8. Utah's U-turns
Thank the basketball gods for Alec Burks, the one Jazz Man with the zip and balls-to-the-wall attitude to rush coast-to-coast and challenge defenders waiting at the rim. Utah plays at the league's slowest pace, and only one team -- the calculating Mavs -- gets a lower percentage of its shots via transition, per Synergy.
No team U-turns its way out of more fast-break chances. If the numbers are even, the Utah players running a 2-on-2 or 3-on-3 will make one or two passes, and then politely back the ball out to give the defense a fair chance. If they have an advantage, it might end with a Utah player catching near the rim, peeking over his shoulder at an onrushing defender, and spinning back outside in a panic. They approach contested transition layups as if they are radioactive. Gordon Hayward might lead the league in fast-break anxiety.
Too bad, because Utah is a deadly transition team. They trail only the Warriors in points per possession on transition chances, and rank fourth by that measure on all possessions following steals, per the tracking site InPredictable. Being choosy boosts those numbers; the Jazz are punting so-so fast-break opportunities, and cashing in only on sure things.
They can afford to be a little less picky. Have some fun, people! Keep running, leap for the rim and see what in the hell happens!