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Game Thread Nov 23, 2022 07:00PM MT: Jazz vs. Pistons

Added to Calendar: 11-23-22

Our first rest advantage game, and they have to travel. Finally we get to see how we look in this situation.

Want to see a game where we build qnd hold the lead and get to play trash minutes at the end. Has been a while since we last had that.
 
By the way, we've lost 4 of our last 6. This team is definitely not playing the same kind of ball it did to start the season. The most worrying change, IMO, is that assists are down, and the trend already existed before Conley got injured. We're seeing more quick shots from the guards, more hero ball.

JC got a lot of props early on for "changing his game" to be more of a facilitator, but lately, he's looked like a scorer playing for his last big contract. Clarkson averaged 5.6 assists per game in the first 9 games, but in the 10 since then, he's averaged only 3.7 dimes. Still above his career number, but clearly trending down, and frankly 3.7 is not nearly enough when you consider how much he has the ball on this team (for contrast, Olynyk, on WAY smaller usage, is averaging over 3 assists).

JC's also averaging more shots now: 15 in the first 9 games vs. 17 in the last 10.

Clarkson in a go-to-guy role is not turning into wins. That shouldn't surprise anyone - you don't suddenly become that guy at age 30. I hope Hardy is paying attention to this development.

Utah is getting a lot of national pub, and I get that it's tempting for a player to use this season as a showcase for their upcoming free agency (JC will 100% be opting out), but I'd hate to see it done to the detriment of a blue collar team like this.
 
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Tremendous Upside said:
By the way, we've lost 4 of our last 6. This team is definitely not playing the same kind of ball it did to start the season. The most worrying change, IMO, is that assists are down, and the trend already existed before Conley got injured. We're seeing more quick shots from the guards, more hero ball.

JC got a lot of props early on for "changing his game" to be more of a facilitator, but lately, he's looked like a scorer playing for his last big contract. Clarkson averaged 5.6 assists per game in the first 9 games, but in the 10 since then, he's averaged only 3.7 dimes. Still above his career number, but clearly trending down, and frankly 3.7 is not nearly enough when you consider how much he has the ball on this team (for contrast, Olynyk, on WAY smaller usage, is averaging over 3 assists).

JC's also averaging more shots now: 15 in the first 9 games vs. 17 in the last 10.

Clarkson in a go-to-guy role is not turning into wins. That shouldn't surprise anyone - you don't suddenly become that guy at age 30. I hope Hardy is paying attention to this development.
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Yeah JC has had his moments like vs Suns and in the Blazers win where he was huge, but also the same plan didn't work against Sixers and Knicks. I hope he is not competing with Lauri or trying to boost scoring numbers for one more big contract.

Right now though, I'm not too worried. I think his drop in passes has more to do with losing confidence with some of the turnovers he has had. Feels like every game he makes one or two headscratching pass attempts and that makes him hesitate. Once I stop seeing those bad pass turnovers and his numbers are still trending downwards, then I will start to worry more about his agenda.
 
HermanG said:
Right now though, I'm not too worried. I think his drop in passes has more to do with losing confidence with some of the turnovers he has had. Feels like every game he makes one or two headscratching pass attempts and that makes him hesitate.
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I don't think it's that. Early on, our ball movement produced assists in an organic way - just move the ball to to the open guy and you'll come up with an assist. That's also how Clarkson climbed up to the average of almost 6 dimes in the first 9 games - it's not like he was playing a traditional point guard role or anything. Lots of other guys had nice assist numbers as well.

He's taking more shots and passing less now.
 
Tremendous Upside said:
I don't think it's that. Early on, our ball movement produced assists in an organic way - just move the ball to to the open guy and you'll come up with an assist. That's also how Clarkson climbed up to the average of almost 6 dimes in the first 9 games - it's not like he was playing a traditional point guard role or anything. Lots of other guys had nice assist numbers as well.

He's taking more shots and passing less now.
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Fair point. He has taken more shots for sure. Up by 4 from October to November. Also I did go and check Markkanen's shots in the Clippers game (he had 21). 7 of those shots were after his own offensive rebounds (yes, he had 7 offensive boards) and 5 were set up by Olynyk or Vando. 4 were more or less self-created (he brings the ball up or the last pass is not really a setup of any kind) and guards gave him 5.

However as I took a deeper look at how our guards were feeding him (all of these are passes leading to a made or missed shot by Lauri):
Sexton had 2. One was a good lob in the paint where Markkanen missed and then took his own rebound and put it back (Sexton deserves credit but didn't get stats here). One was for an open 3 from the point.
THT had 2. One was that alley oop lob and another one was a backcourt assist for an open 3 same as Sexton.

Clarkson had 1. Only play where he set up Lauri for anything was on a fast break. And looking at this more closely, I'm not sure who JC is trying to give this ball to. You be the judge of that:

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this jazz schedule feels a bit ********, so many games away and then home...like wtf. no stretches of home games. straight up 1 home. 2 away. 1 home then away again
 
Easy win
 
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