2023-24 NBA Season

[Xiao Yao You]

https://www.basketball-reference.com...osiunas-1.html

1st round pick of the Stars. Doesn't look like much on paper. Can shoot a bit. A guard. 6'5

[Xiao Yao You]

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-ba.../isaac-johnson

2nd round pick. 6'9 PF i guess. Not much of a shooter. Rebounds. Can pass a bit. Got some steals so maybe plays D?

[Xiao Yao You]

Miller/Langford
Christopher/Devoe/Kinsey/Lukosiunas
Sensabaugh/Juzang/Justice
Hendricks/Johnson/Hauser(not sure if he can still play with the Stars or nor?)
Potter/Ongenda

Not sure who made it from their tryout last month. I imagine camp starts anyday? They play in a couple weeks

[Xiao Yao You]

Andy Larsen: Taylor Hendricks, Brice Sensabaugh, Johnny Juzang, Micah Potter, and Josh Christopher are all out for tonight, as they’ve been assigned to the G-League SLC Stars. Collin Sexton is also listed as probable, due to a right wrist strain.
– via Twitter andyblarsen

[Xiao Yao You]

https://kslsports.com/506791/jazz-fa...-against-suns/

However, with the increasingly impressive play from rookie Keyonte George who scored 12 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and dished out six assists in 27 minutes against Phoenix, the leash for Horton-Tucker can’t be long.

as long as as The Bum is allowed his unlimited leash than a 22 year old ought to have a pretty long one too

The Jared Butler ‘This Ain’t the Preseason Anymore‘ Award goes to:

could give it to George. He has been a lot better though the 2nd half last night wasn't that good. Great 1st half!

[Xiao Yao You]

https://www.deseret.com/2023/10/29/2...-in-game-savvy

I don’t think that anyone is concerned about Kessler at this point because it’s only three games into the season and he’s playing with some new guys. His timing is a little off and he’s had a few bad nights. I’m confident that he’ll get back to being himself.

I'd guess it's the new guys especially Collins. Collins is a great rim runner that can shoot the 3 too. Kessler is probably trying to figure out where he should be depending on where Collins is?

“It’s an undervalued skill, but Kris is really good at it,” Kessler said. “Obviously I haven’t been playing as well as I wanted to, but it’s early so I’m just trying to stay positive.”

went from a high lottery to the Gleague so he gets it. Probably wouldn't have made it back otherwise

[Xiao Yao You]

Andy Larsen: Ochai Agbaji has been diagnosed with a knee contusion, is listed as questionable vs. DEN tomorrow.

– via Twitter andyblarsen

knee on knee. That shit hurts

[Xiao Yao You]

https://thejnotes.com/2023/10/29/key...-ochai-agbaji/

He could be the second-best player this season when it’s all said and done, or nearly unplayable; we simply don’t know. All we know is what we’re seeing right now. Simply put, he’s someone who can do well on offense, but he’s a defensive liability. And considering the biggest issue the team is currently facing is its perimeter defense, George just isn’t a player who makes sense to play.

We know he's getting better and looks like he belongs. Based on pre-season I didn't think he should be playing but he's shown once the lights go on he's a different player. The Bum is the one that shouldn't be playing!

Not over Ochai Agbaji. Agbaji has seen his minutes decline over the first three games from 19 to 12 to just six minutes of action against the Phoenix Suns. Likewise, George shouldn’t be playing 27 minutes. Not over Agbaji.

Agbaji got hurt and is mostly playing the 3 because they have too many guards and Bums

George shot 4-12 from the floor in his latest outing against the Suns, a truly terrible night of offense from the rookie. And if that wasn’t bad enough, his defense was nearly as problematic. He’s someone who is going to hurt the team as he plays. If he can’t score consistently to offset his poor defense, then what is he providing the team?

he was great in the 1st half. Sounds like he got tired in the 2nd half on his first back to back. He was one of their best players in the 1st for sure

Especially when George is taking shots away from Kelly Olynyk, Simone Fontecciho, Collin Sexton, and Lauri Marrkkanen. Sexton isn’t a great player but he’s a far better scorer than George. He may be worse defensively but George hasn’t exactly proven to be a reliable defender.

