Chris
Well-Known Member
Having seen almost all of the Jazz Summer League games, I had some thoughts. [Warning: article length. Be scurred.]
1. Obviously, Trey Burke was less than impressive. He did have some moments, but overall was a dud. To be honest, of most concern to me was not his pitiful shooting -- sometimes people just go through slumps. It was his failure to distribute the ball well. Though Trey had some assists, I would assume that if his shot was off as much as it was, that he would have played more of a facilitator's role. On top of that, that's what a point guard is supposed to do! I know that Trey's more of a scoring point guard, but he should have been more of a pure point guard given his tough shooting percentage this week. I think being a point guard in the Deron Williams mold -- a scorer who facilitates well and gets his teammates involved more often than not -- is what Trey should aim for. Trey's shot selection was also questionable for the most part, hence his awful percentages...1 for 19 from 3? Wow.
2. Sticking with Trey Burke (since he was and should have been the focus for the duration of Summer League play) I do see a potentially large silver lining. Given his demeanor and alleged work ethic, and given the fact that he will undoubtedly start at point guard this coming season, he needed to have this abysmal Summer League experience. Now he knows full well what things he needs to work on the most and, ostensibly, will actually put in the work to get to where he needs to go. As we all know, it's only going to get harder against real NBA players in a few months. Not only does he know where to focus his efforts, the Jazz staff also does. I think he's going to be fine, but he needed a reality check and some humble pie before "getting the keys" to the future of the franchise this October. Now it's time to earn that max rookie contract at the #9 pick...anybody even hear of that before?
3. I had high expectations of Rudy Gobert going in to Summer League play and he did not disappoint. I can only imagine that, with more minutes, he would have been even more impressive. He has some work to do, no doubt, but I don't think he needs to spend more time overseas a la Tomic. He's ready to join the squad now and will be exciting to watch as Kanter's backup. Imagine somebody who can make Kanter look small! Gobert looks like a stat stuffer and will fit the backup role perfectly.
4. Raul Neto was a lot better than I thought he would be. I stupidly thought that he would need more time overseas based on reading some random comments from some Jazzfanz posters who seemed to know what they were talking about. Shame on me. Kid looked really good. Neto looks like a classic point guard, which -- just like Gobert at his position -- will fit the backup point guard role perfectly. And obviously, a good deal of what I'm saying is premature, but on the off night where Trey might be banged up, I would be comfortable with Raul getting the starting nod if need be. He's going to be a solid point guard in this league. Perhaps most impressive was how adept he was at running the offense after visually studying it from the bench when he couldn't play. Looks to be a steal of a second round pick. Nice work.
5. Speaking of point guards, I also liked Jerel McNeal. From what I can gather, there's some confusion with his status as a Jazzman right now, but I think he'd be a great fit at the third PG spot. He's competent, fast, a decent distributor, and athletic -- all good traits for your 3rd PG to have. Again, on a night where Trey was injured, starting Neto with McNeal coming off the bench wouldn't be too bad of an option. Unless Milt Palacio walks through that door. Then all bets are off.
6. Of the remaining Summer League players working out with the Jazz, Chris Roberts and Dionte Christmas definitely had some moments and are worth a look at the 2 spot in training camp. James Mays looked pretty solid out there too at times. Not a bad guy to have at the end of the bench. Any of these three could spend some time in Idaho for the Jazz, as far as I'm concerned.
7. Jeremy Evans looked great and seems ready to handle a regular 10-12 minutes a night. Looks like he's learned a lot in his few years with the Jazz and has become a more refined player. Still athletic as all get out though too. It'll be fun to see him playing on a regular basis, especially now that we can be more confident in his overall game.
8. For the little bit that he played, Alec Burks looked good. I was happy he got some good competition in this summer, as I look forward to seeing much more of him this year. If his lack of PT last season is any indication, he may be locking horns with Corbin. I don't have much knowledge of this situation, but the way I see it, this could be a make or break year for both Burks and Corbin. Though nobody expects the Jazz to be hanging any new banners at ESA after this coming season, I would imagine that both are being critically evaluated. Yes, I do think that Corbin could be fired after this season if it's obvious that he doesn't have what it takes to coach such a young team -- regardless of the record they end up with. Next summer might be a perfect time to dump Corbin if Jazz brass is unimpressed with his progress by that point. And continuing to butt heads with a young talent in Burks, instead of finding a way to make it work and maximize his productivity, would be a major blight on Corbin's record when it comes time to evaluate his progress with this young team. Ironically, both player and coach need each other in 2013-14, so they had better start acting the part.
