Utah Jazz Preseason Game #1 Sydney Kings at Utah Jazz Mon Oct 2, 7:00 pm

[Ferguson_Mellochill]

Mitchell is in a good situation as a rookie. He's got a clear role on a good, balanced team. He can develop as he's ready without too much pressure on him.

 

[Ferguson_Mellochill]

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.

I think Mitchell is going to be fine defensively at the 2 on most nights. He already plays at the 2 as it is. Hood is no worse a defender at the 3 than he is at the 2 in most matchups. For a team that needs offense, taking Ingles off the floor in favor of Mitchell ought to be a good move, especially if the team wants to push pace.

 

[Jack Strop]

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.

San Antonio was rumored to be taking Bradley with their pick. That's why Lindsey moved up. It's not a bad strategy to take the player SA wants (unless they throw a smokescreen at you). Everyone knows Bradley is a project. I'd give him at least 2 years playing with the Stars before making any assessments.

As for Kuzma, he might be the steal of the draft along with Mitchell (in terms of value vs. draft position).

 

[elan_prodigy]

Exum is good as a back-up PG in a Leandro Barbosa sort of way. He passes better than Barbosa though, who had tunnel vision. Plus Exum can play in a two-guard front and defend some wings. I think he fits. He keeps the length, energy and defense going with the second unit.

Is this your 2nd Exum - Barbosa comparison?? You should really stop, its a terrible comparison.

 

[elan_prodigy]

Hood played very under control and scored efficiently. He didn't get to the line, but he did everything else. If I were the Jazz, I'd try to extend him. He could put up 17 ppg pretty easily on slightly above-average efficiency. Some teams are going to come after him. He may not be a star, but he's a solid scoring wing.

Who though?? There is literally 2-3 teams with cap space this year and few are willing to allocate $20Mil+/yr for Hood unless he has a HUGE year! In that case the Jazz will match.

Hood is still unproven and we don't need to hurry unless he is willing to give a discount at around $14Mil/yr, which I cant see happening. The other factor is Hoods' caphold being only $7.1Mil, this adds to our cap flexibility for Free Agency this year.

Exum is different, his cap hold is $14Mil so an extension would make sense if you could tie him up for $8Mil-$10Mil/yr, again doubtful but that scenario makes sense in terms of extensions.

 

[framer]

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.

I'd like to see Mitchell D up against some legit SF's. Obviously he can't match up against freaks like Durrant and Lebron. But after watching what he did with Tatum, it would be an interesting experiment. I have no qualms about Mitchell on any SG (rookie learning curve recognized.)

 

[Et tu Brute]

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.

Yeah tremendous intangible impact. Minny have been horrible. Yeah yea he was a net positive for them.
Also, you honestly think we can't crystal ball a little regarding spot ups? Both guys were much improved after AS break - but odds are X is still on an upward trajectory.

Rubio can make a simple play look fancy. His best work is done in transition when he makes the straightforward play at pace.

Exum can guard SG and some SF.... He has more versatility on that end. And more length so it is far more likely that whatever we have seen so far only gets better.


And wait a sec? You don't think Dante is a pg (which is BS btw) and you think he's got no real off guard skills? What is he then?

 

[Et tu Brute]

Rubio is an exceptionally good ball mover and distributor. He gets the Jazz in their offense right away, almost always makes the right read and gets the ball moving. The Jazz need someone to take that floor leadership role. No one else on the team handles, passes and creates looks like he does. He's the straw that stirs the drink. He'll get players in a rhythm.

But there is little incentive. His cap hold is tiny and the difference between what he will sign for now as opposed to what he will get offered in RFA is too small.

Dante is the one they should consider, given his higher cap hold and the chance he explodes. The gap between what he might sign for now and what he theoretically could be worth is huge.

 

[Et tu Brute]

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.

Yea Ingles not being a volume sharp shooter really reduces the impact of his 'spaceability' now that two shooters have left the rotation.

 

[Cappy_Smurf]

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.

We definitely targeted Bradley over Kuzma. Maybe the Lakers were dead set on drafting Kuzma, but with it being one pick earlier, I think it's possible we could have traded for him instead. Anyway, I usually don't get sucked into the woulda/coulda game with late 1st round picks, but the Favors dilemma is the same as it has been for a while now, in that regardless of not being the ideal fit, I don't know who that player is that replaces him and makes us better.

 

[Dali]

Ever since June we've seen Dante and Donovan add to the argument that they're the future 1 and 2 for the Jazz. Great performance from both of them again, from the bench. Sure the season hasn't started yet but so many encouraging things emanating from those 2.

I was really impressed with Thabo as well. Burks' playmaking was also an eye opener, he was great in his short minutes. Even Bolomboy looked pissed off and wanted to rip everybody's head off, and the rim too, he looked like a rampaging beast.

EDIT: Oh and dang man, Kuzma is a talent.

 

[fishonjazz]

A few thoughts, despite the fact I already agree with everything NAOS posted earlier.

