Utah Jazz: Shelvin Mack Was A Steal

Utah Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey made a steal of a trade when he acquired Shelvin Mack. Here’s why he could help the team.

It’s always been said that good help is hard to find.

In the NBA, that same sentence applies. In the league, owners and general manages are always going to find someone good enough to play. With all of the talent in the world, it’s very difficult to get a spot on an NBA roster. For those who are fortunate and blessed enough to do it, it’s even harder to crack into a rotation or even better, get a starting spot.

The goal of general managers is to make sure their team isn’t suffering from sub-par play, both from their starters or their bench. Having mediocre play or substandard production on a team is something no franchise should get used to. It’s also something that a team looking to make the playoffs shouldn’t get used to.

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For the Utah Jazz, they’ve been developing young point guards for so long that they forgot what it meant to have a true veteran point guard that already understands his strengths and weaknesses.

For example, in the last three seasons Utah has featured a rookie point guard in their starting lineup. Those three were Trey Burke, Dante Exum, and Raul Neto. In those three seasons, their combined averages were 7.9 points and 3.5 assists. Those numbers aren’t moving the needle.

That’s why Utah’s general manager Dennis Lindsey noticed his team had a problem and he made a move that might help them in the short term but not effect them in the long term.

Say Hello to the Mack

You know how they say one man’s trash is another man’s treasure?

Shelvin Mack was catching bench splinters buried behind Jeff Teague and Dennis Schroder at the end of the Atlanta Hawks bench, only playing 7.5 minutes a game. So Lindsey made a great move when he brought in the 25-year-old point guard–who was Gordon Hayward‘s collegiate teammate at Butler–for a second-round pick.

It now looks like Utah is finally equipped enough to gear up to make a big playoff push in the finale of the regular season. Neto didn’t get a cold shoulder, but should they rely on a rookie’s development or should they give a majority of the minutes to Mack and attempt to really make the playoffs?

With the limited amount of time to practice, get chemistry with the team, or get acclimated within the offense, Mack already passed his test in his first game with the Jazz. In his debut, Mack looked like the best point guard on the floor. In the 24 minutes, he played against the Portland Trail Blazers he finished with 16 points, three rebounds, six assists and one blocked shot.

Dennis Lindsey, the Mad Genius

For Utah, they’ve already made the decision that they would like to  use Mack as a valuable member of their team. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have traded for him.

Mack is now going to compete and will most likely start to play in the big minutes late in games. The beauty of having someone like Mack on the team now is that he’s still a fresh body because he hasn’t logged a ton of minutes from the season. Additionally, Utah loves to play defense. It’s the reason why they still have a chance to make the playoffs.

Bringing in a bigger guard like Mack, who’s a stocky 6’3″ and 203 pounds and plays like a pit bull on defense, is only a plus. The fact that he also has a fairly decent offensive game is an even bigger plus for a team that struggles to score points.

Utah head coach Quin Snyder will have a real difficult time not giving a majority of the minutes to Mack even though he hasn’t worked with the team for the entire year. Due to the fact that Lindsey has given the green light to really go for the playoffs, it means that they’re banking on Mack to take them to the playoffs.

Have you ever heard of a team relying on a third-string point guard to help them make the playoffs? Neither have we.

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That’s why Lindsey might’ve just gotten a steal when he traded for Mack.