3 ways the Utah Jazz have started to turn things around

No. 3: Returning to form on defensive end

One thing that the Jazz have been known for the last couple of seasons has been their lockdown efforts on the defensive side of the ball.

Through the 53 games this season, Utah ranks second in steals (9.1), fourth in opponent points per game (102.3), ninth in the NBA in defensive rating (104.5).

In the absence of their All-Defense center Rudy Gobert in the heart of the regular season, which spanned from Dec. 16 to Jan. 17, the Jazz bottomed out on the defensive end and that clearly impacted their record.

In those 15 games without Gobert, the Jazz tallied a record of 4-11 while ranking 27th in defensive rating (111.8), 29th in opponent points per game (49 percent), last in opponent 3-point percentage (41 percent) and recorded a plus/minus of -8.9, which was the worst mark in the league.

In the last 10 games, however, Utah has returned to the form we’re used to seeing from them on defense, ranking third in steals (8.9), fourth in overall defensive rating (102.6), eighth in blocks (5.2) and 10th in opponent points per game (104.3).

Next: 2018 NBA Draft big board: End of January

As important as it is that Utah has gotten back to playing some impressive basketball, it’s probably more important that the Jazz have returned to their top-notch play on defense.