. Burke proved his pick-and-roll prowess in college and Burks wants to get to the rim and finish. The PG spot may be a liability defensively, Burke is relatively undersized and was not a very defensive-minded player in college; however its main weakness may be that both Burke and Burks aren’t as much distributors as they are scorers, which could cause problems for the offense. Obviously, if the Jazz add another PG to the roster, the strengths and weaknesses of the collective could be drastically different.
Alec Burks, Gordon Hayward, Brandon Rush, and Ian Clark will all get time at the shooting guard spot. That is a pretty respectable unit. The clear strength of this unit is its 3-point shooting. The only player of the four that is not known for their shooting is Alec Burks, though he shot the long ball at nearly a 36 percent clip last season. The main weakness of this group is experience. Rush is the most experienced of the group, but has only really played four seasons after an injury kept him out for all but two games of last season. Burks has yet to average 20 minutes per game and Clark is an undrafted rookie. This group will go through some growing pains this season, which could be a theme of the team as a whole.
Gordon Hayward will also get time at small forward. He will be joined by veterans Marvin Williams and Richard Jefferson. Experience will not be in question with this group, but depth will. Gordon Hayward is ready to shine, but Williams had a terrible season last year and will be coming off of surgery and Richard Jefferson is far past his prime and seems to be on a steep decline in his ability. It’s possible, however, that this group (specifically Hayward and Williams) will be the main offensive threat in both the starting lineup and off the bench. Hayward proved very capable last season and will see his offensive touches increase this year as he takes on a leadership role. Marvin Williams had a very poor year, but much of that could be explained by the fact he played most of his minutes as the last offensive option in a very shot-happy Utah starting lineup. Marvin is very capable and could reach his potential while helping a young core develop.
Utah has an exciting collection of bigs. Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter, Rudy Gobert, Jeremy Evans and Andris Biedrins will split time between the power forward and center spots. What stands out right away is the defensive potential of this group. Favors, Gobert, Evans and Biedrins all have the potential to block a lot of shots. The nickname “Swat Lake City” will continue to be heard on local broadcasts. The weakness of this group will be a familiar one: experience. Biedrins is the most experienced of the group, but may be the fourth big of the group. Favors and Kanter have shown flashes of brilliance in their somewhat limited time on the court, but need a lot of work in certain areas. Both have been working with NBA legend Karl Malone this offseason and Jazz fans will hope he taught them to commit much fewer traveling violations and offensive fouls.
Overall, for all the team’s potential, it will lack experience and depth. This will likely mean that the Jazz will be able to compete for periods of time, but will likely be outmatched most of the time by other teams’ depth. It will be a very exciting season for Jazz fans, but one that might be frustrating to watch at times.