Game Thread Jan 18, 2024 07:00PM MT: Jazz vs. Thunder

[fishonjazz]

Kesslers free throw shooting is horrible and it's a problem he needs to improve. But his free throw shooting isn't even close to the biggest factor in the loss last night lol.

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[hgb]

That Hack-a-Kessler absolutely KILLED us.

That's a pretty crazy statement for a single possession where he scored only one point with 2.5 minutes left in the game.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

SGA is averaging 32% on low volume from the perimeter over the last three seasons. Why teams are not sagging the hell off him I'll never understand. Dunn tried to guard him like he's Curry and got burned time and time again.

He only wants one thing: to get to the midrange. We were happy to give him that.

Go figure.

Sagging off him might work better but space gives opportunity. Leave him open like that and don’t be surprised when he jumps to a 40% 3 shooter. It also means he gets to his spots with momentum. I’m telling yall… guys that kill the midrange control their own destiny on offense.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

That's a pretty crazy statement for a single possession where he scored only one point with 2.5 minutes left in the game.

Yeah butt we could have got 2 or 3 points… that is a 100% or 200% decrease in points we got… you telling me 200% isn’t a big number!?!?!? (Sarcasm)

 

[Tremendous Upside]

That's a pretty crazy statement for a single possession where he scored only one point with 2.5 minutes left in the game.

On the contrary. It was absolutely critical. OKC was able to cut our comeback short by simply hacking Walker. Losing possession at that point was terrible. It destroyed our momentum and the feeling that we're in control of our destiny. It's demoralizing.

You can be a great rim protector and still be a HUGE liability for your team at the end of games. It doesn't take much to remove the hacking from the opponent's toolkit. Just make, like, 60% of your FT's. You're a pro, that's not too much to ask. Devote an entire offseason to it if you have to.

 

[Tremendous Upside]

Yeah butt we could have got 2 or 3 points… that is a 100% or 200% decrease in points we got… you telling me 200% isn’t a big number!?!?!? (Sarcasm)

Yeah, at that point a 3 or an and-one would have made a big difference in the comeback. The Hack-a-Kessler removed that opportunity.

People are really ready to die on the "Walker's FT shooting isn't hurting us" hill?

Wow.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

Yeah, at that point a 3 or an and-one would have made a big difference in the comeback. The Hack-a-Kessler removed that opportunity.

People are really ready to die on the "Walker's FT shooting isn't hurting us" hill?

Wow.

Sure it hurt us but 1 point in that game when he cut off the Thunders water on defense isn’t a big concern lol. If other teams start doing it more it might actually be a reason to move Kessler into the starting lineup. Let Collins close out a few quarters… bring Kessler back for last two minutes.

 

[Fosto]

If the Jazz make the playoffs, those 10 minutes Hardy is forced to play Keyonte will be brutal. I wish we had a half decent back up PG (since THT is apparently not allowed to play anymore).

 

[outerspacefan]

- the better, more versatile, quick basketball team won
- WK working on his FT issue will be huge for him and for his team (I've got the impression that coaching staff already knows this thing )
- to Key or not to Key appears to me to be a problem
- my eyes told me our JCs were not good enough for us last nigtht

 

[Thee Idiotic Minivan K]

Lm 13 attempts, Jc&Sexton 37. There we go

Why are you lumping Sexton in that. He’s been our best scorer since he was made the starter. It took only 19 shots for him to get 31. If he scores with this type of efficiency he can shoot it 100 times for all I care. Also he is a shot creator Lauri really isn't.

 

[str8line]

That was a fun on the edge of your seat game. We just couldn't get over the hump. Who knows, maybe it's better for us that we lost because it brings the focus on what we need to do better.

 

[Peter_Mentor]

Meanwhile, the Jazz were +15 with Kessler on the court.

I know John Collins seems more integrated lately, but the results are still awful whenever he's playing.
Over the last 17 games (since Collins returned to the lineup after missing 4 games), the Jazz are -21 (-2.5 per 48 minutes) when he's on the court and +173 (+20.0 per 48) when he's on the bench.
But Kessler's free throw shooting is the problem.

"The results are still awful whenever he's playing." That's not even remotely true. As @HermanG implied, the five out lineup doesn't work against certain teams, and whenever that happens, John has been a huge liability for the team. On the flip side, in some games the line up has been either terrific (LAL, DEN) or at least really competitive (IND, MIL) against the opposing starting units.

Whenever the five out lineup doesn't work (OKC, TOR, DAL), Kessler has been great, and when the five out works, our second unit with Kessler is also fairly great. Kudos to Walker that his output is postive either way.

