Ok, since I was banned for the entirety of Summer League play I was pretty bummed I didn't get to post during all the meltdowns and over reactions. I was actually fairly pleased with what I saw out there and the moves we have made.
Trey Burke:
Dude clearly didn't play his best basketball at all, but I saw promise for him to be a really solid starting PG. I felt like as the SL went on, he started getting his passing down but players were just flat out missing shots or dropping passes. I see some people have already lost faith in him and are lamenting not picking the other PGs, but I feel pretty confident Burke is the best fit for the team.
I think his 3 areas of focus for improvement should be his strength, NBA range, and developing a floater. If he can get those 3 things down by the time he is in his 3rd year, I feel pretty confident he will be the long-term PG of the team and be better than half the starters at PG.
I like the fact that I think at his age he is a perfectly malleable prospect. I think the Jazz will turn him into more of a passing PG and he will be focus more on shot selection. Not to say I think he will be on an elite passing level, but a pretty good one. The more I see him the more I think a better and longer version of Jameer Nelson is his most likely scenario (Hayward his Hedo, sharing play-making responsibility.)
Rudy Gobert:
I saw y'all fell in love with this guy and I have to say I agree. His length and height are just incredible and the way hedges pick n rolls is amazing. He seems to have a fairly good understanding of the game and to have the potential to develop some offensive ability (the turnaround baseline fadeaway as the shot clock ran down was a glimpse).
I really wanted to yank my hair out at some of the passes he was mishandling though, and his at times weak finishing. During one game I remember he dropped 2 easy assist in a row and really made me face-palm, Also a few times when he tried to finish with too much finesse when he all he had to do was jump a foot in the air to dunk it home.
Clearly I think his major area of improvemenst are his body and finishing by the rim. I see a lot of potential for increased athleticism, much like Kanter gained from his rookie to sophomore season. His match-up with Greg Smith of Houston pretty much showed how most NBA bigs are going to attack him. Create contact to his body down low and knock him off balance so he can't block shots.
If he can do that and be able to physically hold his own against the NBA then he will make a great trade piece after his 3rd year.
Yes, I said trade piece. If Gobert actually develops, he will be getting paid and there is no way we can afford Kanter, Favors, and Gobert. One of them will be moved and won't be long-term Jazz players. Now, I guess that trade piece could be Kanter or Favors, but if I had to guess it would end up being Gobert.
Jeremy Evans:
I was really pleased with Evans, probably the most out of the 3 Jazz men under guaranteed contracts. I could visibly see that he has added some muscle to his frame, especially his shoulders.
Additionally his jumper shot looked pretty good and he never looked lost on offense, just played within himself and provided signature Evans plays along with the necessary skills of a rotation player.
I've kind of always been on the boat that says Evans would never be a rotation player, but he really changed my mind with his performance. I really hope we get to see Evans get a solid 15-20 minutes per game.
Raul Neto:
I really like his game. I like that he brings that Steve Nash-like ability of constantly maintaining his dribble and being able to accurately throw one handed passes. Also impressed by his speed, is a lot faster than he looks.
That being said, I think it would be best if he stayed another year overseas. I just don't like the idea of trying to develop him and Burke at the same time. I think we should try to devote all resources to developing Burke and giving him a lot of opportunities. Then, assuming we don't draft a high profile PG in the 2014 draft, bring in Neto if he so wishes to join. By then I think we should have a better idea of what Burke is and will be able to handle the situation better.
Thoughts on Non-Jazz SL Players on Jazz Team:
Chris Roberts is a beast. He had the mid-range game of Rip Hamilton (at least for those 5 games) and is an athlete on top of that. I really hope he gets an invite to camp.
Other than him, I really wasn't overly impressed with anyone else.
Christmas showed flashes, but he was also TO prone.
Bufford never stuck out to me, but he shot it well.
Rest of Free Agency:
Would anyone here take Harris? He only got offered a 9 million dollar contract over 3 years, and that got pulled after his toe injury. I was thinking about his last year with the Jazz and I really think he was criminally underrated. If I had to point to a major reason we missed the playoffs last year it would be Mo replacing Devin. Harris was nothing special, but didn't waste possessions like Mo always did (and he was a beast the final month of the regular season). I think he would make a great backup and it looks like he can be had for less than 3 million per year.
*anticipating "tl/dr" comments*
