Utah Jazz: 5 takeaways from 2018 NBA Summer League
By Mason McFee
5. Utah’s frontcourt rotation is set
When the Jazz guaranteed the contracts of Ekpe Udoh and Thabo Sefolosha, the chances of making the roster as a big man became even slimmer. Then the Jazz waived Jonas Jerebko, and there was hope.
Unfortunately for Isaac Haas and Diamond Stone, they didn’t do much with the opportunity given to them.
Coming out of high school, Diamond Stone was a five-star recruit. He surprisingly chose Maryland over Connecticut, Oklahoma State, and Wisconsin. What’s been more surprising is his lack of impact play… anywhere.
In his lone season with the Terps, Stone would have a big game, only to be followed up with a dud the next. After Maryland’s disappointing season in 2016-17 he declared for the draft, but has bounced around the league. He hasn’t appeared in a NBA game since 2017. In this year’s Summer League, that trend continued.
Stone averaged 13.8 points per game in Las Vegas, and was tied for second in rebounds per game. Stats don’t always paint the whole picture.
Stone was often out of position to box out or help on defense, leading to a lot of easy buckets underneath. The scoring was nice, but he’s still a one-dimensional player. He’ll be in the G League next season.
Haas’ stats indict him. He’s 7’2″ and 292 pounds, but shot 33 percent from the field. He averaged 4.8 rebounds and 0.5 blocks per contest.
Utah will head into next season with a rotation of Rudy Gobert, Derrick Favors, Udoh and Sefolosha, and that’s probably okay with them.