2021-22 regular season Utah Jazz news, notes and game coverage

[Xiao Yao You]

https://kslsports.com/471125/ryan-sm...as-jazz-owner/

The team did make a cost-cutting move by sending Derrick Favors to the Oklahoma City Thunder along with a first-round draft pick but wisely added veterans Rudy Gay, Hassan Whiteside, and Eric Paschall in his absence.

seems more of a personnel move to me no matter how much you want to spin it. Too bad Clarkson and COTY are still around

Smith’s willingness to spend should give the Jazz a competitive advantage while their championship window is open, and is perhaps the best sign fans could have gotten early in the new owner’s tenure that he is serious about elevating the team to new heights.

we'll see. You have to spend smartly. Giving Mitchell super max that he didn't earn and Clarkson anything is stupid as was Favors

[Xiao Yao You]

https://www.deseret.com/2021/10/28/2...-eric-paschall

It seems like every single game there is something new to like about what Eric Paschall brings to the Jazz. We saw a little bit more offensive aggression and some strength on the boards and sacrificing his body for the play. It’s that kind of stuff that is going to make Quin Snyder’s job even harder when Rudy Gay is cleared to play. But hey, that’s a good problem to have.

trade Clarkson. Move O'Neale back to wing where he belongs

In the opening minute of the fourth quarter Jordan Clarkson drove into traffic and in the second that he was off the floor, in what was originally going to be a move for a layup, he noticed Rudy Gobert behind him and hooked the basketball around to Gobert who got the easy dunk. These are the kind of plays that are almost expected out of ball-handling guards in the NBA, but I don’t think that players get enough credit for the recognition and decision-making they’re able to accomplish in a split second.

it's noticed more when a guy rarely passes

It’s hard not to feel bad for guys like Christian Wood, who was getting better and better with every year and it earned him him a bigger contract in the sign-and-trade that brought him to Houston from Detroit. Is he going to get a chance to be on a good team at all during his prime? Probably not if he stays in Houston.

feel horrible for a guy that makes 10's of millions

[Xiao Yao You]

https://www.deseret.com/2021/10/28/2...-nba-title-run

In the offseason the Jazz added Rudy Gay, Eric Paschall, Hassan Whiteside and drafted Jared Butler. They made moves that make the team deeper, more versatile, and more stable for the future. But even with those tweaks around the edges of the roster, the fact remains that the Jazz’s success is largely going to depend on the trajectory of Mitchell’s growth.

remains to be seen if they are more versatile, deeper and stable

Through the 2021 playoffs Mitchell was in significant pain. He came back early from a serious ankle sprain and continued to take hits as the postseason unfolded.

maybe next time listen to the doctors?

He was still phenomenal. Through grimaces and trying as much as he could to not land on his injured right ankle, taking jump shots with most of his weight on his left side, Mitchell was sensational. But the Jazz lost 4-2 to the Clippers and were sent home after the second round.

too bad his defense and selfish play cost them yet again

Some people might say that with the energy that Mitchell expends on the offensive end, with the load he carries for the Jazz in scoring and playmaking, it might be unrealistic to ask him to turn into a lockdown defender.

tired of hearing it. Rudy, Conley, O'Neale do it at both ends

It’s not just the defensive side where Mitchell sees room to get better. He talks about becoming more efficient, and he’s not just talking about shooting percentages. Efficiency to Mitchell means making the most of every minute on the court and cutting down on errors.

and pass the ball for a change!

[Xiao Yao You]

https://www.slcdunk.com/2021/10/28/2...e-playing-time

Butler’s first NBA stint was a short one, as he was subbed out after just 90 seconds. Everyone has wondered how Quin Snyder would handle Jared Butler’s minutes. The Jazz are insanely deep. Arguably the deepest team in the league as far as talent goes in positions 1 though 7, and even beyond. We wondered where Snyder would find a fit for Butler in the rotation, and it seemed a little strange that he was yanked after a minute and a half, especially cause he really didn’t do anything bad or stupid. Snyder has a reputation of keeping younger guys on a short leash, but we don’t really need to get into that, right Exum Islanders??

