Why the Utah Jazz were swept by the Golden State Warriors

Wing scoring (or lack thereof)

Throughout their series against the Los Angeles Clippers, the Jazz received great contributions from Gordon Hayward and Joe Johnson, the latter of which more or less won them two games on the road.

Against the Warriors, Hayward was his usual self, averaging 24.8 points per game and leading the team in scoring in three of the four contests. However, Johnson and almost every other Jazz wing did not step up accordingly.

Johnson did not score more than 11 points in any game, and shot a cumulative 12-for-38 (31.6 percent) from the field. When he’s not scoring, his 35-year-old body isn’t able to keep up well with quicker wings.

Joe Ingles, who was tasked with guarding Klay Thompson, continued to play a limited role on offense, going for just 25 points over four games, although his shooting wasn’t as bad as others.

Continuing his struggles from the Jazz’s previous series, Rodney Hood also scored 25 points, shooting poorly from the field and leaving Game 4 early with a perceived injury.

Derrick Favors, who claimed he is “100 percent healthy” going forward, also had a rough series, seeing a sharp decline in both minutes and production.

The absence of Hill twisted the circumstances a little, but it is essential for Hayward’s return in free agency that he sees the Jazz as a group he can compete against the best teams in the league like Golden State.

The lack of assistance in this series might make that a harder sell for the Jazz’s front office.