Utah Jazz Preseason Game #1 Sydney Kings at Utah Jazz Mon Oct 2, 7:00 pm

[framer]

--Rudy Goberts do not grow on trees. But neither do Donovan Mitchells.

They most certainly do. From the same tree, actually. The tree resides in Denver. . .

 

[Cappy_Smurf]

Not to mention he is a much better defender, both in man defense and playmaking defense.

Lol. No he isn't. They are both solid defenders. The only thing Rubio is way better at is playmaking, and stitches brought up a legitimate concern.

At some point in the season, Quin is going to be hard-pressed to keep both Rubio and Favors in the starting lineup. I wouldn't be surprised to see Favors traded by Dec./Jan.

I also wouldn't be surprised if Mitchell plays his way into finishing games with Rubio on the bench in the 4th quarter.

One way or another, when this team goes through a rough stretch, I think Quin is really going to struggle with having Rubio and Favors on the floor at the same time as Rudy.

 

[Revolution 9]

Not sure if Hood can give us the complete game Hayward could, but I'm confident he can give us the offense. He looked poised, and confident.
I think Hoods biggest worry is his health. We have so many solid defenders and passers around him I dont think he needs to give us everything Hay did.

He just needs to score, stay healthy, and consistent.

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

Lol. No he isn't. They are both solid defenders. The only thing Rubio is way better at is playmaking, and stitches brought up a legitimate concern.

At some point in the season, Quin is going to be hard-pressed to keep both Rubio and Favors in the starting lineup. I wouldn't be surprised to see Favors traded by Dec./Jan.

I also wouldn't be surprised if Mitchell plays his way into finishing games with Rubio on the bench in the 4th quarter.

One way or another, when this team goes through a rough stretch, I think Quin is really going to struggle with having Rubio and Favors on the floor at the same time as Rudy.

Yes he is. Rubio is a much better defender plus he can playmake on defense.

 

[Revolution 9]

-Gobert took a step up which is scary. Our leader.
-Burks and Bolomboy reminding us they are still here, albeit in garbage time.
-DMitch looking good at every step. SL, scrimmage, and first pre-season game.
-Rubio moving well, and getting adjusted. Like what I see early.
-Bradley looks solid to me. I dont get why people didnt like this pick.

I think our team looks pretty damn deep, passes, and defends well. We are fun to watch. Chemistry goes a long way. We've got it in spades.

 

[Ferguson_Mellochill]

Good work, jazzfan1071. If you don't mind, I'll use some of your assessments and add or change according to my impressions.

Rubio: As good a passer as advertised. Just not sure if he can thrive without some personnel changes. Need shooters at the 3 & 4 along with Hood at the 2 to allow Rubio to be a distributor.

Hood: Deadly tonight. And as others have mentioned, his body positioning is better on his 3's; he's getting his feet set. I see him averaging 18 pts/per. Concerned with his defense, though.

Ingles: Led the team in assists against the Kings, IINM. He's still a reluctant shooter. Don't see him averaging > 10 pts/per, even if he starts. Still believe Utah needs a better starting SF, with Ingles backing up everywhere as needed.

Favors: I like Favs. He's been a loyal soldier. But I just don't see how he can co-exist with Gobert, especially with another non-shooter in Rubio. Opponents can run Hood off the 3Pt line and just pack the paint. I could see Quin playing him 25/per. Sub him out early and then bring him back in at the backup 5.

Gobert: Going to compete with Hood for leader in pts. Is 18/14/3 too much to expect? I'd like to see Quin cut his minutes a bit this season to keep him fresher. Even a couple of DNP's to help him deal with nagging injuries and fatigue (yeah, I know, not going to happen).

Exum: Definite improvement. He looks aggressive and confident. Could make Rubio expendable in 2 years. I predict Jazz will match any offer for him.

Mitchell: Donovan should start, but won't. Exum/Mitchell might be the future at the 1/2, which would make Hood a trading chip to acquire a big SF or replacement for Favors?

