Nov 4, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz mascot Jazz Bear rides a motorcycle onto the court prior to the game against the San Antonio Spurs at Vivint Smart Home Arena. San Antonio won 100-86. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
With Christmas nearly upon us, here’s a look at a handful of items that certainly ought to be at the top of the Utah Jazz’s holiday wish list for next year.
Well, remember that glorious moment when the Utah Jazz burst their way up to fifth place in the West? Remember when I said that due to significant injuries to the Clippers and Rockets, the Jazz had a legitimate shot to rise as high as fourth in the West by the end of the month?
Unfortunately, that’s not all looking so great anymore as Utah has dropped three straight games, one in embarrassing fashion on the road to the Warriors and two in a row at home to the Sacramento Kings, who are surprisingly currently the eighth seed in the West due to Portland’s recent struggles, and the elite Toronto Raptors who are comfortably in second in the East.
And with those losses, Utah has dropped back into seventh place, the same spot they found themselves before last week’s impressive wins over the Oklahoma City Thunder and Memphis Grizzlies.
Dec 23, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward (20) warms up prior to their game against the Toronto Raptors at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
While (as always) there were more injury woes and key players absent in yesterday’s disappointing loss to the Raptors, Utah has proven that they are able to win even with players down, so using the injury bug as an excuse is getting a little old even if it is justifiable.
Therefore, after climbing to an impressive 18-10 record, the Jazz are now at 18-13. It’s still a respectable mark, to be sure, but not where they’d like to be or even where they’re capable of being.
So with Christmas Eve nearly upon us, the Jazz certainly find themselves in need of some holiday magic and hopefully they’ll be on the nice list this year, because they definitely could use having a few of their Christmas wishes fulfilled for the new year.
And while I haven’t personally seen the Jazz’s letter to Santa, I’m going to go out on a limb and formulate my own list for them of what they’ll need to have a Happy New Year and a bright 2017.
Feb 23, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz guard Rodney Hood (5) falls to the court after being fouled by Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) during the second half at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Utah won in overtime 117-114. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
GET HEALTHY!!!
It may seem a little aggressive to put this one in all caps and add the exclamation points, but I guarantee any true Jazz fan who has followed the team this season feels this exact sentiment.
We’re now 31 games into the season and Utah’s projected starting lineup has still only played 12 minutes together. And it’s not like we’ve just been waiting on one guy (though George Hill‘s prolonged absence is starting to make it feel that way), but rather it’s been a carousel of seemingly never-ending setbacks that once one guy gets healthy, another goes down.
Most recently it’s been Dante Exum, but also Rodney Hood who previously was dealing with a sore hamstring has now been severely affected by illness in all three games this week. Apparently that nasty injury bug knows how to take several forms. Of course then there’s George Hill (more on him later) who has been out on two different occasions with two separate injuries, first a sprained thumb, and now a sprained toe.
Quin Snyder on Rodney Hood: "He's sick. He gave us everything he had." https://t.co/hFY9Cxg8Vt
— Jody Genessy (@DJJazzyJody) December 24, 2016
Gordon Hayward had a couple of bouts with injury after fracturing his finger during the preseason and Derrick Favors has yet to be fully healthy. Then there’s Alec Burks who for all intents and purposes hardly even feels like a member of this team anymore given all the time he’s missed this season and throughout his career.
And while I said earlier that I’m tired of using injuries as an excuse (and I stand firmly by that), there’s no questioning how annoying it’s been, not only to not have the best players out on the court, but also for the team to have to constantly deal with changing rotations and inconsistent lineups.
So for Utah to finally be able to test their mettle against the top teams in the league, it’s critical that they get guys back on their feet and on the hardwood. The Jazz will now enjoy three full days off before their next game, so hopefully that’ll give them some time to enjoy some holiday cheer and then get back to full strength.
Dec 10, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz guard George Hill (3) works out prior to their game against the Sacramento Kings at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
George Hill Return Without Skipping a Beat
Piggybacking off of Utah’s wish to get healthy comes a more detailed one about the player that they’ve undoubtedly missed the most, George Hill. Remember how solid the Jazz looked having an actual experienced and talented point guard running the show? After suffering through an offense led by either Shelvin Mack or Dante Exum for the past several games, George Hill will be a heaven-sent once he finally gets back in action.
