Jonas Jerebko isn’t a big name in the NBA, but he can help the Utah Jazz and play a role in their quest for playoff basketball in 2017-18.
When you lose Gordon Hayward over the summer, signing a career 6.2 points per game scorer was never going to fill the Utah Jazz fan base with an overwhelming sense of joy. There was never a sure thing when it came to a replacement. All hopes are pinned to Donovan Mitchell, but he has yet to play an NBA game.
The Jazz are relying on a collection of talent pooling together to fill the void, not an individual like-for-like player.
One piece in Utah’s plan to cover their All-Star small forward’s departure involves the addition of a stretch-4 coming off the worst season of his eight-year career.
Per ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Jazz signed Jonas Jerebko to a two-year, $8.2 million deal after he spent the last two seasons with the Boston Celtics.
Free agent Jonas Jerebko has agreed to a two-year, $8.2M deal with Utah, league source tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 13, 2017
The 30-year-old is one of the ‘Jazziest’ signings ever. His signature flew under the radar and barely rated a mention on the major sports news sites. There will be some people who won’t even know he’s on the squad until their first nationally televised game on Nov. 28.
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Jerebko isn’t a player that’s going to make the Jazz a contender, but he will have an influence on their quest for back-to-back playoff appearances.
Players that are happy in their role seem to be at a premium given the recent movement of some of the game’s elite talent. There were instances over the summer of off-contract players searching for redefined roles, some of which they weren’t capable of succeeding in.
Unrest and selfishness are two things the Jazz won’t get out of Jerebko. He’s going to come in and play the role he’s been assigned; he won’t throw the team under the bus for personal gain.
The Swedish power forward is set to play a key role off the bench this season – a role he’s embraced for most of his career. His numbers might be staggered some nights given the deficiencies he has in particular areas of his game, but don’t expect him to drop too far below his 15.8 minutes per game from last season.
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Jerebko is far from a lockdown defender and his rebounding percentage leaves a lot to be desired, but he has a place in this squad. The Jazz needs spacing and 3-point scoring; Jerebko offers both.
With his ability to hit from long range, Jerebko can space the floor for Rudy Gobert, or play the 5 should Quin Snyder go the small-ball route when the Frenchman sits. He played 21 percent of his minutes at center in 2016-17 and is likely to see similar numbers behind Gobert and Derrick Favors this season.
Camping out on the perimeter will drag defenders away from the basket and allow Gobert, and Utah’s new point guard, Ricky Rubio, to operate the much-anticipated pick-and-roll offense. Replace Isaiah Thomas with Rubio in the video below for a look into the future.
Having a look at what Jerebko can do for the Jazz. He's going to have a field day on Rubio P&R kick-out's for starters. pic.twitter.com/fa1OGC2k2R
— Jason (@SportsJO13) September 14, 2017
Utah was ninth in 3-point percentage last season but will be aiming up in 2017-18 with the addition of Jerebko. Coming off a down year shooting 34 percent from beyond the arc, his 39 percent 3-point shooting since the 2013-14 season will keep Snyder hopeful.
The ability to hit the 3-point-shot is at a must in the current NBA climate, and Jerebko offers a steadfast option from anywhere on the perimeter.
Jerebko isn’t going to light Utah on fire with a fusillade of shots from beyond the arc. He’s not going to emulate Gobert’s defensive prowess and lock down an on-fire opposing player down the stretch. He may not even play some nights, but with Jerebko, what you see isn’t necessarily what you think you’re getting.
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He’s going to offer more than just his own counting stats in the box score. A decent 3-point shooter’s influence is felt across the court whether they touch the ball or not. If Jerebko can recreate his 39 percent connections on long range efforts, he will be a key part in Utah’s bench play and a large part of any success they come across throughout the 2017-18 season.