Jazz mailbag: Looking at where the team goes from here and what development is necessary for some of the young players

byDuc Manh •
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Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy, wearing black, calls out instructions

Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy calls out directions to his group because the Utah Jazz and the Denver Nuggets play at Vivint Area on opening night time in Salt Lake Metropolis on Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022.

Scott G Winterton, Deseret Information

This week I’d prefer to say how extremely grateful I'm to the entire readers who proceed to comply with alongside right here with me on the Deseret Information and who come right here for all issues Utah Jazz.

It’s really an honor to carry you the knowledge and tales about this group and the NBA. With that in thoughts, I assumed I’d open up the mailbag and see what was on the minds of the Jazz followers. Let’s dig in.

Wow, proper off the bat, a giant query.

The Utah Jazz are 1 / 4 of the best way via this 82-game season, and as of scripting this they're nonetheless on the high of the Western Convention. So, the place does this group go from right here? There are so, so, so many variables right here that might decide the longer term.

How a lot time does Mike Conley miss? Are the Jazz introduced with a commerce supply earlier than the deadline that they will’t move up? Do they attempt to make improve offers earlier than the deadline? How does improvement of the youthful gamers play out this season? Does the group regress?

There’s quite a bit that may occur and alter in an NBA season, however I are likely to consider that the Jazz shouldn't make too many waves and that they shouldn’t overreact to something. This may be an important season to trip issues out and simply go so far as they will after which assess the state of affairs within the 2023 offseason.

Lots of people have questions on Will Hardy and the way he’s been in a position to get this group to purchase in so fully to his system and his philosophies.

The query right here is, “What's it about Will Hardy’s outlook and philosophy that makes him completely different as a human from the opposite 29 coaches across the league?”

Properly, to be completely trustworthy, I don’t assume he’s a lot completely different. I believe that he’s new.

Certain, he’s younger and energetic and that may be enjoyable for guys who may need performed beneath among the extra seasoned NBA head coaches, and he’s actually open to alter and adjusting and never caught in his methods. And he has a extremely extremely revered background, however that’s often the case for for many coaches.

To date, Hardy has simply struck the suitable chord with this group. He’s given the gamers confidence and is permitting them to develop their video games and has a variety of freedom to teach the best way he desires and to make use of this roster the best way he desires.

There aren’t huge egos on this group and everybody, from Hardy to the final man on the bench, has quite a bit to show and that’s a motivating state of affairs to be in. I don’t assume that Hardy is that completely different, I simply assume he is perhaps in the suitable place on the proper time.

This is without doubt one of the issues that we nonetheless have to be careful for. There are such a lot of new faces and a lot newness with this group. There’s no solution to know the way they’ll react and adapt to antagonistic conditions.

So, because the season wears on and the Jazz take care of accidents and hard losses and doable shedding stretches within the schedule, I’ll be paying a variety of consideration to how the group responds to every little thing.

Additionally, it’s essential to have a look at this from every particular person after which additionally from the collective group. Proper now, Conley being sidelined is the primary main occasion for this group, nevertheless it’s not a really critical damage and he must be again quickly. The Jazz are saying and doing all the suitable issues and so they aren’t getting down on themselves after losses. However we actually have to attend and see the way it all performs out.

First I need to level out that Collin Sexton has performed in 19 video games within the final yr. Add onto that getting back from a significant damage and that his function as a basketball participant is considerably altering and Sexton has a harder street than most on this Jazz group.

Sexton has most frequently been THE man on the groups that he’s been on up up to now. Now, surrounded by gamers who're dynamic with and with out the ball, he's studying be a playmaker and distributer and that’s not a simple swap.

He's so extremely athletic and aggressive and he’s ridiculously exhausting on himself and he desires every little thing to be excellent proper now. He has the flexibility to be a really impactful level guard, however he hasn’t been requested to function in that function earlier than and so there’s a steep studying curve that he's at the moment navigating.

The Jazz actually consider that Sexton, with the strain that he’s in a position to placed on a protection due to his driving capability, can turn out to be a deadly participant, however he’s going to must turn out to be a extra impactful determination maker and work actually exhausting to learn to learn video games, not simply as a scorer, however as an NBA conductor.

