The Utah Jazz started their 2013-14 journey on Tuesday night as they took on the Golden State Warriors at home in their first preseason game. The preseason will be a very exciting time for Jazz fans, as there are so many unknowns going into this season. As has been discussed at length, many of Utah’s most used players from last year aren’t on the team. Not only will it be important to see how the “new guys” fit into the picture, but the bigger question will be how will the Jazz’s core of returning players will transition into the starters and leaders of the team. The rookies, newly acquired veterans and returning players will all play vital roles this season. Here is what we might expect from them, as well as some important questions for preseason that have yet to be answered.
The Rookies
The Jazz brought several players into training camp (some rookies, some veterans), and it is likely that one or two will stick, but for now we will focus on guaranteed contracts. Trey Burke, Rudy Gobert and Ian Clark are all going into their first season in the league. Each of the three will be looking to prove their worth.
For Trey, his name has been mentioned since the draft as a possible Rookie of the Year winner and after a very poor summer league performance, he will be looking to prove his value. Trey is a scorer and he has a mastery of the pick-and-roll. Jazz fans can count of Trey being aggressive getting to the basket and being a fierce competitor. The big questions for Trey will be whether he can involve his teammates enough on the offensive end and whether his lack of size (he’s 6’0″) will be too detrimental on the defensive end. As was mentioned, Trey had a terrible summer league and it will important for him to show in preseason games that he can at least feel comfortable at the NBA level.
Rudy Gobert is huge. I mean truly gigantic. Rudy’s 7’2″ height doesn’t even tell the whole story, as Rudy has a 7’8.5″ wingspan (one of the longest ever measured for a basketball player) and a 9’7″ standing reach (draft combine record setting). He has been playing at the professional level in France and has an understanding of how the game works, but his lack of strength may cost him minutes in his rookie year. Steve Luhm of the Salt Lake Tribune talked to coach Tyrone Corbin about Gobert:
"“If he continues to grow like he has this first week, man, he’s been pretty good. Now we’ve got to get him against other competition — in game situations — and see how it transfers…… He can run and jump. He’s really long [and] he’s athletic. He’s smart about when to cut. His hands are pretty good. He has to get stronger. … But if we have to play him, he’ll have moments that are really, really good.”"
Ian Clark: Ian was considered by some to be the best shooter in the draft this summer, but was unlikely to be drafted. The Jazz signed him after an impressive summer league. In order for Ian to crack the rotation, it will be important for him not only shoot well, but play solid defense (he was defensive player of his conference twice at Belmont) and be able to grasp the Jazz offense.
Acquired Veterans
John Lucas III: Lucas was signed by the Jazz this offseason as Mo Williams, Earl Watson and Jamaal Tinsley signed with other teams. It will be important for Lucas to help teach Burke the NBA game, but the big question for Lucas will be whether he is capable of doing that given his limited minutes in his NBA career. The first preseason game went well for Lucas as he displayed the ability to knock down open shots and looked comfortable on the ball and running the offense.
Brandon Rush: Rush is still being limited as to the amount of contact he plays with as he wraps up his recovery from a terrible knee injury last year. He didn’t play in the first preseason game, but he has shown during his career that he is capable of playing solid defense and has shot better than 40 percent from 3. The big question for Brandon will be how close to 100 percent he will be after his injury.
Andris Biedrins: Andris, a 10-year veteran, found himself far outside of Golden State’s rotation last and is hoping for a fresh start in Utah. Biedrins certainly has value, especially on the defensive end as a rebounder and shot blocker. The question for Andris will be whether his competition (in the form of Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter, Jeremy Evans and Rudy Gobert) make it too difficult of him to make an impact. Biedrins’ atrocious free throw shooting (less than 40 percent each of the last four seasons) will be working against him as well.
Richard Jefferson: Jefferson is closing in the end of his career, but believes he still has a couple of seasons left in the tank. Richard’s experience and leadership could be very important for this young Jazz team, but the biggest question for Jefferson is whether he’s just too old.
Returning Players
Jeremy Evans: Evans, a former slam dunk champion, has been limited to “garbage time” minutes in his first few seasons in the league and will be hoping that Utah’s “youth movement” will give him the opportunity to crack the rotation. If Corbin’s rotation in the first preseason game is any indication, Evans will get that chance. Jeremy’s athleticism is not in question, he will provide many highlight-worthy blocks and dunks, but his strength has perpetually been in question and will remain to be. If Jeremy gets pushed around by stronger power forwards, his value will be negated. Another big question for Evans: Can he score in other ways besides the dunk?
Marvin Williams: Marvin admits it never quite clicked for him last season, but it’s possible that he has a breakout season this year. Marvin’s defense has always been a strong point and with Utah lacking a clear offensive star he may see his usage on the offensive end increase dramatically. The question that has followed Williams around for his career is whether he will live up to his perceived potential as a second overall draft pick. The Jazz will hope Williams keeps his rebounding average at around five per game and best his career 33 percent 3-point and 45 percent field goal averages.
The “Core Four”
Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter, Alec Burks and Gordon Hayward. Each of these players needs to be ready to take over at their respective positions. These are the players that will be the offensive and defensive focal points of the team. With the addition of Trey Burke, we can expect this group to garner the most playing time on the team and it’s about time, as each of them has been underutilized in their first few seasons. Hayward and Favors have been specifically asked to become the leaders of this team, but as each of them are quiet by nature, it will be interesting to see how vocal they are during the preseason. Kanter and Burks have both proved extremely capable on the offensive end and may be poised to take huge steps in their careers. Burks will need to improve his career 72 percent free throw average, especially because getting to the line is a huge part of his game. Kanter will hope to keep his career 52 percent FG average with a much bigger role. The big question for Favors will be whether he can add some touch to his offensive game, as his offense to this point has almost exclusively relied upon brute force and athleticism (a quick look at his shot chart shows that the only area of the floor that he has shot close to 50 percent is at or around the rim). Hayward has proven to be a capable starter as last year he averaged 14 points, shot better than 40 percent from 3 and averaged 3.5 assists, but the question for him will be if he can take that to another level since he wont be an offensive afterthought behind Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap, Mo Williams and Randy Foye.
While it is only a preseason game, Utah’s 101-78 thrashing of the Warriors in their first preseason game shows that the “kids” are ready for a bigger role this season.