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Utah Jazz: 5 keys to series vs. Thunder

By Mason McFee

Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images
Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images /
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2018 NBA Playoffs
Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images /

Examining five potential keys in the upcoming first round series between the Utah Jazz and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The field is set, the matchups are in, and the Utah Jazz will play the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the 2018 NBA Playoffs. They will be the 5-seed playing on the road in Game 1 after dropping their final game of the regular season and missing out on the 3-seed.

While it remains to be seen how this young Jazz team will fare against this veteran OKC squad, they should not be automatically viewed as the underdog. In fact, they should be Derricked, er, I mean, favored if they follow this genius, surefire, foolproof, could-mean-nothing-come-playoff-time blueprint.

Typically the first step in a blueprint is that the foundation must be set. So here are some building blocks:

  • This past Tuesday night, Russell Westbrook finished the Thunder’s contest against the Memphis Grizzlies with a stat line of six points, 20 rebounds and 19 assists. Entering the night, Westbrook needed (at least) 16 rebounds to average a triple-double for the second consecutive season. By doing so, he joined some exclusive company:
  • Donovan Mitchell broke the single-season record for the most 3-pointers made by a rookie:
  • The Thunder will enter Game 1 allowing 104.4 opponent points per game, good for 10th-best in the league. The Jazz will enter Game 1 allowing a tick under 100 opponent points per game, checking in at 99.8 opponent points per game — good for second-best in the league.
  • The Thunder will enter Game 1 averaging 107.9 points per game, good for 12th-best in the league. Conversely, the Jazz will enter Game 1 averaging 104.1 points per game, nearly in the bottom-third of the league, which ranks them as the 19th-highest scoring team in the league.
  • According to realGM.com, the average age of the Jazz roster is 26.4 years. For comparison, the Thunder’s is 27.7. While it doesn’t seem like something noteworthy, the difference between players that have playoff experience between the teams is 367 games (487 playoff games on OKC’s roster to Utah’s 120). This is excluding Roberson’s 25 games of playoff experience, though Utah’s number is somewhat inflated too, as Jae Crowder accounts for 35 of those 120 games.

TL:DR: The Jazz are a young team, and the Thunder are not.

Bearing all this in mind, here’s a look at the five keys to the series for the Utah Jazz.

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