Cappy_Smurf
Well-Known Member
Nothing against Neto, but he should never even see the floor this year. Backup PG minutes need to go to Exum and maybe Mitchell. Start giving Neto minutes and somebody else is going to get shafted who shouldn't.
Utah Jazz Preseason Game #1 Sydney Kings at Utah Jazz Mon Oct 2, 7:00 pm
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Nothing against Neto, but he should never even see the floor this year. Backup PG minutes need to go to Exum and maybe Mitchell. Start giving Neto minutes and somebody else is going to get shafted who shouldn't.
Rubio has great hands on defense, great court vision, great timing in running plays. Having Rubio on the court makes Rudy Gobert 50% more dangerous because Rubio can deliver a pass at any time from any circumstance resulting in Gobert crushing it. That increases Rudy's gravity near the rim and opens space for Hood, Ingles and Joe Johnson to get open looks.
He does need the ball in his hands though. Overall, the Jazz need his maturity on the court.
What the Jazz need is another big who can drill 3s. We have Favors, Udoh, Sefalosha and Jerebko, but none of them are knock-down shooters, unless Jerebko can step into that role. We need a quick-release catch-and-shoot big out on the perimeter.
Okay, these highlights have the Rudy scoop finger-roll...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MaUmhoYV1E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MaUmhoYV1E
Rubio just has a ton of intangible impact on the team (or I should say, on his past team) with how good at passing and decision making he is. Not to mention he is a much better defender, both in man defense and playmaking defense.
And WTF does Exum offer off the ball on offense? Yeah he can cut a little bit, but it's not like he is a good off-ball player either. History says a spot-up Rubio 3 is better than a spot-up Exum 3.
zyzz
Well-Known Member
Thanks, but there's no way Favors had 15 lol.
Eh, Gobert had 15. Typo.
Jack Strop
Well-Known Member
Good work, jazzfan1071. If you don't mind, I'll use some of your assessments and add or change according to my impressions.
Rubio: As good a passer as advertised. Just not sure if he can thrive without some personnel changes. Need shooters at the 3 & 4 along with Hood at the 2 to allow Rubio to be a distributor.
Hood: Deadly tonight. And as others have mentioned, his body positioning is better on his 3's; he's getting his feet set. I see him averaging 18 pts/per. Concerned with his defense, though.
Ingles: Led the team in assists against the Kings, IINM. He's still a reluctant shooter. Don't see him averaging > 10 pts/per, even if he starts. Still believe Utah needs a better starting SF, with Ingles backing up everywhere as needed.
Favors: I like Favs. He's been a loyal soldier. But I just don't see how he can co-exist with Gobert, especially with another non-shooter in Rubio. Opponents can run Hood off the 3Pt line and just pack the paint. I could see Quin playing him 25/per. Sub him out early and then bring him back in at the backup 5.
Gobert: Going to compete with Hood for leader in pts. Is 18/14/3 too much to expect? I'd like to see Quin cut his minutes a bit this season to keep him fresher. Even a couple of DNP's to help him deal with nagging injuries and fatigue (yeah, I know, not going to happen).
Exum: Definite improvement. He looks aggressive and confident. Could make Rubio expendable in 2 years. I predict Jazz will match any offer for him.
Mitchell: Donovan should start, but won't. Exum/Mitchell might be the future at the 1/2, which would make Hood a trading chip to acquire a big SF or replacement for Favors?
Sefolosha: Better offensively than what I thought. He and Ingles are going to have some tough matchups this year. Thabo is going to play a lot.
Burks: How do Hood, Mitchell and Burks all get minutes? Someone is going to be traded.
Rubio: As good a passer as advertised. Just not sure if he can thrive without some personnel changes. Need shooters at the 3 & 4 along with Hood at the 2 to allow Rubio to be a distributor.
Hood: Deadly tonight. And as others have mentioned, his body positioning is better on his 3's; he's getting his feet set. I see him averaging 18 pts/per. Concerned with his defense, though.
Ingles: Led the team in assists against the Kings, IINM. He's still a reluctant shooter. Don't see him averaging > 10 pts/per, even if he starts. Still believe Utah needs a better starting SF, with Ingles backing up everywhere as needed.
Favors: I like Favs. He's been a loyal soldier. But I just don't see how he can co-exist with Gobert, especially with another non-shooter in Rubio. Opponents can run Hood off the 3Pt line and just pack the paint. I could see Quin playing him 25/per. Sub him out early and then bring him back in at the backup 5.
Gobert: Going to compete with Hood for leader in pts. Is 18/14/3 too much to expect? I'd like to see Quin cut his minutes a bit this season to keep him fresher. Even a couple of DNP's to help him deal with nagging injuries and fatigue (yeah, I know, not going to happen).
Exum: Definite improvement. He looks aggressive and confident. Could make Rubio expendable in 2 years. I predict Jazz will match any offer for him.
Mitchell: Donovan should start, but won't. Exum/Mitchell might be the future at the 1/2, which would make Hood a trading chip to acquire a big SF or replacement for Favors?