And not only did Hill look good when he was healthy, but how about when he played alongside Gordon Hayward? The two have yet to lose a game together on the season. Sure, they’ve only played in five games with one another, but it’s still a pretty encouraging stat.
However, this wish gets a little more specific. It won’t be good enough for Utah to simply have Hill back on the court – kind of like the way that Favors’ return has been pretty anticlimactic as he struggles to work his way back into game shape and find any kind of rhythm – they need a G-Hill who’s back and ready to roll.
Sure it’s probably a bit unrealistic to expect him to just be able to jump back in immediately, but prior to this long stint of missed games, Hill was averaging 20 points and 4.2 assists per game and was the catalyst for Utah’s offense while providing a nearly unstoppable defensive presence on the perimeter.
And that’s exactly the George Hill that Utah should be wishing for and the one they’ll need to have back if they hope to get back to an elite level of play in 2017.
Dec 21, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz guard Shelvin Mack (8) takes a break as he wars up prior to their game against the Sacramento Kings at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
A Reliable Backup Point Guard
This one may come as a surprise to some. It’s not something I’ve seen tons of fans clamoring for. Nevertheless, I think it’s something that Utah desperately needs.
Of course, the previous wish of getting George Hill back is the most important step for the position, but remember last year before we had Hill when Utah became a formidable team down the stretch minus the fact that their point guard production was essentially at the bottom of the league in every facet?
Yeah, well, with George Hill sidelined, that exact same problem exists with our current point men. Shelvin Mack is so inconsistent it’s frustrating. Every once in a while he’ll put up a decent stat line like he did in the game against the Raptors, or even a straight up good showing like he did by containing Russell Westbrook in the win over the Thunder.
But for every one good game he has, he seems to have three bad ones. And his erratic play within each game is so frustrating. Turnovers, too much dribbling, poor shots and easy misses have all become staples of Mack’s game. While he can have moments of brilliance, let’s not forget there is a reason why he found himself as a third-string guy in Atlanta.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I like Mack. I really do. And when he’s on I have no problem with him, but he is just so unpredictable overall that it’s hard to trust him. But the larger issue overall is that I simply don’t see Mack ever being the reserve point guard to take the Jazz to the promised land.
Have you seen this quarter's numbers?
Mack 7 points (3/3 fg) // Ingles 9 points (2/2 fg)#TORatUTA pic.twitter.com/suVYTEdatS
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) December 24, 2016
Then there’s Dante Exum who, while we knew he’d be a project, has turned out to be less of the fun kind of project like constructing a brand new LEGO set and more like the “some assembly required” furniture kind of project with directions in Chinese, pictures that in no way, shape or form represent what you’re trying to put together and a bunch of random screws, dowels and other hardware that don’t seem to fit anywhere.
Did that comparison resonate with anybody? Because it certainly does with me.
Anyhow, the point is Exum has all the looks of a very, very long-term (and potentially frustrating) project that I’m in no way entirely sure will ever pan out.
And while I really don’t expect Utah to make any trades at the deadline, it sure would be nice if they could find a way to bring in a more reliable backup point guard. A guy who could be like a Howard Eisley to John Stockton, a Patty Mills to Tony Parker (though some might argue Mills is better at this point), a Shaun Livingston to Steph Curry or a Corey Joseph to Kyle Lowry.
Dec 18, 2016; Memphis, TN, USA; Utah Jazz guard Shelvin Mack (8) and Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol (33) fight for the rebound during the second half at FedExForum. the Utah Jazz defeat the Memphis Grizzlies 82-73. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports
I suppose it’s possible that this wish could be fulfilled if already existing guys such as Mack, Exum or even Neto stepped up enough this season, but based on what we’ve seen so far I have a hard time believing that will happen.
If the Jazz hope to have an offense that flows and doesn’t implode on itself once the bench unit comes in, they need to find a way to get hold of a more reliable option for the times when George Hill is resting or injured. It may seem like not that pressing of a need on the surface, but it truly would go a long way to bolstering Utah’s reserves and helping them to play more completely and consistently.