Exum sucks. Butler doesn't. Forrest is better right now and probably Oni too. Gleague is there for a reason. As is the ability to trade Clarkson

The reference to Exum Island terrifies me... let's hope Q gives Butler some decent playing time. Thank heavens Shelvin Mack isn't on the roster!

Shelvin didn't suck

I think the idea that Snyder won't play rookies is a bit overblown. There are obviously a lot of rookies that Snyder did not give playing time to but in most instances these players just weren't NBA-caliber players. When rookies (or young players in general) show ability to contribute, they get playing time (e.g., Hood, Ingles, pre-injury Exum, O'Neale). Mitchell even led the team in minutes his rookie year.

Hood and Allen went to Duke. Ingles was a vet just NBA rookie. O'Neale earned it. He wasn't trying to get the Wizard fired yet either. Last two years he'd rather lose than play rookies

[Xiao Yao You]

Ricky Rubio has had a positive impact for the Cleveland Cavaliers during the early part of his tenure with the team. Rubio is one of Cleveland’s key veterans on a roster filled with young players. “Without getting too far out over my skis and getting aggregated too much, Ricky Rubio, from what I understand, was not thrilled about being traded to Cleveland,” said Brian Windhorst on his podcast. “And at this point in his career, I don’t really blame him.” “It was also like the 14th time he was traded in the last two years,” interjected Tim MacMahon.

– via RealGM





“He signed thinking he was going to be playing alongside Devin Booker in Phoenix and next thing he knows he is in Cleveland. Okay, so it took some convincing to get Rubio sold on that this was the best place for him. Whatever they did, they got Rubio focused and he is providing very level-headed competent ball handling and execution, which considering the last couple of years, they’ve played with very young and sometimes very wild guards. Putting Rubio out there makes a difference.”
– via RealGM

can't shoot, make a lay up, stay in front of your man on D and make 17 mill a year. Poor Ricky!

[Xiao Yao You]

Give me the short version of how you handled the disappointment of the playoff loss, and then you have your personal choice (in free agency) to start processing? Did it always feel like a no-brainer that you’d be back? Mike Conley: No, you know, just being so freshly removed from the playoffs you always think about, ‘All right, next year, next year, next year, we’re gonna figure it out; we’re gonna figure it out.’ And my mind went there. And then, you know, two weeks after that, it was like, ‘Well, now I have to really sit down and evaluate (his choice). Just look back at everything and reflect on decisions that I’ll have to make and what teams might be involved (in pursuing him). And once it kind of became more and more and more clear who was at the table, who was involved… Who was involved? I’m honestly forgetting. It’s been a little while. Mike Conley: There were a couple of teams that were involved. It was Chicago, Dallas. … New York was early, and then they kind of were off and on. For me, it was simple. It was the easiest decision.
– via Sam Amick @ The Athletic




New Orleans? Mike Conley: Yeah, New Orleans. So for me, it was an easy decision (based) on what we had built here and what I was able to be a part of last year and in the last few seasons. Just wanted to be a part of that journey with these guys. Trying to bring a championship to a place that, you know, it’s not easy to do. I think that seeing Milwaukee win was awesome.
– via Sam Amick @ The Athletic

[Xiao Yao You]

Eric Walden: Jazz have exercised their third-year option on Udoka Azubuike
– via Twitter tribjazz

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Eric Walden: New additions to the Jazz injury report: OUT- Mike Conley- Right Knee Injury Maintenance PROBABLE- Hassan Whiteside- Right Hand Contusion

– via Twitter tribjazz

knee not hammy. Good news?

[Xiao Yao You]

Eric Nehm: Just chatted with Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer. He told reporters he does not expect Jrue Holiday or Brook Lopez to play this weekend. The Bucks have a back-to-back against San Antonio and Utah on Saturday and Sunday.