9. Summer League play also changed my opinions on some things. First of all, I think we have a good rotation at point and we are not as deficient as I thought we might be. I thought we were going to be a one-trick pony with Burke next season, if Neto stayed overseas to develop. What this also means...and I hate to admit it...is that I don't think that Jimmer would be a good fit for us going forward. Just a few days ago, I made a post (based on an uncertain PG situation) where I suggested that if SacTown were having a fire sale and Jimmer were available, that the Jazz should pick him up. I don't think so now, so I'll shut up about Jimmer...at least for a little while anyway. I still like him, but with Burke, Neto, and McNeal, I think the 1 is taken care of for this coming season.
10. I was also a bit concerned going into the Summer League about our front court. Losing Big Al and Millsap was a step into the unknown...a black hole, if you will. But having watched Gobert and Evans play, I think they'll make good backups and will thrive in that role off the bench during a rebuilding year, in which they'll both see plenty of minutes.
11. I do think the team needs to put some time in thinking about adding a swingman of some kind. Seeing as Marvin Williams will be out for half the year and will not be very good when he does come back, I think it's time to consider adding some depth at the 2-3 spot. I know we have Richard Jefferson, but with his numbers last year, I have to question what he still has left in the tank. Will he even be able to run with this young team?
12. Is there some sort of commentator's script that they force Dennis Scott to say, or does he just repeat himself for his own amusement? I'm actually happy that the Summer League is over because I don't have to hear "Go Go Gobert," "he can dunk on his tippy toes with that wingspan," or "Trey can get past the first line of the defense -- it's that second line that's the problem" again. Take it easy, 3Deezy.
I know people don't expect much from the Jazz this year, but I actually expect them to have an exciting and marginally successful season. If for nothing more than to have this young core of players jell, this season will be a valuable experience. I know many don't want the Jazz to be overly successful, as many teams will turn their focus to tankin' and riggin'. I'm just pumped to see what we have this year. I'll definitely enjoy the two free weeks of NBA League Pass and the few odd Jazz games I get to see every once in a while here on the East Coast. Thanks for reading.
1. Obviously, Trey Burke was less than impressive. He did have some moments, but overall was a dud. To be honest, of most concern to me was not his pitiful shooting -- sometimes people just go through slumps. It was his failure to distribute the ball well. Though Trey had some assists, I would assume that if his shot was off as much as it was, that he would have played more of a facilitator's role. On top of that, that's what a point guard is supposed to do! I know that Trey's more of a scoring point guard, but he should have been more of a pure point guard given his tough shooting percentage this week. I think being a point guard in the Deron Williams mold -- a scorer who facilitates well and gets his teammates involved more often than not -- is what Trey should aim for. Trey's shot selection was also questionable for the most part, hence his awful percentages...1 for 19 from 3? Wow.
2. Sticking with Trey Burke (since he was and should have been the focus for the duration of Summer League play) I do see a potentially large silver lining. Given his demeanor and alleged work ethic, and given the fact that he will undoubtedly start at point guard this coming season, he needed to have this abysmal Summer League experience. Now he knows full well what things he needs to work on the most and, ostensibly, will actually put in the work to get to where he needs to go. As we all know, it's only going to get harder against real NBA players in a few months. Not only does he know where to focus his efforts, the Jazz staff also does. I think he's going to be fine, but he needed a reality check and some humble pie before "getting the keys" to the future of the franchise this October. Now it's time to earn that max rookie contract at the #9 pick...anybody even hear of that before?
3. I had high expectations of Rudy Gobert going in to Summer League play and he did not disappoint. I can only imagine that, with more minutes, he would have been even more impressive. He has some work to do, no doubt, but I don't think he needs to spend more time overseas a la Tomic. He's ready to join the squad now and will be exciting to watch as Kanter's backup. Imagine somebody who can make Kanter look small! Gobert looks like a stat stuffer and will fit the backup role perfectly.
