Real GM: the case for Dante Exum

[Deleted member 848]

I am slurping on all KINDS of kool-aid right now.

2017 NBA champs. The SLC parade gon' be bonkers. Totally down with letting a drunk dude tattoo a Jazz-note on my ***.

 

[Deleted member 848]

Man, I hope Exum is the best on the roster in a few years. This team will be seriously good if that is the case. Hayward is a good player, but as pretty much everyone knows, he is a number 2 option, and Gobert will be a superstar defensively. Unless Favors or Hayward has a hidden "next step" in them, they will not be leading this team to a championship without some help. I sure hope Exum turns out to be great offensively, and keeps his defense up.

I think Hayward and Favors have potential to be all stars a couple times in their careers, but I agree with you that Gobert and Exum are the ones that have superstar potential.

Favors can take the 'next step' so long as he can be enabled by good point-guard play, IMO. He'll never be Tim Duncan on offense-- but he could easily average 20ppg with a top-shelf PG IMO.

And trust me, we don't need either Hayward nor Favors to take another step. They're both already starters on championship teams. Hell, 2nd-year Rudy is a starter on a championship team as well.

If we can just focus on elevating the play of Exum, Burks, Hood, and Burke-- that'll address our offensive woes, and we're looking at home-coort advantage going into the playoffs. That's not an exaggeration.

 

[Deleted member 848]

How you know that we're destined for greatness:

When our biggest weakness on this roster right now is PG-play-- which is a) the easiest positional need to address via FA; b) we have, at worst, a solid back-up in Trey-- and an incredibly promising starter in Dante; c) players in Hood, Hayward, and Burks who all have considerable ease running point for minutes on end.

 

[Deleted member 848]

Injuries are quite honestly the only thing holding this team back from a ring-run over the next three years. Chemistry? Check. Coaching staff? Check. Lots of cap-room? Check. Youth and potential at every position? Check. All-NBA defense? Yup.

I want the Spurs in the WCF, and Lebron in the Finals.

 

[Carbon13]

If we can continue to draft well and get a good guy ever 3rd to 4th year, I think we could keep this thing rolling for a long time.

 

[b_line]

Favors can take the 'next step' so long as he can be enabled by good point-guard play, IMO. He'll never be Tim Duncan on offense-- but he could easily average 20ppg with a top-shelf PG IMO.

And trust me, we don't need either Hayward nor Favors to take another step. They're both already starters on championship teams. Hell, 2nd-year Rudy is a starter on a championship team as well.

If we can just focus on elevating the play of Exum, Burks, Hood, and Burke-- that'll address our offensive woes, and we're looking at home-coort advantage going into the playoffs. That's not an exaggeration.

I am totally on board with Hayward and Favors being awesome players, I think they are great. I was saying pretty much what you said when you said Favors will not be Duncan, and would add that Hayward is not going to be LeBron.

BUT... there is no reason Hayward and Favors can't make this team a contender to have an outside shot at the finals. They are awesome players. It would just be awesome if Exum and Gobert become at least as good or better than Hay and Fav. Then we will have something very special.

 

[Miggs]

Haha true, not the most polished writer out there

His writing is more than adequate.

 

[Miggs]

Injuries are quite honestly the only thing holding this team back from a ring-run over the next three years. Chemistry? Check. Coaching staff? Check. Lots of cap-room? Check. Youth and potential at every position? Check. All-NBA defense? Yup.

I want the Spurs in the WCF, and Lebron in the Finals.

This sounds great in theory and I feel like you're right but my mind tells me you're not. It tells me that playoff basketball is a whole 'nother animal and that if and when that time comes, that we have to win four games in a seven game series, we're going to find out if our guys are the types of guys who can hit big shots. Who can hit big free throws. Who can get a stop when we need one (or two, or three...) despite maybe not being matched up that well (see Golden State).

We took a clear step last year. I expect another one this year (I'm hoping for 44+ wins). But OKC is the poster child for having unGodly potential and they've only been to one Finals.

But we shall see. Exum is the key. If in three years time, he can be as good at his position as Hayward is now at the 3, I think we have a legitimate shot.

That said, my greatest fear is that Gobert just isn't playing in the right decade. That over the next decade, we'll see small ball get even smaller to the point that stretch 5's will the norm rather than an anomaly. Here's to hoping I'm wrong.

