#12: Utah Jazz
Another team in need of a stretch big man is the Utah Jazz, as they look to be committed to the future of Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert, two players who work best around the rim. Kaminsky could pair with either of these big men and would seem work perfect in the Utah Jazz offense. The two man pair of Gobert/Favors had a 4.7 net rating in 857 minutes, mainly due to their defensive rating of 96.2, and substituting Kaminsky’s offensive skill for one of those players could take it to the next level and make the front court rotation that much better for the Jazz.
One side effect of having Kaminsky on the court is how much space it will open up for dribble penetration for the Jazz. As you see in the screen below, having both Gobert and Favors on the court together can compact the defense and make the Jazz easy to guard. The Jazz ranked last in effective field goal percentage on shots after 3-6 dribbles, caused by a lack of spacing to the rim and a lack of outlets surrounding the drivers.
The frame below shows an example of this, as Hayward is looking to drive after a dribble handoff from Gobert. Marc Gasol has dropped almost all the way to the rim, as Gobert is no threat from the mid-range, while Derrick Favors is also constricting the space. Swapping Kaminsky here for Gobert, who would then pop out to the three point line, would open up the floor a ton and give the Jazz multiple options offensively.
Utah has two excellent rim protectors to support Kaminsky in Favors and Gobert, making Kaminsky an excellent player to pair with either big man. The Jazz forged their identity on defense this season and were the best in the league after the Kanter trade. Kaminsky may struggle on defense like Kanter but his effort level should be higher, which will help the team continue to be tough defensively, despite the drop-off in defensive skill level to Kaminsky. The Jazz will be looking to build on their second half momentum and Kaminsky may be the player who can contribute right away as they make their playoff push.