The post-Jerry Sloan, Deron Williams era hasn’t been too kind to the Utah Jazz.
Ever since the legendary coach and star point guard made their respective exits (some more contentious than others) from Salt Lake City, the organization they left in their wake has floundered as a bubble playoff team with no real hope of advancing in the deep Western Conference.
But this season it appears that the wind may have finally picked up in the Jazz’s sails, propelling them out of mediocrity in a direction that they probably should’ve been heading ever since that 2011 off-season.
That is to say, the Jazz have finally decided to blow it up and start anew.
Armed with two first-round picks in the loaded 2014 draft, a couple of expiring deals that will clear $20 million off their books and a roster whose key players are no older than 23, the Jazz now have a solid recipe to work with—just don’t sample the results for at least two seasons.
Additions: Trey Burke, Rudy Gobert, Brandon Rush, Richard Jefferson, Andris Biedrins, John Lucas III, Ian Clark
Departures: Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap, Mo Williams, Randy Foye, DeMarre Carroll, Earl Watson, Kevin Murphy
General manager Dennis Lindsey raised some eyebrows when he elected to allow the team’s two best players—Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap—to walk in free agency, but the move made sense considering how high team officials are on the much younger and cheaper frontcourt combo of Enes Kanter and Derrick Favors.
Sitting idle as Mo Williams and Randy Foye followed the big men out of town was also a curious choice, but was less surprising considering the direction the franchise is moving (full rebuild) as well as the need to develop 2011 first-round pick Alec Burks and the team’s most exciting addition, Trey Burke.
The Jazz traded up on draft night to acquire Burke, last season’s college player of the year, and it’s likely he’ll be given full reign in SLC as his only competition for the starting point guard spot is newly acquired perpetual backup John Lucas III.
Jefferson and Biedrins are expiring deals that will clear about $20 million from Utah’s books and Rush could figure into the team’s future plans as a “three-and-D” kind of player if he’s able to regain the form he showed prior to the ACL injury that sidelined him for all but two games with the Golden State Warriors last season.
Key Storylines:
– Are Kanter and Favors really good enough to justify letting both Jefferson and Millsap leave? Statistically thus far, the answer is no. Utah’s previous inside combination had the clear edge in PER last season with Millsap topping Favors by 2.32 at the four and Jefferson bettering Kanter by 3.34 at the five. However, at only 21 and 22, Kanter and Favors provide a greater upside, and with the opportunity to get the lion’s share of minutes now, their productivity should see a considerable spike.
– Can Gordon Hayward be an effective No. 1 scoring option? Last season, Hayward finished third in team scoring behind Jefferson and Millsap, pouring in 14.1 points per game. He’s made steady progress over the three seasons he’s been in the league and looks like he’ll be a very dependable pro for many years to come but there’s been little indication that he can be a true go-to player that the Jazz will want him to be this season.
– Will the Jazz be bad enough to make all of their manoeuvring worth it? On paper, the team has a roster that should pull excellent odds in the Andrew Wiggins sweepstakes. However, this is a roster full of players who have had a small taste of the post-season and have a strong enough competitive edge to mess up Lindsey’s plans. Not to mention the fact that Utah isn’t the only team positioning itself to reap the rewards of a fantastic looking draft class.
Breakout Player:
Enes Kanter and Derrick Favors. It’s time for the world to find out just how good these two guys are. Playing behind Jefferson and Millsap would take playing time away from just about any frontcourt combo, but given the opportunity in front of them and the chance to build a rapport from scratch with a new starting point guard, expect big things from these big men.
Scale of decency
Indecent. The Jazz will be one of many teams that look plain awful while not-so-secretly smiling about it. With the team very clearly in rebuild mode and the kids being given such huge responsibility, wins won’t be easy to come by. To make matters worse, this team likely won’t even be a fun, free-wheeling up-tempo squad as their offensive focal point will be in the half-court setting up Hayward off screens and Kantor and Favors on the low block.
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