What's new
By:

Taylor Hendricks Hype Thread

. Locker room frustration​

That’s the most frustrated I’ve ever seen a locker room after a regular season game.

Just to give kind of a behind the scenes, what happens is that the media is allowed to enter in the locker room after the Will Hardy interview you see on TV after the game. Then, we kind of linger, waiting for players to finish showering, changing, and then we get the chance to interview them. Some of those interviews happen on camera and get fed to the postgame broadcast, but a lot of them don’t.

Around those more formal interviews, just a lot of chatting happens. After a win, it’s typically about good stuff — cool plays that night, how good a player has been, or even just talking about what’s going on around the league or in college basketball. Sometimes it’s about TV shows, music, or movies. After a loss, players and media are usually less chatty, as players are frustrated. (That’s unless it’s a good loss, or players don’t care if they win or lose anymore. I’ve been in those seasons... my first season covering the Jazz in 2013-14 was like that.)

Tonight, players were pretty chatty. But it wasn’t because they don’t care if they win or lose anymore — it’s because they’re frustrated as can possibly be about the state of the team. And they didn’t really care if the media knew about it. In particular, they feel like they were sold a bill of goods.

Jazz CEO Danny Ainge, before this season, was asked about Lauri Markkanen’s desire to be in the playoffs in the 2023-24 season.

Ainge said: “We want to be in the playoffs. Let’s get there. I want to be in the playoffs too, Lauri. Let’s go.”

Then they traded three rotation players without getting any back at this trade deadline, while they had a realistic chance at play-in status. As a result, they feel defeated... as if their efforts this season were for naught. As if the front office has pulled the rug out from underneath them again.

Now, look, I certainly think the Jazz’s moves are defensible, and Jazz GM Justin Zanik made that case in his press conference on Saturday:

“This is the second kind of calibration around our core, and sometimes that takes time. I wish that it was quick and then all of a sudden we have a long and prosperous run right now. We’ll do that in a second. It’s just not available. And I’m not going to compromise the long-term joy and success because we want to avoid short-term pain and short-term disappointment.”

These are the short-term pain and short-term disappointment moments he’s talking about. The question is whether or not they’re going to be worth it in the end... and I can’t answer that right now.

In the mean time, this is the story about this franchise at the moment: the Jazz have a lot of players that aren’t happy about who they’re playing with, and more importantly, who they’re not.
 
​
 

2. Taylor Hendricks’ struggles​

I don’t mean to make this email a game-by-game Taylor Hendricks check-in column, but this is part of point 1 above — Taylor Hendricks is just so, so raw right now.

There are so many possessions where he just doesn’t know where to stand. Both offensively and defensively. This is his rookie season, to be sure, and these are going to be the growing pains. But the result is one of two things:

A) but the Jazz are either going to spend several seconds against the shot clock every time it happens to point him to the right place...

or B) just let him stand in the wrong place, and then when the Jazz’s guards drive the ball, the spacing is all messed up so they’re running into a wall of traffic.

That’s when the ball isn’t in his hands. When the ball is in his hands, he’s just not skilled enough yet to do things with it. If it’s a catch-and-shoot three, great, or a lob finish, great, otherwise, the product is nearly always going to be rough.
Defensively is where Hendricks can make a positive mark to begin his career, but he needs to be so much more disciplined than he is now.

He can move his feet really well, look at him slide them to stay in front of Jonathan Kuminga here. But then he puts both of his arms down to protect his midsection, turning his good defense into a foul that’s going to be called every time.
I think Hendricks’ teammates see him working hard, as do his coaches. But they also know what they’ve seen from him in practice isn’t good enough to help them compete right now. He’ll need to win them over with better play — likely through tremendous off-season work.

3. Keyonte George in the starting lineup​

In somewhat of a surprise move, Keyonte George moved into the starting lineup today. The team does believe in George more than they do Hendricks — or one other notable PG alternative, Talen Horton-Tucker — but I think it’s fair to say that trust in Kris Dunn is generally higher than it is in George right now.

I asked Will Hardy about the change.

“I felt like it’s time. Keyonte is a big part of our program. I think that playing with Lauri and John and Walker, all three of those guys need facilitators to get them the ball,” Hardy said. “I think that to this point, in pick and roll, and even some of the off ball stuff with Lauri, I think that Keyonte has been a really good facilitator on the whole.”

I think George has a good facilitation mindset — pretty remarkable given that this is his first major experience at the point guard position — but I’m not sure I agree that he’s been a really good facilitator in terms of results. Right now, George’s 24.5% assist percentage is 33rd percentile in the NBA, per CleaningTheGlass. The turnover percentage is 14.6%, which is 11th percentile among point guards in the NBA.

The biggest problem with George right now, though, is the shooting percentages. He’s 33% from deep, which isn’t great but fine given 3-point variance; the biggest problem is inside the arc, where he’s shooting just 45%. In the end, every other player on the Jazz scores more points per shot than George.

This is all okay — he’s a rookie! — but it’s another point where the Jazz are putting their long-term future first. George shot just 2-10 tonight, while putting up a game-low -32 plus-minus.

