Jazz are 1-5 versus the top 8 teams... 1 win came against a hobbled Milwaukee team. This is not a new trend. There is enough data to see a problem. We can't do a trade just for the hell of it... but if one of these defensive pieces is gettable we should push aggressively to get them.
Teams like Miami and Golden State have our number because they have long, switchy defenders who trap our guards, and they know how to attack the Jazz's defense. Those games are good reference points.
However, the Jazz had the Memphis game won (up by 2 pts with possession, with 14 secs. left) before a flukey brainfart by the officials screwed things up and gave the ball back to Memphis for a game-winning shot. The Jazz also rested Mike Conley against the Bulls, which I think turned that result. I would throw those Bulls and Grizzlies game out. The Jazz have quality wins this year over a red-hot shooting Celtics team, plus the Sixers on the road. We can disregard the Nuggets game because Jokic got hurt, and we can disregard the Bucks win because Khris Middleton was out.
However, it's clear that the Jazz have three real weaknesses they need to address:
1) Teams with long, athletic defenders have the potential to disrupt our ball movement and pick-and-roll efficiency by switching and trapping. At the same time, strong guards have the ability to slow Mitchell down. The Jazz need someone besides Mitchell who can put the ball down and beat switches. Jordan Clarkson can do this some of the time, while Bojan can punish certain mismatches. However, it would be nice if the Jazz had a long, athletic wing who could go to the rim and finish. Royce O'Neale and Rudy Gay aren't doing this enough. This is where Harrison Barnes or Jerami Grant could make a difference on offense.
2) The Jazz are not able to stop athletic, skilled guards at the point of attack, and they rely on Rudy to stop traffic in the paint. We've seen this against guys like Ja Morant and Anthony Edwards. As long as the Jazz are committed to Conely, Mitchell and Clarkson in the backcourt, they're going to have this problem. If they could bring in someone like Josh Hart or Josh Richardson, they might be able to address this without hurting our offense too much.
3) Big guards and wings who are skilled enough can score over our guards out on the floor. Mike Conley is too small to contest, and Donovan often dies on screens. We've seen guys like Tyler Herro, Desmond Bane and Brandon Ingram go off by simply side stepping and shooting over the top of our guards. Someone like Paul George or Kevin Durant will basically get open looks like he's practicing with his trainer. This is where the Jazz again need a long, athletic wing who can disrupt shooters.
The two-way impact of adding a wing like Jerami Grant or Harrison Barnes could make the Jazz as bulletproof as they're going to get, given their small backcourt.
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