Dec 23, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward (20) looks to get around Toronto Raptors forward DeMarre Carroll (5) and guard Cory Joseph (6) in the third quarter at Vivint Smart Home Arena. The Toronto Raptors defeated the Utah Jazz 104-98. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
Gordon Hayward to Find His Three-Point Shot
There’s no denying that Hayward is having a great season so far this year as he’s putting up career highs in both points and rebounds per game, however, his shooting has still left much to be desired.
The ironic thing is that while many feel that Hayward simply needs to “find his shot” or “get back to his old self” the fact of the matter is that he hasn’t shot that impressively from deep since 2012-13.
During that season, he converted on 41.5 percent of his long range shots with 3.4 attempts per game. However, since then he dropped all the way down to 30.4 percent the following year, then went to 36.4 and 34.9 in the following two years and now this season has settled in at 34.1 percent.
How are we gonna get the star on top? ????
(Just ask Gordon!) ????????#TORatUTA pic.twitter.com/Yls1ZpfaR2
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) December 24, 2016
It’s really not that impressive of a mark for a borderline All-Star at his position, but looking at his figures over the past four years, it’s a little bit difficult to expect more.
Nevertheless, Utah could really use having Gordon as a more reliable deep-ball threat. He would be more versatile on offense, give Utah more spacing and simply provide them with a better scoring punch. Hayward has shown moments of brilliance where he’s looked more than capable of being a 40 percent or better shooter from deep and for Christmas this year, the Jazz have to make the wish that he finally turns that potential into a reality.
Dec 18, 2016; Memphis, TN, USA; Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol (33) shoots against Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) and Utah Jazz forward Derrick Favors (15) during the second half at FedExForum. the Utah Jazz defeat the Memphis Grizzlies 82-73. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports
Rudy Gobert Continues His Dominance
While Gordon Hayward has been solid and George Hill has looked impressive when he’s actually been on the court, the player that has truly defined this Jazz team has been Rudy Gobert. He recently said that he considers himself the league’s best center and his play over the last ten games is certainly helping him make a case for that.
Not only has Rudy’s offense looked much improved, helping him to log ten straight double-doubles and lead the league in field goal percentage, but he is becoming an even better defender than he’s been reputed for as he continues to shut down some of the NBA’s best centers night in and night out.
Even on nights when the Jazz team looks lost or lackadaisical (see the latest game against the Warriors) Rudy has been one who can be counted on to consistently bring it. He plays with passion, emotion and aggressiveness and is being continually rewarded for his solid play.
Tough loss tonight. Time to enjoy Christmas and be back recharged! Merry Christmas everybody! #takenote
— Rudy Gobert (@rudygobert27) December 24, 2016
But it’s one thing to do that over a ten-game stretch and another entirely to do it for a full season. Surprisingly, Gobert is the lone Jazz starter to have appeared in every game so far this season so it will be crucial for them to have him stay healthy and continue to put in double-double performances by dominating on both ends of the floor.
The good news is that this may be the most realistic wish of all. Up to this point, Rudy has looked phenomenal and hasn’t shown any sign of backing down. His play has been the one consistency in the Jazz’s game and undoubtedly the leading factor in several of Utah’s wins.
Dec 23, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder keeps an eye on the scoreboard in the fourth quarter against the Toronto Raptors at Vivint Smart Home Arena. The Toronto Raptors defeated the Utah Jazz 104-98. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
Conclusion
In short, for the most part the biggest thing this Jazz team needs to get for Christmas is to morph into the team that we all believed them capable of being prior to the start of the season. Getting healthy, seeing George Hill return, benefiting from improved shooting from Hayward and maintaining dominant play from Gobert all seem extremely doable.
It’s been a rough start to the season for the Jazz as they’ve had to endure countless injury setbacks and as such have been about as volatile and unpredictable of a team as they come.
Nevertheless, even with that being the case, they’ve still managed to get off to an 18-13 start, well within the Western Conference playoff race, and it’s hard to see them taking many steps backwards from where they are now.
More than anything, they appear only to have the potential to improve.
More from Purple and Blues
So with Christmas around the corner, here’s hoping for a holly, jolly holiday of recovering, leading into a happy and prosperous 2017 for the Utah Jazz. And if each of these Christmas wishes come true, we’ll be singing “fa la la la la” well into the postseason.
All stats courtesy of NBA.com