Simone had a good game in garbage time but he's mostly been awful. Kelly doesn't need shots to be good. Not sure Sexton is a worse defender right now. He at least plays hard at that end. George might be their best pg outside Dunn

George has only proven one thing so far in his very short career; he’s inconsistent. If the goal is to see what the rookies and youngsters can do, tank for a better pick, and worry about competing down the line, okay, play George. But if we’re to believe the players and the coaches that the goal is the playoffs, George shouldn’t be getting minutes.

The Jazz have mostly been awful in 2 of their 3 games. Who should be getting minutes if not the future of the team? It will pay off later

Not over Agbaji at least. If you want to sit Talen Horton-Tucker, go for it. Give George Horton-Tucker’s minutes. Give George minutes from guys who are either hurting the team or aren’t long for the team. Don’t give George minutes that should be given to guys who can help balance the defense out.

who are these great defenders that should be playing?

Agbaji likewise Kris Dunn, and Walker Kessler, need to be given good minutes to help this horrific defensive start. George isn’t a bad prospect, he’s just not ready to contribute in meaningful ways, and if you really intend to compete, then George can’t be the priority.

Kessler hasn't been good and Dunn who I love hasn't been great either. The Bum sucks period. I'm all for the kid getting time. He belongs

[Xiao Yao You]

https://thejnotes.com/2023/10/29/lau...azz-win-games/

So far, through three games, the Utah Jazz are far from the playoff team we thought they’d be. They’re among the worst, if not the worst defensively; something we feared could be the case due to their collection of offensive-minded guards, while also a middling, unimpressive offense. The team as a whole isn’t shooting well, and guys we thought would be big contributors to the team, like Ochai Agbaji, are sitting on the bench watching. Even the defensive dynamo that was supposed to be Walker Kessler is playing uninspired ball.

Playing a 7 footer at the 3 like it was 1990 has nothing to do with it!

Clearly, giving guys like Jordan Clarkson, Collin Sexton, and Talen Horton-Tucker 31.4 shots per game isn’t helping this offense. We’re hopeful Clarkson gets better as the season goes on, but Sexton doesn’t shoot threes and Horton-Tucker is the 14th-worst shooter in the league.

why would you expect The Bum to get better? He's always sucked and is in his 30's now. Sexton can shoot and score. Talen could be a bench piece once The Bum is dealt

This means either telling the likes of Clarkson, Sexton, and Horton-Tucker to find Markkanen more often or putting in guys who won’t take away from the best shooter on the team. This team’s only victory came when Markkanen out-bodied the opposition and dropped 35 on the Los Angeles Clippers.

Going to have to put the ball in Dunn's hands. Those guys aren't known for their passing

[Xiao Yao You]

https://thejnotes.com/2023/10/29/sim...-more-minutes/

The Utah Jazz are playing a 10-man rotation right now, with a heavy focus on the guard play for the team. Through the the first three games, the Jazz have played five or six guards in all three games, giving them sizeable minutes. It’s not worked all that well and the team’s defense has suffered. While the focus is still on a poorly advised 10-man rotation, the Jazz did give another forward more time on Saturday against the Phoenix Suns.

The Jazz sucked on D last year so blaming it on the guards when they are playing 3 bigs up front in a league where most play one big is laughable

The Jazz tapped Simone Fontecchio to get some minutes and he made the most of those minutes; playing 18 of them, while having a great night of shooting. Fontecchio went 5-8 from the floor (3-6 from three) while scoring 13 points and bringing in three rebounds. All while posting a BPM of +6; the highest on the Jazz out of anyone.

much of it was meaningless garbage time

The Utah Jazz need size on the wings; watching a group of guards who are all closer to 5’11 than they are 6’6 try and guard longer, more established wing players has been brutal. The teams’ defense is the worst in the league and guys like Walker Kessler and Kris Dunn are being exploited due to the lack of team defense around them.

Simone should be playing the 4 in today's league. That is where the defensive problems start

Guys like Jordan Clarkson, Collin Sexton, and even Talen Hoton-Tucker are not helping this team stop guys and all three have had some scoring fits as well. Clarkson could bounce back, but the team needs to worry about finding guys who can hit their shots consistently, which is a hard task right now. After all, it’s not just that they’re not hitting their shots, it’s also that they’re not playing good defense either.

When has The Bum ever done anything consistently other than pound the ball. throw up prayers and brick them? Sexton and Talen are both young and have upside anyway

Each man may be able to bring something to the table but each of the three lacks a major element of their game that is holding back the team. Fontecchio may also suffer from the lack of a certain skillset, but right now he’s the best option the team has for a quick fix to not only their defense but their three-point shooting woes.