Sefolosha: Better offensively than what I thought. He and Ingles are going to have some tough matchups this year. Thabo is going to play a lot.

Burks: How do Hood, Mitchell and Burks all get minutes? Someone is going to be traded.

Nice assessment. I think the solution by mid-season will be to move Hood to the starting 3 and play Mitchell at the 2. Burks backs up at the 2 and Ingles backs up at the 3.

A line-up with Rubio/Mitchell/Hood/Johnson/Gobert is probably our best closing unit. Ingles struggles when the pace speeds up. All 4 guys on the floor with Rubio have potential to score 20 pts. on any given night.

That said, the Jazz have plenty of depth and can keep these guys fresh with rotations.

 

[Ferguson_Mellochill]

A good young player that would complement this current group would be Dario Saric. Not saying we can get him, but he's the versatile, skilled forward the team is currently lacking. Saric is starting to really shoot the ball well.

 

[Cappy_Smurf]

The thing that sucks about the Favors situation is that Utah traded with the Lakers to move up 2 places for Bradley, when the Lakers also had the pick before taking Kuzma.

Kuzma's looking like a total steal and could've been the answer at the 4 for the future. Not that I dislike Bradley, but it will probably be a few years before anyone knows what he will be, when Kuzma might have been the answer to one of Utah's biggest questions.

 

[Jack Strop]

One of Quin's core beliefs is everyone needs to touch the ball and have a hand in playmaking. I wouldn't expect those aspects to change that much.

Is that a core belief, or a product of the personnel the Jazz have had?
Utah has had very poor PG's (until Hill was signed), so the play making was done through the wings, specifically through Hayward. Gordon wanted/needed to have touches every possession, but wasn't an ISO player. Rubio was signed to make Hayward's life easier on offense and take away some of those responsibilities.

I suspect we'll still see a lot of ball movement in Quin's offense, but likely a lot more PG-centric when Rubio is in the game. More P&R with Rudy and Rubio looking to the find Hood and Ingles behind the arc.

 

[Cappy_Smurf]

One of the things I'm looking forward to the most this year is Dante Exum making people look silly for all the dumb comments they've posted over the last year.

And there have been a LOT of really dumb comments.

 

[Ferguson_Mellochill]

The thing that sucks about the Favors situation is that Utah traded with the Lakers to move up 2 places for Bradley, when the Lakers also had the pick before taking Kuzma.

Kuzma's looking like a total steal and could've been the answer at the 4 for the future. Not that I dislike Bradley, but it will probably be a few years before anyone knows what he will be, when Kuzma might have been the answer to one of Utah's biggest questions.

The Lakers probably insisted on giving the Jazz #28 instead of #27. The Lakers wanted Kuzma and the Jazz weren't in a position to get him. That said, I think the Jazz probably had Bradley rated higher than Kuzma.

 

[Jack Strop]

Nice assessment. I think the solution by mid-season will be to move Hood to the starting 3 and play Mitchell at the 2. Burks backs up at the 2 and Ingles backs up at the 3.

A line-up with Rubio/Mitchell/Hood/Johnson/Gobert is probably our best closing unit. Ingles struggles when the pace speeds up. All 4 guys on the floor with Rubio have potential to score 20 pts. on any given night.

That said, the Jazz have plenty of depth and can keep these guys fresh with rotations.

Offensively that works, but defensively it's a nightmare. You have an undersized SG in Mitchell and a player in Hood who definitely cannot guard most of the WC SF's. Gobert can't compensate for multiple positions.

As Donovan progresses, I think he may become the defensive stopper at the 1, with perhaps Sefolosha brought in at the 3. Then you decide between Ingles or Rodney at the 2. Why DM over Rubio? Because he brings the offense Rubio can't. Thabo can get physical with the bigger 3's in the league. And Ingles can hit 3's while also providing defense. Hood is not a good defender.