The early returns from Walker Kessler have been nice. That may be a blessing and a curse. Kessler has a variety of the instincts and instruments that may enable him to turn out to be a beginning middle on this league, however his early success can place unneeded expectations on the younger participant.

After simply 19 video games in his rookie season, it’s exhausting to say what Kessler can turn out to be, however what I can say for sure is that he has flashes and moments the place he performs smart past his years and that’s a superb place to begin.

He is also a really fast research and learns from his errors in a swift vogue and that additionally bodes nicely for his improvement. I believe Kessler has all of the instruments essential to have a really lengthy and profitable profession.

The Jazz are superb after they’re enjoying half court docket protection however they've been atrocious in transition. They know this and they're looking for a greater stability. If they will discover a solution to be simpler operating the ground on protection, the ceiling is fairly excessive.

I don’t assume that putting hopes on a rookie and a 21-year-old to develop sufficient in a single season on the defensive finish is the place the entire hope must be positioned. Actually, if we see some strides made by Kessler and Talen Horton-Tucker, the Jazz will profit, however I believe there’s different issues we will search for.

Getting Jarred Vanderbilt to protect second actions with extra precision and guard with out fouling goes to be essential. Additionally, persevering with to develop Lauri Markkanen as a switchable defender who might be efficient towards stronger, greater gamers whereas additionally with the ability to stick with smaller guards is a crucial consideration.

The Jazz are additionally going to wish continued effort and buy-in on the defensive finish from Jordan Clarkson, Sexton, Malik Beasley and Kelly Olynyk. If the Jazz put all of it collectively the ceiling is fairly excessive, however I believe the Jazz are nonetheless type of determining who they're on protection.

Principally, the Jazz are sometimes crashing the boards with at the least three or 4 gamers, generally all 5. When you might have that many guys which can be going for rebounds, if the opposite group will get the ball they will often come out in entrance and beat the protection again down the ground.

The Jazz are going to have to determine both a extra structured means of rebounding or they’re going to have to simply work more durable than each different group to get again down the court docket.

The opposite drawback has been the place the place turnovers happen. The Jazz have dedicated a variety of turnovers both excessive on the court docket the place they don’t have an opportunity to get in entrance of a quick break, or deep within the paint with a variety of gamers in the identical spot, which implies the spacing in transition is simply terrible. So they should work on this. Loads.

I actually do assume that a good variety of the Jazz’s turnover issues might be mounted with the gamers persevering with to construct chemistry and be taught one another on the court docket. Proper now, guys nonetheless don’t know what pace everybody cuts at, how they operated round screens, what sort of tendencies they've, and the place they like to catch the ball. That’s all going to take a while to determine.

I don’t assume that there’s something inside the offensive system that's creating turnovers, however I believe that there’s additionally some gamers which can be being requested to make new choices (Sexton, Horton-Tucker, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Beasley) and albeit they only have to turn out to be higher determination makers.

Being a step sluggish or too fast to make a learn can result in a turnover and so cannot having a backup plan. I believe there’s a variety of gamers on the Jazz which can be having these issues.

Who ought to play level guard when Conley shouldn't be on the court docket? Wow, what a loaded query.

When the Jazz beat the Path Blazers in Portland, Horton-Tucker made a reasonably good case for himself. However that was most likely the perfect recreation that he’s performed from a choice standpoint in a Jazz jersey. Sexton has had some unbelievable moments with the Jazz too. Don’t overlook how he took over the sport down the stretch on opening night time towards the Denver Nuggets.

Clarkson, averaging a career-high in assists, with a knack for ball dealing with and getting out of sticky conditions can be no slack on the ball. I believe it’s most likely too early to say, however sooner or later, somebody goes to emerge because the clear candidate.

Evidenced by the questions submitted for this mailbag, there isn't a scarcity of issues to investigate and scrutinize and look ahead to. That’s been my favourite a part of the season up to now. There are such a lot of issues to concentrate to and so many various growing state of affairs and a lot that’s unsure. It’s made for a really thrilling begin to the season and makes me much more excited for what’s to return.

There’s little question about it, this group shouldn't be boring and so they’ve shocked everybody. How might it not be enjoyable?

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