– via Twitter eric_nehm

need to take care of the Bucks

[Xiao Yao You]

https://www.deseret.com/2021/10/29/2...moving-forward

In the short term, it gives Azubuike assurance that he’ll have an NBA contract next season, barring getting waived. While it seemed likely the Jazz would exercise the option, it wasn’t entirely a slam dunk, as Azubuike has yet to make any real impact in the league after being somewhat of a surprise selection with the 27th pick in the 2020 NBA draft.

rather he gets waived or not he gets paid

Additionally, it seems unlikely he’ll make much of a mark this season barring injury to another player, as Hassan Whiteside seems to have solid hold of the backup center spot behind All-Star Rudy Gobert.

we'll see. Whiteside coasts. If Udoka puts it together with the Stars I'd be looking to move Whiteside at the trade deadline

A recent example provides some good reasoning. At the beginning of the 2018-19 season, Utah faced a similar situation with 2017 first-round pick Tony Bradley. He hadn’t done much at all to that point, but the Jazz exercised his contract option anyway.

Bradley was 21. Udoka is 22? Are they improving? I think so.

Bradley then didn’t do a whole lot in his second year either, but in his third, he showed some flashes of being a decent backup center when Utah needed him, and he is still in the league, now in his fifth year (playing for the Chicago Bulls).

What was he doing with the Stars? He was improving and he showed in his one game with the Jazz he could play with a double double

In essence, exercising Azubuike’s option guarantees the Jazz more time at a low price to try to help develop him as a player to see if he can realize the potential his big 6-foot-10, 280-pound frame could have before Utah gives up on the investment it made in him as a first-round draft pick.

could just mean they see him as a valuable piece that could be included in a trade

[Xiao Yao You]

https://www.deseret.com/2021/10/29/2...ucks-on-sunday

Too early to draw any real conclusions, but Sunday’s game will provide important lessons

Will it? Conley not playing tonite. Gay is still out. Mitchell doesn't get going for another month or two at least usually. Butler could still be a big piece...

If the Jazz are able to prove their mettle against the Bucks, they can build on what they showed in that game. If they aren’t able to beat the Bucks, the game will serve as a sort of starting point on the things the Jazz need to correct and work on as the season progresses.

they match up well with the Bucks. We already know that. It's too bad COTY didn't give them a chance to play them last year in the finals

[Xiao Yao You]

https://www.slcdunk.com/2021/10/30/2...novan-mitchell

The Jazz’s schedule has been pretty soft so far this year with wins against the lowly Thunder and Rockets as well as a win against the Nuggets with no Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic leaving before halftime. Their win against the Sacramento Kings is looking better as the Kings have rung off some nice wins of their own, but it would be nice to see the Jazz tested by a team at full strength. They’ll get a little taste of that with the Bulls who are the #2 team in the Eastern Conference standings. The Bulls also surprisingly have the #5 defensive rating this season. That’s a great test for the Jazz who need to show that their #1 offensive rating is for real.

Kings look improved certainly. We'll see if the Bulls really are or not

The Jazz have been steamrolling their bad opponents this season, picking up where they left off last season. They’ve also had something happen that hasn’t happened for years. Their offseason picks and acquisitions haven’t blown up in their face. Hassan Whiteside has been a very pleasant surprise. His rim protection has been great this year. For the season so far, Whiteside is #3 in individual defensive rating and it passes the eye test. In the Jazz system, which emphasizes rim protection, Whiteside has flourished. This season, when the Jazz can play drop coverage in the pick and roll, expect a Jazz win. That’s why a game like tonight is interesting. With a pick and pop center in Nikola Vucevic, how do the Jazz play? Are they able to keep up the defensive intensity if their centers are out of the paint? That’s the biggest question of the season for the Jazz who have an obvious achilles heel.

everyone loved Favors last year until they didn't too!