 

[framer]

This sounds great in theory and I feel like you're right but my mind tells me you're not. It tells me that playoff basketball is a whole 'nother animal and that if and when that time comes, that we have to win four games in a seven game series, we're going to find out if our guys are the types of guys who can hit big shots. Who can hit big free throws. Who can get a stop when we need one (or two, or three...) despite maybe not being matched up that well (see Golden State).

We took a clear step last year. I expect another one this year (I'm hoping for 44+ wins). But OKC is the poster child for having unGodly potential and they've only been to one Finals.

But we shall see. Exum is the key. If in three years time, he can be as good at his position as Hayward is now at the 3, I think we have a legitimate shot.

That said, my greatest fear is that Gobert just isn't playing in the right decade. That over the next decade, we'll see small ball get even smaller to the point that stretch 5's will the norm rather than an anomaly. Here's to hoping I'm wrong.

Gobert's game translates in any decade. If you have elite rim protection, it is MUCH easier to lock down the three point line. Add to that an elite PG defender with unreal quickness and length to hound the opposing point, there isn't going to be much room left to squeeze of a bunch of open threes. if the remaining wings have any defensive talent at all. The only hurdles the Jazz have are consistent scoring from the two guard (which should be solved by Burks or Hood) and a solid bench (that is a work in progress.) Well, that and experience. With our cap situation there should be no problem holding the team together for a number of years.

 

[tleikheen]

Speed and length can shut down smallball and good rebounding teams can pound the hell out of smallballl on the boards as Cleveland showed ........I'm of belief that if Kyrie Irving and Love didnt get hurt Golden State wouldn't have won.
A healthy OKC is going to be a dominant scoring team and rebounding team....how does smallball beat a team that can score with them but dominate them on the boards
If Exum.Burks ,Hood,and Hayward can hold on the ball without turnovers ,their length will make their defense hard to score on.
By the way Utah and OKC tied for rebound differential last year

 

[fishonjazz]

I am totally on board with Hayward and Favors being awesome players, I think they are great. I was saying pretty much what you said when you said Favors will not be Duncan, and would add that Hayward is not going to be LeBron.

BUT... there is no reason Hayward and Favors can't make this team a contender to have an outside shot at the finals. They are awesome players. It would just be awesome if Exum and Gobert become at least as good or better than Hay and Fav. Then we will have something very special.

Lots of folks be sleepin in Burks. It's all good though. I understand why.
He gonna wake you up next year though

#10
#TheReturn

 

[karl malone]

Agreed with whoever said that the concern is offense, especially come playoff time. I'm a firm believer in the saying that defense wins championships. I don't think you can win one without a great to elite defense, but at the same time, unless that defense is of all-time great caliber (or at least close to it), you still need some balance offensively. Defensively, I think we are going to be (if we aren't already, although last year was too small of a sample size to say for certain) championship caliber. With Exum, Favors, & Gobert in the starting 5, our defense is going to be good regardless of who else is playing alongside them. With Hood & Hayward (both of whom are above average to good defensive players) next to them, our defense has the potential to be the best in the league. Even without any improvements (& injuries obviously), I think a team with that starting 5 (plus Burks as the 6th man) has the opportunity to consistently be a top 4 seed in the WC because of it's defense (& good enough offense).

Imo, if we don't win a championship within the next 5 years, it will be because of our offense. Right now, we have Hayward (who is a proven #2 option), Hood (who showed the potential of a #2 option), & Burks (who appears to be best suited as a 6th man who can act as the 2nd units #1 option) as our main offensive threats. Favors has also shown that, given a solid PG, he can provide enough offense to be a #3/4 option on a championship caliber team. Gobert will likely always be limited offensively so, unless we somehow acquire/develop a true #1, how good our offense (& in affect our team) is will come down to what type of offensive player Exum develops into. He may have the quickness & athleticism to become a #1 scoring option, but unless he gains enough strength to become an elite finisher or turns into a knockdown outside shooter (neither of which are likely, imo), his offensive ceiling is probably that of a #2/3 option.

Our defense may just be good enough to overcome not having a true #1, but it is tough to win 4 out of 7 games, 4 times without a player who can score on his own & singlehandedly take over offensively when the game is close. We might be able to get by with an "offense by committee" if Hayward, Hood, Exum, & Burks are all #2/3 type scorers, but our defense will likely have to be elite in order to do so. Luckily though, it has the potential to be just that.