Can the Jazz Continue Like This? NBA Scout Comments on Utah’s Strong Start
The Utah Jazz have surpassed all expectations one month into the 2022–23 NBA season. Utah was predicted to fall in the standings and enter the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes after trading Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Royce O’Neale, and replacing head coach Quin Snyder with 34-year-old Will Hardy.
Instead, the Jazz are 10-6 with victories over teams like the Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies, Atlanta Hawks, New Orleans Pelicans, and Los Angeles Clippers, among others. Utah currently ranks 12th in defense and seventh in offense in the NBA, scoring 111.4 points per 100 possessions and 108.7 points per 100 possessions, respectively.
Six of their players, including Lauri Markkanen (21.3), Jordan Clarkson (17.9), Collin Sexton (13.3), Kelly Olynyk (13.2), Malik Beasley (12.3), and Mike Conley (10.7), average double digit points per game. This team puts in a lot of hustle plays and plays very hard.
The Jazz aren’t a very young team, in contrast to other teams that were predicted to struggle heading into this season. The Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, and Orlando Magic are the four teams in the league with the youngest rosters, with average ages of 23.14, 23.58, 23.84, and 23.94 respectively. Utah’s roster has an average age of 25.86, which is significantly older than those teams. Markkanen, Olynyk, Clarkson, Beasley, Sexton, Conley, and Jarred Vanderbilt have all made significant contributions to the Jazz, who are developing an impressive young core.
Utah was in first place in the Western Conference standings going into this week. The Jazz have dropped to fourth place in the West, though, following three straight losses.
Was Utah’s early-season success a fluke, or can they continue to play at this caliber in the future? Will they stick with this core or eventually trade some of their veterans for more draft picks and prospects? Inquiring about Utah’s strong start to the season, BasketballNews.com spoke with an unnamed NBA scout.
“They’re off to such a hot start, and they’ve got a lot of guys who are really confident,” the anonymous BasketballNews.com was informed by an NBA scout. “I’m a huge fan of Jordan Clarkson, and he’s really come into his own. He has always been a scorer, but I believe he is aware of the fact that he must consistently perform well and take the team forward. I’m so happy for Lauri Markkanen because he’s doing fantastic. Lauri Markkanen was picked up by the Bulls, and we anticipated him to be like this [No. 7 overall]. This is the person we believed he might turn into after some time. Both Mike Conley and Kelly Olynyk, in my opinion, are outstanding veterans. With Collin Sexton, they have a strong bench. Walker Kessler is my favorite player; I believe he will make a great big. Talen Horton-Tucker is another option… I had anticipated that Ochai Agbaji and Leandro Bolmaro would get a chance to play, but there is so much depth that they haven’t really had the chance. They have many veterans who have produced a great deal.
“Despite not being regarded as “sexy,” I think they made a lot of good moves.’ They weren’t [additions] that many people anticipated would make such a significant difference, but they all work well together. I think their coaching is excellent, and I like their team. I believe that [their early success] is evidence of the excellent work that their coaching staff has done.”
Everyone is speculating about the sustainability of this year’s Jazz festival. The NBA scout believes Utah is a legit team.
“I think it’s sustainable,” said the NBA scout. “They are aware of the talk surrounding tanking and were aware of it before the season began, but they have many players on their roster who know how to compete and play hard, who have experienced adversity in their careers, who have good leadership from their veterans, who are talented and capable players. Basically, they are constructed differently.
“According to what I’ve seen of them, they can undoubtedly score a lot of points against you. They have several guys who can start an attack. They have bigs who can spread the floor. They have shooting, but rim protection is one thing that matters a lot once you reach the playoffs, so hopefully Walker Kessler can provide it for them. They’re playing really well, but I think there are a few things to watch out for. They exert a great deal of energy while playing.”
Will Hardy, a rookie head coach, received high praise from the scout.
“I believe there should be much praise for the coaching staff. I think there’s a bunch of buy-in and trust,” the anonymous NBA scout said. “And it seems like they always overcome challenges or periods of difficulty. They have a really effective way of getting through those difficulties, which is always a sign of a strong team, in my opinion. They are among the top teams in the league for a reason because of it. They’ve finished games where they didn’t play well and found a way to win. They’ve also won games that were close. That, in my opinion, is a testament to the staff and coaches there.
“When you consider everything that transpired this offseason, losing Quin Snyder—whom I believe to be an excellent coach—was a significant event. But the work that Will is doing cannot be disregarded. Will is a fantastic illustration of a young coach who seized his opportunity and capitalized on it. Look at how these guys react to him and what he’s accomplished so far; it’s really impressive. There are many excellent young coaches and assistants out there, and I believe that should be the focus of more media attention. It’s wonderful, in my opinion. It cannot be overstated how excellent these young coaches have been, and Will is a great example of that. We often talk about the young talent in the league and how the NBA is in great hands. I believe it’s great for the league that so many of the young coaches are demonstrating that they are extremely knowledgeable in their fields.”
Many NBA observers anticipated the Jazz would keep trading their veterans for draft picks or up-and-coming players before this hot start. Conley, Clarkson, and Olynyk were expected to be pursued by rival executives from playoff teams like vultures, and Utah was expected to continue hoarding draft money. Is it possible that Danny Ainge and company will do this? decide to keep this core together and see if they can make a run? Or, given that these veterans have increased their trade value, is Ainge more likely to wheel-and-deal?
“I think you ride it out with these guys because they’re playing so well,” the NBA scout said. “I believe that having some movable players and movable assets was something that was heavily debated before the year even began. It appeared as though Danny did this naturally given what they were doing and where they were at the beginning of the year. Now that they are winning games and this new coaching staff is [succeeding], you are creating a culture. Winning games helps create a culture. In this procedure, you cannot ignore that.
“They’ve put themselves in a great position, and although I understand that team-building is the overarching goal, I was not prepared for what they received in return from their trades, particularly the Rudy trade. They’re winning games, which is still good, and I believe they’re in a great position. Too frequently, I believe, we avoid allowing teams to win games in order to “rebuild,” but it’s okay to keep winning games and develop your culture.”
The Jazz have undoubtedly been an entertaining story and welcome surprise in recent weeks, but only time will tell if they can maintain this level of play.
Source: https://www.basketballnews.com/
