What is wrong with the Jazz Defense

[Doc Cherno]

I've only caught a couple of the Jazz games since the trade, so may be generalizing too much from what I saw (including the debacle in NY), but Harris looks like he isn't commiting at all to defending outside or fighting through picks. I can see some of what Darkwing is saying (and laud his articulate breakdown), but I thought Favors and Jefferson looked fairly decent (at least by contrast with our guards). No system works (forcing middle, forcing outside, distraction by pig noises) if there's not a commitment to it, and I certainly haven't seen it from Harris, Miles, or Bell on D in any of the games I've watched (unless you count Bell's last minute effort against the scrubs in NY where he finally started diving for loose balls and staying up tight on his man -- ugh).

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[LogGrad98]

You can say what you want about philosophy and what the coach teaches and so on, but in the end it all hinges on whether the players go out there and put forth the effort to play defense. And we simply are not. Our defense would improve dramatically overnight with no changes to philosophy or scheme or system if they players would stop being lazy about closing out on shooters, staying in front of their man, getting a hand in the face of the shooters, rotating to help each other, closing gaps in the zone, and playing passing lanes. This is basic **** people. This is what we teach in Jr. Jazz and in Jr. High and so on.

Until they do that, until the players actually try and work for it on defense, you could have the best defensive system the world has ever known and you still still have freaking Detroit scoring 120 on you and getting slaughtered by the Knicks.

 

[jimmyjazz]

Harris looks like he isn't commiting at all to defending outside or fighting through picks.

Perhaps a bad habit carried over from the Nets? Watched some Deron'd Nets games and the defense is just terrible. You see what happens when players don't fight through picks. They just switch all the time, which leads to predictable mismatches such as an opposing quick wing taking a slower big off the dribble, a guard ending up with a big guy down low, etc. Sloan's defensive philosophy is clearly superior, well at least compared to that of Avery Johnson and the Nets.

 

[Twin Towers]

Our system is great for a lot of reasons. You cannot deny that the Jazz have always allowed 3 point shots. Our structure is horrible on defense. And going after the ball on defense is also a problem. The Jazz count tip balls. What a dumb stat to follow. If you are always going after the ball to tip it than its going to put you in a bad position to play defense.

It is absolutely the players and the coaches though. Its KOC's fault for signing PF's to the team and not having a center. Its Sloan/Corbin's fault for not playing Fesenko. Who is the only play on the team that clogs the lane. Its the players for not giving good effort and playing position defense and rotating properly.

Its everyone's fault but we cant' change the team now and Corbin won't change the rotation. So the only thing we can change right now is the structure on defense. And going after tip balls and allowing the wing defender to collapse hurts us. There is a reason why 3 point shooters love playing the Jazz. Once that them starts hitting the 3 it spreads the court for them and they can slash easily. We can't stop the 3 or teams penetrating. There is absolutely something wrong with our system if we are allowing both of those.

 

[TheSilencer1313]

Favors fouls every other possession, Jefferson is too slow, Millsap too short, Bell too old, and Miles too dumb.

Intelligent post man......

 

[akirac73]

What is wrong with the Jazz Defense? Their is none. I am amazed the Jazz can never stop the three. Boler said that during the month of Feb, Jazz opponents shot 44% from three. That is a staggering stat. Our wings just can not stop anyone. In my opinion, the perimeter is hurting us the most. The second part that hurts is our rebounding. We have little chance of winning when we get out rebounded.

I always thought the NBA 3-point contest would be a lot more exciting if you added Utah Jazz players to guard the contestants during the competition. We'd see record breaking scores. For whatever reason, opposing players always seem to shoot 3 pointers as if they were layups against us.

 

[VINYLONE]

I believe it's the coach most of all. I said for the last 18 months to fire Sloan and hire Thibodeau and we missed the boat. Chicago does not have elite defenders yet they're buying into his philosophy and kicking *** on that side of the ball.

KEK is on point. Will try to rep.

 

[moevillini]

interesting article here related to the above - and other things as well...

https://www.suntimes.com/4192949-417/bulls-coach-tom-thibodeau-commands-respect.html

Thibodeau’s players listen to him. It’s a blessing, not a given, for an NBA coach. In crunch time Sunday, LeBron James did what he did in every close game as a Cavalier: He stood with the ball at the top of the key, and none of his teammates moved. This time, he drove to the basket and missed.

So far, James’ career shows that the stand-back-and-watch-LeBron strategy is not going to win NBA championships. This is where a coach is supposed to step in and, you know, coach. There’s no doubt who’s running that team, and it’s not Spoelstra.

There’s no doubt who’s running the Bulls. Thibodeau had center Joakim Noah switch on James for that last possession. It made all the difference.

“He’s been an assistant coach for a lot of years,’’ guard Kyle Korver said before the Bulls’ 85-77 victory over the Hornets on Monday night. “He’s studied a lot of film, and there’s not a situation that he hasn’t seen at some point. He has it worked out in his mind, how he wants to guard every single situation.’’

“I don’t think there’s one player in here that would say that Thibs isn’t the best X’s and O’s coach they’ve ever played for,’’ Korver said.

.....................

Anything else?

“If you’re not doing it right, he just doesn’t play you,’’ Korver said.

 

[candrew]

I always thought the NBA 3-point contest would be a lot more exciting if you added Utah Jazz players to guard the contestants during the competition. We'd see record breaking scores. For whatever reason, opposing players always seem to shoot 3 pointers as if they were layups against us.

Good idea - although Ronnie Price would probably foul on about a third of the attempts.