It feels as if results are going to be difficult to come by for this team for the rest of the season. That being said, last season also felt this way, and then the Jazz got a number of surprising wins in March despite being out-talented — forcing the Jazz to go so far as to pull a healthy Markkanen and others out of the lineup. Hardy will need the same magic this year to keep everyone on board.
 
 
KqWIN said:
I'm sure it works like a charm if you were already signed up, but seems like a terrible design flaw that if you weren't signed up yet....you don't get to read the article that got you to sign up.

This is also a call to anyone that wants to post it so I can read it.
Click to expand...
Ahhh... got ya. Did a quick copy/paste.
 
Handlogten's Heros said:
Meh... I separate my frustration with people and companies or people and other relationships all the time. Its totally possible.
Click to expand...
Come on... the NBA is a dog eat dog environment. Fans like to think of teams as families, and sometimes the vibe IS like that, but those are exceptions.

In reality, guys are in a fierce competition for opportunities, minutes, touches and shots... uncontested rebounds equal dollars and you don't steal them from older players if you're a rook... the people who are in danger of getting replaced by rookies are well aware of it and they don't like it... the vets don't "mentor" the youngins unless they know they won't play anymore anyway – they want to take their minutes... The list goes on.

Of course personal relationships sometimes spill out onto the court. These guys are just human.

Key and Hendricks are not getting systematically frozen out. I mean, recently Olynyk was accused of ignoring Keyonte and that narrative gathered some steam, until someone checked the stats and found that Kelly actually had the MOST passes to Key on the team.
 
I think the players hate on Tay Henny is bad. They see a lot in practice and behind the scenes that we don't. Whoever on the scouting staff that was high on him ought to start getting worried.
 
Tremendous Upside said:
Come on... the NBA is a dog eat dog environment. Fans like to think of teams as families, and sometimes the vibe IS like that, but those are exceptions.

In reality, guys are in a fierce competition for opportunities, minutes, touches and shots... uncontested rebounds equal dollars and you don't steal them from older players if you're a rook... the people who are in danger of getting replaced by rookies are well aware of it and they don't like it... the vets don't "mentor" the youngins unless they know they won't play anymore anyway – they want to take their minutes. The list goes on...

Of course personal relationships sometimes spill out onto the court. These guys are just human.

Key and Hendricks are not getting systematically frozen out. I mean, recently Olynyk was accused of ignoring Keyonte and that narrative gathered some steam, until someone checked the stats and found that Kelly actually had the MOST passes to Key on the team.
Click to expand...
YEah, I think the Keyonte stuff is fabricated about him getting "frozen" out. Key just has expressive body language he has to get a handle on.

We will see on Hendricks. I think the players respect Keyonte as a hooper. They know he can ball. They don't think Hendricks can hoop.
 
Good lord this board loves to overreact and as usual it is led by Cy.
 
Saint Cy of JFC said:
YEah, I think the Keyonte stuff is fabricated about him getting "frozen" out. Key just has expressive body language he has to get a handle on.

We will see on Hendricks. I think the players respect Keyonte as a hooper. They know he can ball. They don't think Hendricks can hoop.
Click to expand...
He’s not getting frozen out but KO and Clarkson would look him off multiple times a game previously.

Last night Hendricks was wide open in the corners multiple times for threes and they refused to pass. Then they wonder why he tries to do stuff off the dribble maybe because he’s not touching the ball at all.
 
Saint Cy of JFC said:
YEah, I think the Keyonte stuff is fabricated about him getting "frozen" out. Key just has expressive body language he has to get a handle on.

We will see on Hendricks. I think the players respect Keyonte as a hooper. They know he can ball. They don't think Hendricks can hoop.
Click to expand...
I sense some friction between Sexton and JC/Key. I think the whole hunger games play for yourself type of narrative has come back with Dunn/THT/JC/Key/Sexton.

I am not faulting them too much for it as 2 of those guys are FAs and 1 guy is establishing himself in the league, while Sexton is trying to level up. I think JC needs to be a little less selfish and try to have better body language maybe... IDK going to be a cluster F unless Hardy gets through to them that being a good soldier helps their individual value.

If I was Kris I'd be pretty pissed off. Dude was rolling and is likely signing his last big NBA deal this summer. Kinda ****** to ask him to take a bit of a backseat here. Unless they have some verbal agreements I would not be pleased about this.
 
Handlogten's Heros said:
I sense some friction between Sexton and JC/Key. I think the whole hunger games play for yourself type of narrative has come back with Dunn/THT/JC/Key/Sexton.

I am not faulting them too much for it as 2 of those guys are FAs and 1 guy is establishing himself in the league, while Sexton is trying to level up. I think JC needs to be a little less selfish and try to have better body language maybe... IDK going to be a cluster F unless Hardy gets through to them that being a good soldier helps their individual value.

If I was Kris I'd be pretty pissed off. Dude was rolling and is likely signing his last big NBA deal this summer. Kinda ****** to ask him to take a bit of a backseat here. Unless they have some verbal agreements I would not be pleased about this.
Click to expand...
I dont see how Dunn has been asked to take a backseat. He got the same minutes he has been getting all season....

His place in the starting lineup was always a placeholder and I'm sure he knew that. His future with the Jazz, if he is to have a future, is off the bench. He's still getting plenty of minutes to cement his value and earn his next contract.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page
Back
Top