Utah Jazz: Complete 2017 offseason grades
By Adam Coffman
The defensive ace: Thabo Sefolosha
With depth at the wing to fill after Hayward’s exit, the Jazz scooped up a proven player to eat some minutes in Thabo Sefolosha. A 12-year veteran, the forward is known mostly for his defensive prowess, but will be used as a complementary 3-and-D asset.
Like Ingles, Sefolosha plays mostly at the 3, but can also defend shooting guards and power forwards if needed. Most of his impact comes from smart rotations and IQ, as his foot speed isn’t quite elite anymore at age 33.
With the Atlanta Hawks last season, Sefolosha averaged career-highs in steals and blocks at 1.5 and 0.5 respectively. In Utah though, his performance will mostly be judged based on his 3-point shooting as he’ll be sharing the court with mostly spacing-challenged point guards.
One contract wrinkle that applies to Sefolosha’s deal as well as the next two — the second year, which also comes in at $5.25 million, has been reported to be non-guaranteed, meaning the Jazz could cut bait on him if the arrangement goes awry.
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At the low price they got him for, there’s really nothing to lose in signing a player like Thabo Sefolosha, which is why this deal earns a favorable grade.
Grade: A