Utah Jazz: 3 reasons why Utah has struggled as of late
3. Forced to think offensively
For many teams, when you see your offensive numbers improve, all should be fine. But for Utah, that hasn’t been the case. In fact, that turnaround has so far been a bad sign.
The reasoning behind the turnaround offensively for the Jazz actually stems back to their defense. They are unable to get stops defensively, therefore find themselves looking to play catchup in shootout-type games.
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In the first few weeks of the season, the Jazz ranked near the bottom of the league in many offensive categories. Utah ranked 21st in 3-point percentage (34.4 percent), 28th in field goal percentage (42.7 percent), 28th in scoring (97 points per game), 28th in assists (19.3 per game) and 28th in offensive rating (97.3).
But the Jazz didn’t necessarily have to focus their attention offensively. When they are playing lockdown defense like they were to kick off the year, you won’t see yourself in many high scoring games.
But now that their defense has taken a hit, the Jazz have found themselves in those high scoring games and now thinking offensively more than they are accustomed to, which is another problem that had led into Utah’s rough patch.
Over the last week or so, the Jazz offense has definitely improved, ranking fifth in 3-point percentage (40.1 percent), 16th in field goal percentage (45 percent), 14th in points per game (105.9), 18th in assists (22) and eighth in offensive rating (109).
Next: 2017-18 Week 6 NBA Power Rankings
Maybe Utah focusing more offensively and less defensively isn’t a good thing for the Jazz, with the stats backing that up, and it’s just one of the problems Utah is facing right now.