4. Raul Neto was a lot better than I thought he would be. I stupidly thought that he would need more time overseas based on reading some random comments from some Jazzfanz posters who seemed to know what they were talking about. Shame on me. Kid looked really good. Neto looks like a classic point guard, which -- just like Gobert at his position -- will fit the backup point guard role perfectly. And obviously, a good deal of what I'm saying is premature, but on the off night where Trey might be banged up, I would be comfortable with Raul getting the starting nod if need be. He's going to be a solid point guard in this league. Perhaps most impressive was how adept he was at running the offense after visually studying it from the bench when he couldn't play. Looks to be a steal of a second round pick. Nice work.
5. Speaking of point guards, I also liked Jerel McNeal. From what I can gather, there's some confusion with his status as a Jazzman right now, but I think he'd be a great fit at the third PG spot. He's competent, fast, a decent distributor, and athletic -- all good traits for your 3rd PG to have. Again, on a night where Trey was injured, starting Neto with McNeal coming off the bench wouldn't be too bad of an option. Unless Milt Palacio walks through that door. Then all bets are off.
6. Of the remaining Summer League players working out with the Jazz, Chris Roberts and Dionte Christmas definitely had some moments and are worth a look at the 2 spot in training camp. James Mays looked pretty solid out there too at times. Not a bad guy to have at the end of the bench. Any of these three could spend some time in Idaho for the Jazz, as far as I'm concerned.
7. Jeremy Evans looked great and seems ready to handle a regular 10-12 minutes a night. Looks like he's learned a lot in his few years with the Jazz and has become a more refined player. Still athletic as all get out though too. It'll be fun to see him playing on a regular basis, especially now that we can be more confident in his overall game.
8. For the little bit that he played, Alec Burks looked good. I was happy he got some good competition in this summer, as I look forward to seeing much more of him this year. If his lack of PT last season is any indication, he may be locking horns with Corbin. I don't have much knowledge of this situation, but the way I see it, this could be a make or break year for both Burks and Corbin. Though nobody expects the Jazz to be hanging any new banners at ESA after this coming season, I would imagine that both are being critically evaluated. Yes, I do think that Corbin could be fired after this season if it's obvious that he doesn't have what it takes to coach such a young team -- regardless of the record they end up with. Next summer might be a perfect time to dump Corbin if Jazz brass is unimpressed with his progress by that point. And continuing to butt heads with a young talent in Burks, instead of finding a way to make it work and maximize his productivity, would be a major blight on Corbin's record when it comes time to evaluate his progress with this young team. Ironically, both player and coach need each other in 2013-14, so they had better start acting the part.
9. Summer League play also changed my opinions on some things. First of all, I think we have a good rotation at point and we are not as deficient as I thought we might be. I thought we were going to be a one-trick pony with Burke next season, if Neto stayed overseas to develop. What this also means...and I hate to admit it...is that I don't think that Jimmer would be a good fit for us going forward. Just a few days ago, I made a post (based on an uncertain PG situation) where I suggested that if SacTown were having a fire sale and Jimmer were available, that the Jazz should pick him up. I don't think so now, so I'll shut up about Jimmer...at least for a little while anyway. I still like him, but with Burke, Neto, and McNeal, I think the 1 is taken care of for this coming season.
10. I was also a bit concerned going into the Summer League about our front court. Losing Big Al and Millsap was a step into the unknown...a black hole, if you will. But having watched Gobert and Evans play, I think they'll make good backups and will thrive in that role off the bench during a rebuilding year, in which they'll both see plenty of minutes.
11. I do think the team needs to put some time in thinking about adding a swingman of some kind. Seeing as Marvin Williams will be out for half the year and will not be very good when he does come back, I think it's time to consider adding some depth at the 2-3 spot. I know we have Richard Jefferson, but with his numbers last year, I have to question what he still has left in the tank. Will he even be able to run with this young team?
12. Is there some sort of commentator's script that they force Dennis Scott to say, or does he just repeat himself for his own amusement? I'm actually happy that the Summer League is over because I don't have to hear "Go Go Gobert," "he can dunk on his tippy toes with that wingspan," or "Trey can get past the first line of the defense -- it's that second line that's the problem" again. Take it easy, 3Deezy.
I know people don't expect much from the Jazz this year, but I actually expect them to have an exciting and marginally successful season. If for nothing more than to have this young core of players jell, this season will be a valuable experience. I know many don't want the Jazz to be overly successful, as many teams will turn their focus to tankin' and riggin'. I'm just pumped to see what we have this year. I'll definitely enjoy the two free weeks of NBA League Pass and the few odd Jazz games I get to see every once in a while here on the East Coast. Thanks for reading.