The other surprisingly good acquisition for the Jazz this season has been Eric Paschall. I’ll be honest, I had zero expectations of Paschall and looked at him more as bringing on a friend of Donovan Mitchell. I was wrong. Paschall has been playing fantastic defense and looks like he’s learned a few things from his time with Draymond Green. Paschall has been consistently denying penetration and has played physical defense. Along with Whiteside, he’s brought an edge and physicality this Jazz team desperately needed. Quin Snyder has some tough decisions coming when Rudy Gay returns because Paschall has been playing at a starter level. How does he get them both on the floor? For the season Paschall has the #9 defensive rating in the league. You have to figure out a way to keep that type of play on the floor. It may mean some experimentation with lineups. Could we see a defensive lineup focused on switching of Mitchell, O’Neale, Paschall, Gay, Gobert? I would love to see it. Until Rudy Gay come back from recovering from surgery, we’ll have to see.

Paschall has put up numbers in the league. Not really surprising he can play is it? If they were smart which they aren't Clarkson would be gone as soon as possible. Bojan would come off the bench. Maybe Paschall could start at the 4 and O'Neale at the 3 where he belongs? Then you still have Butler who will need a spot eventually. Assuming you don't get something for Clarkson besides tax relief/assets?

Conley out tonight as well. That news followed a report that Jrue is out for the weekend as well. I can’t remember; is Mike’s load management consistently the first game of back2backs? or are we not giving the Bull’s back court enough credit? I wouldn’t be surprised to see Don’s slumpy shooting continue. I also wouldn’t be surprised if he takes extra touches and flames them for 40+ ��

wouldn't expect anything from the best player in franchise history for a month or two

[Xiao Yao You]

I'm a little worried about Clarkson however. I know he is the flamethrower, but 11 three pointers on his last years average of 34.7% isn't great. I would love to see him take closer to 8 and make sure those 3 less are the bad ones so his shooting percentage hovers closer to 36% percent. Still 34.7% is about 52% eFG% which was slightly above league average last year.

He sucks. It's ridiculous that the one guy that can't shoot takes the most 3's

Not seeing Niang & co play significant playoff minutes will be luxurious.

what if the guys playing don't do anything either and COTY sticks with them anyway?

I was actually surprised he signed for so little with Philly. I thought he played himself into a bigger contract. I'm just glad the jazz didn't pay it.

He did get a bigger contract and as I had said all year he was gone because of it.

It was hard not to like Niang on a personal level, but it drove me crazy to see him get significant minutes for the Jazz because of his lack of defense and rebounding—even with the marked improvements he made last season in those areas—especially when his shot wasn’t falling. I’m pleased he has found a good landing spot and is having success.

He was one of the guys that actually did defend last year.

I always thought that Niang should have been given a “Kyle Korver” type of role, but he ended up having a much more significant role for which he was not really suited.

Korver's role was too significant for Sloan too

I was just the season before last that the Jazz was starting Juwan Morgan in the playoffs, and giving real playoff minutes to Tony Bradley, Emmanuel Mudiay, Miye Oni, Jarrell Brantley and Rayjon Tucker.

sadly all those guys could have helped them the past two playoffs

We went from one of the shallowest teams in the league to one of the deepest in two seasons.

we'll see. IF COTY doesn't play guys they aren't deep even though no one called them shallow until they lost in the playoffs when COTY wouldn't try anything else

He won't take them from Butler. Gay will play the 4-5 role. So he would take minutes from Oneale, Bogey, EP, HW, and Gobert.

quit assuming anyone but Gobert and Whiteside will play the 5

Butler will get his minutes. In close games, he may get 2-3. In less intense games more like 5-6, and blowouts, 15 minutes based on the 4 game sample size. And Conley resting games I would be surprised if it were more than the 15 as well with Ingles taking the rest of Conley's minutes, and EP/Clarkson/Mitchell potentially taking the remaining minutes available.

stupid to have Butler sucking in a couple minutes a night when he could be playing big minutes for the Stars

Niang is a very good shooter, but we had shooting to spare. We desperately lacked toughness last year, and perimeter defense. Niang didn't provide either.

except he did. Niang wasn't their problem on D

By the way, the video of EP guarding Will Barton was amazing. Imagine EP on Terrence Mann in the playoffs last year? I think he doesn't go for more than 20 on us.