--Greg Miller is ridiculous. Not Steve Balmer ridiculous, just Salt Lake ridiculous.
--Gobert is on fire. He played fantastic, seems like he's grown even more athletic, his hands are far improved, and he's playing with some odd mix of meanness and having something to prove. He's going to beast this year.
--I don't think Quin has quite yet figured out, or just hasn't implemented, really getting Rubio into the offense. Rubio has a lot of gifts (he's had a strong net positive on team offense numbers over his career despite his sub-par personal shooting) and it doesn't quite seem like the team is taking advantage of them yet.
--The pace - particularly in the first quarter - seemed much, much faster. Honestly, it's a smart way for the Jazz to play given Rubio, Exum, Mitchell, and Neto's speed.
--This year's crop of Jazz dancers are much hotter than last years'. Significantly. I liked the outfits too.
--Sefalosha impressed me. I thought he brought a maturity and stability to his game, both on offense and defense. Like Joe Johnson, he seems to be another anchor for us if things drift.

And some thoughts on Exum:
--This is technically the start of his third year, and point guard's typically experience a large development spurt in between years two and three.
--He is absolutely improved. His shot is better, his handling is better (still an issue given his height, but it's definitely improving - especially during drives), his finishing is much better (despite how totally weird it looks), and his decision making is much better.
--There were a couple of times I thought he was 'pressing' a bit. He also seems like, while he's put it together, he still isn't fully in control. And you want your point guard to be in control. That's going to be his next step.
--It's encouraging to see his skills, decision making, and savvy improving. Given his considerable athletic talents, we've just been waiting for his mind and skills to catch up. This appears to be happening.
--It might take another couple of years, but Dante is going to be - at minimum - a solid starter in this league.
--I'm not sure if he'll ever be considered a top five point guard in the league. Top ten I don't think is out of the question.

And some thoughts on Mitchell:

--This kid is the real deal. Sure, it's been summer league and a preseason game against a sub-NBA opponent, but I think this kid is a future star. I'm talking multiple All-Star appearances.
--His energy level is insane. He was everywhere tonight - particularly on defense - impossible not to notice. He works hard and he cares.
--He's incredibly poised and confident for a rookie. His vision is exceptional and he has a strong mental understanding of the game. His assist to Favors after the pick and roll by Dante was exceptional.
--His shooting form looks great and his shots went in.
--He had another amazing offensive move tonight where he spun in the lane and laid it in. It looked like a veteran move - that's what I mean by his savvy.
--I underestimated his athleticism. His leaping ability is, obviously, insane, but I was blown away by how quickly he got down the court on a fast break.

And to close:
--I've been feeling a bit down on the Jazz and not really anticipating the season following Hayward leaving. Maybe that makes me a bad fan, but it just seemed like such a long slog to get to the point we were at last year - looking forward to getting as many wins as possible... one year of that and then Hayward peaces out.
--I also worried that the Jazz were going to be stuck in that lower playoff/late lottery no-man's-land that we tried so hard to get out of during the Millsap/Jefferson/Corbin era. Even with lottery reform, that didn't seem that appealing.
--Mitchell has changed that for me substantially. I think, two to three years from now, he and Gobert are two franchise pillars. As for the third? Maybe Hood or Exum, depending on their development. Maybe a bigger small forward or stretch-4 we're able to pick up via trade or free agency. But I'm optimistic about our future.
--Rudy Goberts do not grow on trees. But neither do Donovan Mitchells.

--Going to be a fun season.

Good call about the jazz dancers. They are much improved

 

[fishonjazz]

Rudy Gobert had a double-clutch finger roll that hasn't made anyone's highlights. He looked like freaking George Gervin.

Damn, I missed that one.

 

[fishonjazz]

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.

I agree 100%. He should be getting some PT on another team tbh.

 

[fishonjazz]

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.

JJ

 

[gomretat]

I think it is crazy and preposterous to even attempt to draw conclusions from one game, particularly a preseason game and one that is not even against NBA talent.

 

[Getting Traded]

I think Mitchell is going to be fine defensively at the 2 on most nights. He already plays at the 2 as it is. Hood is no worse a defender at the 3 than he is at the 2 in most matchups. For a team that needs offense, taking Ingles off the floor in favor of Mitchell ought to be a good move, especially if the team wants to push pace.

Mitchell is already a far better defender than Rodney. It seemed Rodney could not even stay in front of his man last night. Sure Rodney was hitting the 3 last night, but if he hadn't been hitting his shots, he would've been worthless out there -- poor defense and careless passes.

 

[Miggs]

I think it is crazy and preposterous to even attempt to draw conclusions from one game, particularly a preseason game and one that is not even against NBA talent.

This.

Since the pre-season schedule came out, I've felt disappointed by it. There is no real tough competition and anyone to push us like I would've liked to have seen at least once. Obviously one of these teams could beat us but you get the idea.

 

[candrew]

Mitchell is going to give teams headaches on defense - either at the 1 or the 2. It's not the height it's the length.

Think Delonte West on lithium.

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

Mitchell is already a far better defender than Rodney. It seemed Rodney could not even stay in front of his man last night. Sure Rodney was hitting the 3 last night, but if he hadn't been hitting his shots, he would've been worthless out there -- poor defense and careless passes.

I noticed Mitchell defensive breakdowns way more more than Rodney.