Sefolosha: Better offensively than what I thought. He and Ingles are going to have some tough matchups this year. Thabo is going to play a lot.
Burks: How do Hood, Mitchell and Burks all get minutes? Someone is going to be traded.
Cappy_Smurf
Well-Known Member
Lol. No he isn't. They are both solid defenders. The only thing Rubio is way better at is playmaking, and stitches brought up a legitimate concern.
At some point in the season, Quin is going to be hard-pressed to keep both Rubio and Favors in the starting lineup. I wouldn't be surprised to see Favors traded by Dec./Jan.
I also wouldn't be surprised if Mitchell plays his way into finishing games with Rubio on the bench in the 4th quarter.
One way or another, when this team goes through a rough stretch, I think Quin is really going to struggle with having Rubio and Favors on the floor at the same time as Rudy.
Not sure if Hood can give us the complete game Hayward could, but I'm confident he can give us the offense. He looked poised, and confident.
I think Hoods biggest worry is his health. We have so many solid defenders and passers around him I dont think he needs to give us everything Hay did.
He just needs to score, stay healthy, and consistent.
I think Hoods biggest worry is his health. We have so many solid defenders and passers around him I dont think he needs to give us everything Hay did.
He just needs to score, stay healthy, and consistent.
Yes he is. Rubio is a much better defender plus he can playmake on defense.
-Gobert took a step up which is scary. Our leader.
-Burks and Bolomboy reminding us they are still here, albeit in garbage time.
-DMitch looking good at every step. SL, scrimmage, and first pre-season game.
-Rubio moving well, and getting adjusted. Like what I see early.
-Bradley looks solid to me. I dont get why people didnt like this pick.
I think our team looks pretty damn deep, passes, and defends well. We are fun to watch. Chemistry goes a long way. We've got it in spades.
-Burks and Bolomboy reminding us they are still here, albeit in garbage time.
-DMitch looking good at every step. SL, scrimmage, and first pre-season game.
-Rubio moving well, and getting adjusted. Like what I see early.
-Bradley looks solid to me. I dont get why people didnt like this pick.
I think our team looks pretty damn deep, passes, and defends well. We are fun to watch. Chemistry goes a long way. We've got it in spades.
Nice assessment. I think the solution by mid-season will be to move Hood to the starting 3 and play Mitchell at the 2. Burks backs up at the 2 and Ingles backs up at the 3.
A line-up with Rubio/Mitchell/Hood/Johnson/Gobert is probably our best closing unit. Ingles struggles when the pace speeds up. All 4 guys on the floor with Rubio have potential to score 20 pts. on any given night.
That said, the Jazz have plenty of depth and can keep these guys fresh with rotations.
A good young player that would complement this current group would be Dario Saric. Not saying we can get him, but he's the versatile, skilled forward the team is currently lacking. Saric is starting to really shoot the ball well.
Cappy_Smurf
Well-Known Member
The thing that sucks about the Favors situation is that Utah traded with the Lakers to move up 2 places for Bradley, when the Lakers also had the pick before taking Kuzma.
Kuzma's looking like a total steal and could've been the answer at the 4 for the future. Not that I dislike Bradley, but it will probably be a few years before anyone knows what he will be, when Kuzma might have been the answer to one of Utah's biggest questions.
Kuzma's looking like a total steal and could've been the answer at the 4 for the future. Not that I dislike Bradley, but it will probably be a few years before anyone knows what he will be, when Kuzma might have been the answer to one of Utah's biggest questions.
Jack Strop
Well-Known Member
Is that a core belief, or a product of the personnel the Jazz have had?
Utah has had very poor PG's (until Hill was signed), so the play making was done through the wings, specifically through Hayward. Gordon wanted/needed to have touches every possession, but wasn't an ISO player. Rubio was signed to make Hayward's life easier on offense and take away some of those responsibilities.
I suspect we'll still see a lot of ball movement in Quin's offense, but likely a lot more PG-centric when Rubio is in the game. More P&R with Rudy and Rubio looking to the find Hood and Ingles behind the arc.
Cappy_Smurf
Well-Known Member
One of the things I'm looking forward to the most this year is Dante Exum making people look silly for all the dumb comments they've posted over the last year.
And there have been a LOT of really dumb comments.
And there have been a LOT of really dumb comments.
The Lakers probably insisted on giving the Jazz #28 instead of #27. The Lakers wanted Kuzma and the Jazz weren't in a position to get him. That said, I think the Jazz probably had Bradley rated higher than Kuzma.
Jack Strop
Well-Known Member
Offensively that works, but defensively it's a nightmare. You have an undersized SG in Mitchell and a player in Hood who definitely cannot guard most of the WC SF's. Gobert can't compensate for multiple positions.
As Donovan progresses, I think he may become the defensive stopper at the 1, with perhaps Sefolosha brought in at the 3. Then you decide between Ingles or Rodney at the 2. Why DM over Rubio? Because he brings the offense Rubio can't. Thabo can get physical with the bigger 3's in the league. And Ingles can hit 3's while also providing defense. Hood is not a good defender.