This should not have been the worst defensive team in the league last season — even with so many young players and Tyrone Corbin turning Marvin Williams into a full-time power forward. They had size on the wing, and Derrick Favors is a bouncy young rim protector.
Everyone else had issues, especially the plodding Enes Kanter, and there were too many possessions on which Utah’s players did not appear to understand what they were supposed to be doing.
Much of this will change. Everyone is a year older, and some of these guys, including Favors, Kanter, Gordon Hayward, and Alec Burks, are entering the phase of their careers in which we’d expect major growth. Rudy Gobert is ready for more time, provided he can keep his fouls down and catch the round thing that guys are throwing at him on offense.
Most of all, Quin Snyder will have these guys dialed in to concepts they can grasp. The upgrade from Corbin to Snyder might be the biggest coaching upgrade of the summer, and Snyder will loosen things up on offense with loads of 3s — even from Kanter! — and nifty ball movement. The Jazz won’t hunt for a playoff berth, but they should crack 35 wins.
