Chris
Well-Known Member
The more I think about the upcoming season, the more I think that it could be a pretty decent year. In short, I think we'll finish somewhere above .550 and will make the 7th or 8th playoff spot, but we'll probably lose in the first round of the playoffs. While this is not an overly bold prediction, I think it's probably more than most people will think they'll be able to accomplish in what is widely being viewed as a rebuilding year. I say this without even accounting for any major moves that the Jazz may choose to make before or during the season. Here's why I think so:
Coaching: I think Corbin's got the goods and, with a long off-season to build an offense that could suit his players' talents and mask their deficiencies, he could lead the Jazz to a pretty impressive record.
Point guard: Devin Harris has it in him to be a better player. These guys now know each other better than they did last season. I imagine that Harris can become more of a traditional Jazz PG if he focuses on doing so. He certainly has the offensive weapons on this roster. Earl Watson is a solid backup; reminds me a bit of Howard Eisley. Having Jamaal Tinsley as a third-stringer is not bad at all.
Shooting guard: I am supremely confident that Gordon Hayward will continue to grow as exponentially as he already has. What I like about him is that he's becoming a very good basketball player. He's shown that he's willing to work on the areas in which he's deficient and seems to have had a very productive off-season. Alec Burks will probably run some backup point, but I see him playing a lot of minutes at the 2. While I haven't seen too much film on him, he seems like another basketball player, which will complement Hayward nicely. And having Bell as a third (defensive) option is not too shabby.
Small forward: It appears as though Paul Millsap, were he to wind up playing significant minutes at the 3, would be prepared for the challenge. As all of these pro-Millsap articles keep mentioning, Paul has continued to work on whatever the Jazz organization has asked him to do. I love how efficient he is from 10-15 feet and his rebounding skills would be very valuable at that position especially. I know his rebounding numbers seem to have trailed off since his rookie campaign, but he'll be fine. If Millsap does start, then CJ will prove a solid backup who brings a totally different skill set to the position than Millsap does. Could be a nice one-two punch that could fly under a lot of people's radar. Jeremy Evans has impressed me thus far and provides more versatility to the 3 spot as well.
Power forward and Center: Again, depending on what the Jazz do with Millsap at the 3, this opens up a number of options at the 4 and 5. This is what my mom would call a 'luxury problem.' Without getting into who should start and who should come off the bench, I think that Big Al will have another statistically impressive season. I like that he's in great shape and that he claims he's ready to take on more of a defensive role. If Corbin ends up moving away from the pick and roll, Al could have a monster season.
While I haven't seen as much of Derrick Favors as I'd like (getting very few nationally-televised games since the trade happened), people here seem to be pretty high on his defensive skills. This will be a welcome sight, considering Al's liabilities and the likely loss of AK. If Okur is healthy, we all know what skill set he brings to the table. If only to get himself a decent last contract from some other team, Memo could really perform well for us. I was also stoked beyond belief that we were able to get Enes Kanter 3rd overall. I like everything about him and I think he'll have a great season, even as a rookie. Depending on what happens to our big-man logjam, he could very well end up starting by the end of the season.
So, to me, even if the Jazz don't blow the doors off the trade or free agent market, I think they look pretty good as currently constituted. Could they improve with some well-executed trades, such as the Harris/Jefferson for Rondo/Green swap that I mentioned in a previous post? Yes, but even if they don't happen, I'm still excited to see what our current roster can do. Such a young group...imagine where they could be in 2-3 years. They do remind me of an OKC (as some posters have mentioned) or even a college team. Even if they have a rough season, these young players will be getting valuable NBA minutes, will get time to jell with each other, and will end up with a decent pick in the lottery this summer. Either way, I'm ready for some Jazz basketball -- bring it on.
Coaching: I think Corbin's got the goods and, with a long off-season to build an offense that could suit his players' talents and mask their deficiencies, he could lead the Jazz to a pretty impressive record.
Point guard: Devin Harris has it in him to be a better player. These guys now know each other better than they did last season. I imagine that Harris can become more of a traditional Jazz PG if he focuses on doing so. He certainly has the offensive weapons on this roster. Earl Watson is a solid backup; reminds me a bit of Howard Eisley. Having Jamaal Tinsley as a third-stringer is not bad at all.
Shooting guard: I am supremely confident that Gordon Hayward will continue to grow as exponentially as he already has. What I like about him is that he's becoming a very good basketball player. He's shown that he's willing to work on the areas in which he's deficient and seems to have had a very productive off-season. Alec Burks will probably run some backup point, but I see him playing a lot of minutes at the 2. While I haven't seen too much film on him, he seems like another basketball player, which will complement Hayward nicely. And having Bell as a third (defensive) option is not too shabby.
Small forward: It appears as though Paul Millsap, were he to wind up playing significant minutes at the 3, would be prepared for the challenge. As all of these pro-Millsap articles keep mentioning, Paul has continued to work on whatever the Jazz organization has asked him to do. I love how efficient he is from 10-15 feet and his rebounding skills would be very valuable at that position especially. I know his rebounding numbers seem to have trailed off since his rookie campaign, but he'll be fine. If Millsap does start, then CJ will prove a solid backup who brings a totally different skill set to the position than Millsap does. Could be a nice one-two punch that could fly under a lot of people's radar. Jeremy Evans has impressed me thus far and provides more versatility to the 3 spot as well.
Power forward and Center: Again, depending on what the Jazz do with Millsap at the 3, this opens up a number of options at the 4 and 5. This is what my mom would call a 'luxury problem.' Without getting into who should start and who should come off the bench, I think that Big Al will have another statistically impressive season. I like that he's in great shape and that he claims he's ready to take on more of a defensive role. If Corbin ends up moving away from the pick and roll, Al could have a monster season.
While I haven't seen as much of Derrick Favors as I'd like (getting very few nationally-televised games since the trade happened), people here seem to be pretty high on his defensive skills. This will be a welcome sight, considering Al's liabilities and the likely loss of AK. If Okur is healthy, we all know what skill set he brings to the table. If only to get himself a decent last contract from some other team, Memo could really perform well for us. I was also stoked beyond belief that we were able to get Enes Kanter 3rd overall. I like everything about him and I think he'll have a great season, even as a rookie. Depending on what happens to our big-man logjam, he could very well end up starting by the end of the season.
So, to me, even if the Jazz don't blow the doors off the trade or free agent market, I think they look pretty good as currently constituted. Could they improve with some well-executed trades, such as the Harris/Jefferson for Rondo/Green swap that I mentioned in a previous post? Yes, but even if they don't happen, I'm still excited to see what our current roster can do. Such a young group...imagine where they could be in 2-3 years. They do remind me of an OKC (as some posters have mentioned) or even a college team. Even if they have a rough season, these young players will be getting valuable NBA minutes, will get time to jell with each other, and will end up with a decent pick in the lottery this summer. Either way, I'm ready for some Jazz basketball -- bring it on.