I believe Simone was the worst player on the team last year that isn't A Bum. He's not the answer to anything but an expiring contract for Ainge

[Xiao Yao You]

https://thejnotes.com/2023/10/29/how...-their-lineup/

Clarkson may just be starting off slow, but as he’s played well in the FIBA World Cup and for the most part in the preseason, that seems unlikely. Sexton had a rough first two games but against the Suns looked much better; on offense. Defensively he’s becoming borderline unplayable. He has a defensive rating of 130, the worst on the team, and a defensive box plus-minus of -6.2.

I believe the Phillipines lost all their game The Bum played so well. He's where the problems start. Sexton off the bench isn't the problem

Walker Kessler can be summed up as overwhelmed. He’s on the worst defense in the league and even if he could cover four other spots on the court at the same time, it still wouldn’t be enough. So while Kessler isn’t single-handedly changing the game on his own, he’s also at the mercy of four other guys who are usually not doing their job either.

Gobert did just exactly that(while getting blamed for not being able to do it enough in the playoffs) and Kessler has been touted as a DPOTY and all defense. Funny they have given up more than 100 pts for 85 straight games. Who was on the team the last time they held a team under 100 I wonder?

Well, Horton-Tucker is just bad. He’s shooting just 21% from inside the arc, and 33% from outside of it. He’s the top-rated guard defensively but considering how bad the other guards are known to be on defense historically (save for Kris Dunn), that’s not exactly a high bar for him to clear. Defensively he may be a better option than most but the team isn’t playing guys that long either.

His defensive potential is why he's starting. He should come off the bench certainly at this stage of his career anyway

Of the six guards, only Clarkson is getting anything close to 30 minutes per game, making it really hard to judge the play of guys who are getting 18-21 minutes per night.

30 minutes from their worst player. Wonder who we can point the finger at?

We’re not talking about Keyonte George or the other rookie’s development; those young men need time We’re talking about Sexton, a six-year guard who’s known for his poor defense. Clarkson, who has been to the NBA Finals before, is long known for his poor defense. We’re talking about Horton-Tucker and his horrid, well, everything.

Talen has issues but certainly isn't horrid at everything. The Bum is and he isn't young and talented like the others

[Xiao Yao You]

Stars camp opens today!

[Xiao Yao You]

https://saltcityhoops.com/the-salt-c...c-streak-more/

There’s starting to be some amount of noise about Walker Kessler’s counting stats and defensive impact being less impressive through three games, but consider this: 59 of his first 67 minutes have come with at least one of spacing-challenged guards THT and Dunn on the floor. As Jazz fans learned in the Rudy Gobert era, a traditional diving big can still be at the center of a very good offense, but the geometry starts to get harder when you also have non-shooters on the court. So far, the Kessler-THT combo is producing a 108.7 offense and getting outscored by 19.3 points per 100 possessions.

Gobert was still great no matter the lineup. Kid has a lot to prove still

Exactly two Jazz players have ever recorded at least three straight double-doubles to begin their Jazz careers:

Truck Robinson, 1977-78
John Collins, 2023-24

nice. If he could play D like Gobert they'd really have something

[Xiao Yao You]

https://www.ksl.com/article/50770162...ampion-nuggets

In the end, there was too much Nikola Jokic (27 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists) to complete the comeback, but the Jazz made the defending champs play a full four quarters after it looked like it would be a runaway.

more like 34 minutes of The Bum. That was the ball game

[Xiao Yao You]

https://kslsports.com/506891/jazz-fr...ts-to-victory/

Kelly Olynyk scored three points on 0-2 shooting, Ochai Agbaji was 0-5 from the floor including 0-2 from three, while Kris Dunn had a scoreless 0-2 performance.

Olynyk was good. This idea that the announcers and media seem to have of him being a scorer is bizarre

Depth should be a strength of this Jazz team with the number of veterans and young talent sprinkled throughout the roster. But unless that depth performs on a consistent basis, the Jazz will continue to fall short in winnable games.

They had 4 frontcourt players and 2 backcourt guys have good games. 34 minutes of The Bum was the difference in the game not Olynyk taking and missing 2 shots

The ‘Kyle Anderson His Performance Was Better Than His Stats‘ Award Goes To:

Olynyk