Game Thread Feb 01, 2024 08:00PM MT: Jazz vs. 76ers

[zags422]

JC being showcased. The team is still a couple years away from competing. Would be nice to open up some minutes for further development by moving JC and KO. Defensively we need improvement and these moves would help. Hoping it happens. JC play lately has done nothing to encourage any suitors. Puke.

 

[fishonjazz]

I don't think this Hardy/Sexton situation ends well. I'm not sure I have ever seen a situation like this where a player plays so well yet the coach continues to limit his minutes for inferior players. Hell it took a rash of injuries before Hardy was basically forced to start Sexton and he has played so well that there is no way he could justify bringing him back off the bench but he is clearly going out of his way to limit his minutes. At some point animosity is going to start to build for Sexton and his management team who have to be scratching their heads at the minutes distribution right now.

Ya check my post a couple after yours.
He is having his best season of his career. Clarkson is having the worst season of his career. Clarkson minutes are near career highs (last season is the only season higher) and Sexton is near career low in minutes (last year the only season lower)

 

[fishonjazz]

JC being showcased. The team is still a couple years away from competing. Would be nice to open up some minutes for further development by moving JC and KO. Defensively we need improvement and these moves would help. Hoping it happens. JC play lately has done nothing to encourage any suitors. Puke.

Ya showcasing a guy having arguably the worst season of his career is an interesting strategy but I do get it. Im just not sure that is what is happening. Last season was the highest minutes of clarkson career. I think that even if hardy knew clarkson was not even on the block clarkson would continue to dominate minutes. He loves clarkson and gives him the longest leash on the team. I think that is the case regardless of trade related stuff. I doubt if we keep clarkson his minutes go down after the deadline.

 

[sip]

JC being showcased. The team is still a couple years away from competing. Would be nice to open up some minutes for further development by moving JC and KO. Defensively we need improvement and these moves would help. Hoping it happens. JC play lately has done nothing to encourage any suitors. Puke.

Hardy isn't going out of his way to showcase Clarkson. He is simply getting his usual run. For some reason he is a Hardy favorite and can do no wrong while Sexton can play incredible and still be on a short leash. It is just strange.

 

[SoUjazzfan]

JC being showcased. The team is still a couple years away from competing. Would be nice to open up some minutes for further development by moving JC and KO. Defensively we need improvement and these moves would help. Hoping it happens. JC play lately has done nothing to encourage any suitors. Puke.

Man I really hope this is the case. I'm so tired of watching Clarkson dominate possessions just to end up with a forced shot on a short clock. He plays for himself and himself only. Time for him to go.
I have mixed feelings on K O. He's a facilitator who is generally pass first. We need more guys like that, but he's out of the timeline. I'd hate to see him go, but would love to get more Hendricks minutes. These quarters where we give up forty points are hard to watch.
Agbaji is starting to look like a lost cause. Sixers sagged off him last night to help on d and we couldn't make them pay even once. His confidence looks shattered. Maybe time to switch things up. How, I'm not sure. I'd like to think coach has some idea's but his rotations don't give me much hope.

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

I feel like the drop in quality of play has to be trade deadline related.

Hard to tell exactly because it might have been mostly mental fatigue from the road trip, but it seems like everyone is less connected.

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

Talk about entitled. I'm not Olynyk's #1 fan but Keyonte has proved nothing in the NBA and has earned zero right to display that kind of body language during a tight game. Get his *** off the rotation until he grows up. The more we allow this ****, the worse it's gonna get in the future when his role grows.

Lauri has like 149 plays every game where they look him off when he's asking for the ball but you don't see him ****ing sulking.


View: https://x.com/g_had13/status/1753281407378423881?s=20

I think I remember seeing someone say, either on Twitter or here, that KO will often look off or not pass to Keyonte. No idea how true that is, but given Keyonte's reaction there might be something there.

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

JC being showcased. The team is still a couple years away from competing. Would be nice to open up some minutes for further development by moving JC and KO. Defensively we need improvement and these moves would help. Hoping it happens. JC play lately has done nothing to encourage any suitors. Puke.

I don't think that is it.

I think it's mostly just Hardy favoring more versatile offensive players.

Look at who Hardy limits minutes to:

Walker: No offensive bag to speak off.

Dunn: Has one move on offense (has been surprisingly good at wide open spots up as well) and basically can't do anything other than mid paint push shots.

Ochai: has no go to move or any way to score in the half court

Sexton: struggles to shoot off the dribble outside the paint. Will often just put his head down to drive

Clarkson is frustrating as hell to watch, but he's a complete offensive player. His handle is just too loose for the amount of dribbling he does.

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

One of the consistent things I've heard from Locke is that Utah isn't doing things with the sole focus of winning games but are trying to develop a system and way of playing around Lauri.

That looks like it means if you can't play the way Hardy wants, you are going to have a bit of a minutes cap.


To me that also means no one on the team is really favored like that outside of Lauri and Keyonte. We are developing the team around Lauri and Keyonte is getting the focus of future development. Guys like Sexton, while their talent and ability has been better utilized/appreciated as the season has gone on, aren't priorities.

I'm sure they want Walker to be there as well, but he came into the season without an ounce of offensive improvement.

 

[Pinhead]

I think I remember seeing someone say, either on Twitter or here, that KO will often look off or not pass to Keyonte. No idea how true that is, but given Keyonte's reaction there might be something there.

Keyonte just isn’t good at this stage. 38% fg and 32% 3pt combined with bad defense.

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

Keyonte just isn’t good at this stage. 38% fg and 32% 3pt combined with bad defense.

Yeah, but they clearly think he has "it".

 

[Pinhead]

Yeah, but they clearly think he has "it".

Then let the other rookie play too..

One of the consistent things I've heard from Locke is that Utah isn't doing things with the sole focus of winning games but are trying to develop a system and way of playing around Lauri.

That looks like it means if you can't play the way Hardy wants, you are going to have a bit of a minutes cap.


To me that also means no one on the team is really favored like that outside of Lauri and Keyonte. We are developing the team around Lauri and Keyonte is getting the focus of future development. Guys like Sexton, while their talent and ability has been better utilized/appreciated as the season has gone on, aren't priorities.

I'm sure they want Walker to be there as well, but he came into the season without an ounce of offensive improvement.

and I think most would be understanding of this if a lottery pick was getting some burn to also allow him to develop… or either of our sophomores were getting meaningful playing time.