 

[outerspacefan]

If the Jazz make the playoffs, those 10 minutes Hardy is forced to play Keyonte will be brutal...

IF Jazz make postseason George won't play much

 

[Fosto]

IF Jazz make postseason George won't play much

I said if. And I sure hope so.

 

[Agent#00]

hack a kessler absolutely killed us lol. Kesslers minutes were the reason that we weren't killed and the game was close. You are a silly goose.
Fouling sexton and lauri also absolutely killed us apparently because they both missed free throws in the 4th quarter. You want to put this loss on a single missed free throw from a single player then you do you.
BTW, Gobert shot 48% from the line for an entire season and had hack a gobert employed on him many times with the jazz.

Jazz got off to a horrendous start while Kessler was on the bench, got destroyed in the 3rd quarter while kessler was on the bench, Lauri missed 2 bunnies in the 4th and a free throw, sexton missed a free throw in the 4th, Collins missed 2 wide open threes in the 4th, KO missed a wide open 3 in the 4th..... But one missed free throw by Kessler absolutely killed us lol.

This and some daggers from Wallace and William killed us. And the sga turnaround jump shot. Also clakrson was fishing for contact but didn’t work. Too many easy basket missed.

 

[Tremendous Upside]

WK working on his FT issue will be huge for him and for his team (I've got the impression that coaching staff already knows this thing )

He shot 51% from the stripe last season. He should've been working on it all offseason like a man possessed.

Instead, his feelings were hurt by Kerr not playing him in the World Cup and he apparently spent the summer dwelling on it.

 

[Fosto]

Crazy that people in this thread are fighting over Kessler, who was a huge positive, and Dunn who was largely irrelevant, when it was George who sucked the life out of our comeback attempt in the third and fourth.

 

[Tremendous Upside]

hack a kessler absolutely killed us lol. Kesslers minutes were the reason that we weren't killed and the game was close. You are a silly goose.
Fouling sexton and lauri also absolutely killed us apparently because they both missed free throws in the 4th quarter. You want to put this loss on a single missed free throw from a single player then you do you.
BTW, Gobert shot 48% from the line for an entire season and had hack a gobert employed on him many times with the jazz.

Jazz got off to a horrendous start while Kessler was on the bench, got destroyed in the 3rd quarter while kessler was on the bench, Lauri missed 2 bunnies in the 4th and a free throw, sexton missed a free throw in the 4th, Collins missed 2 wide open threes in the 4th, KO missed a wide open 3 in the 4th..... But one missed free throw by Kessler absolutely killed us lol.

No, not just the one missed free throw. What killed us was the fact that OKC was able to gently wrap up Kessler, resulting in us losing possession of the ball, gaining only one point (Walker got lucky, he's at 49%), messing up our rhythm and demoralizing us (nobody wants to see Walker's terrified *** at the line in crunch time).

You can't have a player like that on the floor at that stage.

 

[Tremendous Upside]

Crazy that people in this thread are fighting over Kessler, who was a huge positive, and Dunn who was largely irrelevant, when it was George who sucked the life out of our comeback attempt in the third and fourth.

Don't get me wrong, George was unimaginably bad, but I just don't have the energy to complain about him right now. This loss was draining. I need load management.

 

[str8line]

- the better, more versatile, quick basketball team won
- WK working on his FT issue will be huge for him and for his team (I've got the impression that coaching staff already knows this thing )
- to Key or not to Key appears to me to be a problem
- my eyes told me our JCs were not good enough for us last nigtht

Keyonte wasn't all that bad. He makes a few of those driving shots or gets fouled and we're singing his praises. He came in with us down 22-13 and by possession touches:

1. Not involved
2. Bullet pass to Lauri for a wide open 3 miss, stops a SGA drive with nice D
3. Good pass to JC who drives into the trees and gets his terrible outlet pass stolen for uncontested OKC layup
4. TO, Gets stripped of ball on drive, we stop them going other way
5. Really bad turnover by Ochai on a pass attempt to Kessler
6.. Not involved
7. Makes a corner 3 to make it 34-20 and OKC call timeout.
8. Drives up court quickly on outlet pass and misses a floater
9. Very nice drive but blocked by Holmgren
10. Awesome pass to KO for 2
11. Gets hit in face in backcourt lays on ground for a while

Goes out with the score at 39-27

At this point Key gave up 0 points on defense, and plays pretty much fine on offense but has one turnover. JC takes up most of these possessions.