Imagine Illasova, Brantley, Morgan, Forrest etc. on him. COTY couldn't unfortunately

And with Barton being a SG/SF, that makes me think lineups with Gobert/Whiteside, Gay, Paschall, and any two guards is realistic. Could you imagine the lineup of Gobert, Gay, Paschall, Clarkson, Mitchell? Shooters, paint protection, and two physical defenders in Gay and Paschall. If Paschall can remain around 34-35% from 3 and the rest of the team maintain their usual 38-40% that is a 4+1 lineup that might be able to guard the perimeter and allow Gobert to dominate inside.

2 shooters. We've been there before. It didn't work

Yeah Ingles was not only starting at point he was playing 36+ minutes during many of those games. He's actually a really great point guard, probably the 2nd best player on the team at running the floor, however having him do that for too many minutes for too many games seems to really wear him down. 24 minutes a game is probably about what you want from him at this point in his career.

COTY. Elephant in the room?

[Xiao Yao You]

https://www.slcdunk.com/the-downbeat...itchell-gobert

The Jazz have a deep roster. In fact, so deep that players who deserve playing time won't get it.

is their a year where they aren't supposedly deep until they aren't?

This is an amazing problem for Utah to have. Every team in the NBA wishes it was in a position where their roster slots 9-12 were filled by rotation level players. It’s a comforting position for the Jazz to be in. This, however, does come with its own (very slight) drawbacks. With Rudy Gay, whose yet to play a minute for the Jazz this season, coming back from a heel injury sometime in the near future, two players, Eric Paschall and Jared Butler, are likely to experience a cut in their minutes.

Butler hasn't shown he deserves any minutes yet. Forrest might have an argument though. Paschall was benched last year on a team not as DEEP as the Jazz. Clarkson still sucks

This, since Paschall has been playing so well and since Butler is in need of minutes to develop, is a little unfortunate. Paschall has actually played so well in his short time in Utah that I have a feeling he might still creep into the rotation regularly. He has played with an immense amount of energy, has consistently made intelligent plays on offense, and most importantly, has played fantastic defense at the 4/5 slot. I mean, just look at this phenomenal perimeter defense against the Denver Nuggets:

Butler can develop with the Stars!!!

Butler, on the other hand, hasn’t had as rocking of a start to his season. As a matter of fact, in his handful of minutes played this year, Butler has essentially been Utah’s worst player in every advanced statistic. This is totally okay though! Butler needs to experience those growing pains and play against real NBA-level talent this season to develop more as a player. Unfortunately, unless any of Utah’s starting guards are sitting out, he probably won't see very many minutes.

it's not ok really. Forrest looked better the one game he played besides last year. Oni at least brings defensive energy. Butler hasn't looked good. Even my much maligned Hughes maybe should be ahead of Butler right now?

In the end, what is great about all of this is that as the season progresses, Utah has the ability to rest its starters with more confidence. Given that Utah has gone into the last two playoff runs at far below full health, having such a deep roster will open the opportunity to playing regular rotation players less on a nightly basis and could reduce the likelihood of premature burnout, something that impacted the Jazz heavily last season. In essence, this problem might just be the key to Utah having a real run at the title this year.

We'll see how confident COTY is now that he got the Wizard fired

Butler will probably have to spend some time in the G-League. It's going to be hard for him to get meaningful minutes on a team that's a title favorite. So playing some games in the G-League to help his development is probably going to be the best case scenario for him in the short term.

why do people act like this is a bad thing? Every player should be considered a Gleaguer until they prove otherwise

I also really like Paschall. Based on what I've seen, it wouldn't surprise me if Paschall replaced O'Neale as a starter (not saying this is likely to happen, but I wouldn't be surprised). Both seem like very good defenders but Paschall is a bit bigger, a more natural PF, and a bit better shooter (maybe). Either way, he gives UTA a second wing defender which is desperately needed.

Niang was a great shooter but he was a bit redundant with Bojan and Ingles. Paschall fills a pretty big gap and gives Snyder more lineup flexibility. He also gives Gay more time to get healthy or makes Gay redundant (not a bad problem to have at all). Fingers and toes crossed that Paschall's early season performance continues.

Paschall played best with the Warriors at the 3 and 5 not the 4 where the Jazz need him.m His shot is ugly. Doubt he is ever a very good shooter. O'Neale can shoot. I'd love if he was their answer at the 4 so O'Neale could play the 3 but Bojan is the guy to bench not Royce

Not sure Snyder does that since he seems to have settled on a rotation. HW, and Ingles coming in for Mitchell and Gobert just like he did with Favors and Ingles. Then he has Clarkson for Bogey a few minutes later, and finally EP, Conley, and Gobert back in for Mitchell, Oneale, and HW. Seems to be a similar pattern to last year. Maybe he could move EP into the lineup earlier and sub Oneale out with Bogey?

exactly. COTY isn't doing anything drastic unless he wants to get someone else fired besides the guy that should be him

Oneale is by far the better 3pt shooter between him and paschall. Toss up with defense maybe and rebounding probably goes to Eric. However experience and continuity heavily favor Royce. He also hasn't really done anything to lose his job. He hasn't been outplayed.

Paschall hasn't rebounded much. Royce is certainly better there. Would be nice if Royce didn't have to rebound

Our second unit a advantage with 2 all Stars the top 2 vote getters in 6th man along with Paschall is dominant. We roast teams second units. It's very tough to match our team for 48 minutes and not take a beating for stretches. Teams must pull there hair out trying to score on us in the half court. 48 minutes of elite rim protection. If Forrest or Butler figure something out and develop some more by playoffs then look out. Or both. Forrest for distribution and defense. Butler for shot creation and shooting.

Forrest and others could have helped last year. Again COTY

Eric Paschall plays very similar to Jae Crowder. For the past two years I feel like we really missed what Crowder brought to the Jazz--even though he wasn't a stellar 3-point shooter. The Jazz haven't really had anyone to replace his role since he was traded, but now we do, and at a much lower cost. If Paschall can continue to do the type of things that players like Crowder and P.J. Tucker can do, he could be very valuable for the Jazz going forward.

Jae was missed. His 8 3 attempts a game were not

I think Paschall is a big upgrade over Georges Niang at the backup PF, and I believe Rudy Gay will be also once he's ready to go--two upgrades at the same position.

we'll see. Niang could play. He defended. He wasn't good in the playoffs but will Paschall be? Does it matter with COTY?

Crowder and Paschall are both listed at 6'6" but Paschall seems taller. And I know Paschall won't keep shooting 44%, but if he can even be in the mid to upper 30s, he would be Crowder-with-a-3p which is exactly what UTA needed (and needs).

somehow he shot 33% last year. Hard to imagine him in the upper 30's

[Xiao Yao You]

https://thejnotes.com/2021/10/30/uta...021-22-season/

The fact that the Utah Jazz could routinely miss so many triples and still rank second in the NBA in TS% validates the entire three-point revolution. It demonstrates that shooting more three-pointers makes an offense more efficient, even if those attempts aren’t consistently dropping.

could just mean they've only played 4 games

With all of those factors in mind, it only makes sense that the Jazz have the second lowest percentage of three-point makes assisted on in the league, at 65.5%. It’s not that this team is selfish: more so, having four elite spacers on the floor at all times creates a number of easy, unassisted three-point attempts.

Clarkson and Mitchell is all that needs to be said here