The Utah Jazz Rebuild Is (Somehow) Just Beginning..

The Utah Jazz Rebuild Is (Somehow) Just Beginning..

On Monday December 11th the Utah Jazz would lose against the Oklahoma City Thunder 134 to 120 in a game that they were down by 38 points going into the fourth quarter putting their record at 7 and 16 on the year just 2 days later on December 13th in a home game versus the

New York Knicks with their star Lowry Markin in back they would pull off a close win and begin the start of something special at the time of this recording which is Friday January 26th 2024 the Utah Jazz are currently 16- s in their last 23 games which includes a

Six-game winning streak and a three-game losing skid they just recently broke giving them the third best record in the entire NBA during this run at this point in the NBA season we’re over halfway through it so the question has to be asked in this video are the Utah Jazz

For real and do they truly have a chance to make the playoffs currently they are sitting at 10th in the Western Conference tied with the Lakers but losing the tiebreaker if you stay till the end we will try to answer if the Utah Jazz are for real or if they’re

Going to flounder as the season continues but in the meantime let’s go through what has happened during this stretch for the Utah Jazz what has been the biggest changes between this stretch and their 7 and6 start to the season and if we think they should be buyers or

Sellers in the upcoming trade deadline but before we dive in I’m super excited for this video because I’m doing something I’ve always wanted to do but I’ve never done before I received exclusive voice notes from a jazz Creator who I think is killing it on Twitter right now his username is

Jazzmatic he deserves a much bigger following so please check out his stuff on Twitter I’ve linked him in the description he’s from the Salt Lake City area and is a two-time national champion coach he’ll be giving us some x’s and o’s Insight on the team he watches

Diligently night in and night out and takes on certain players peppered throughout this video currently the Jazz have the 16th rated offensive efficiency in the league and the 21st rated defense while being just 21st in net rating but if we were to take into an account from

December 3r 13th on the Jazz have the eighth overall offensive rating in the NBA in that time span the 13th rated defense and our 10th overall with a net rating of plus 4.8 they’re just coming off a six-game winning streak that included a win at Philadelphia a win at

Milwaukee and a win home versus Denver in three consecutive games although the past 23 games have been incredible overall for the Jazz they are just coming off a three-game losing streak that included two really hard-fought losses at home versus the Thunder and Away versus Houston and I promise you

The numbers looked even more incredible before that losing streak but they were able to stop that losing skid last night in Washington let’s dive into some specific players and how they’ve impacted this 23 game stretch so let’s start with Lowry marinin in my opinion he’s an All-Star and at the very least a

1B player on a championship roster right now what’s super special about Lowry is his ability to be efficient and effective off the ball he does it so well and it’s a rare trait to have in today’s game the Jazz acquired Lowry in 2022 from Cleveland in the Donovan

Mitchell trade which is a trade I think will go down in history as worse than the Rudy gobear trade like I mentioned in the intro he did sit out for eight games straight this season to start that seven and 16 stretch but ever since he’s been back from that injury he’s been

Playing phenomenally averaging 24 points per game 8.8 rebounds and shooting 49% from the field 39% from three and 87% from the free throw line like I said before Lowry is unique in that he doesn’t need the ball in his hands often to score and although he did average

25.6 last season he’s playing only 32.5 minutes per game which is 2 minutes less than last year and shooting over a shot less than he did last year all the efficiency is pretty much exactly the same I know there’s been some rumors over the past couple months on NBA

Twitter that Lowry would be a perfect fit in Oklahoma City but I just don’t see Danny a ever giving this man up he is your key to building a championship roster for the future and to be honest I think he would be able to attract a superstar in free agency due to his

Style of Play here’s a quick tidbit that jazzmatic had to say about Lowry what I like about low is he’s touching so many different points of the game it’s not just his shooting it’s not just his scoring he’s improving his defense and you can see that in the most at Reese

Example when they played the LA Lakers marinin was the primary defender on Anthony Davis in that game and Davis while he did have a triple double he went five for 21 not a great percentage the other thing that I think Lowry is improving is his off the bounce game he

Is taking it strong to the rim and he’s doing it off more than one dribble there’s multiple possessions where it’s one two three dribbles sometimes a spin move and he’s either getting to the line or he’s finishing as a seven-footer the Jazz and Hardy inverted a pick and roll

Where marinan was the ball handler and he’s coming off this pick and roll and he hits colins ston on time on Target off that pick and roll in the opposite corner Lowry has improved so much year over-year and now he’s just getting to the point where he’s dominating just

Looking at his stats and the way the team’s playing it’s incredible and it’s fun to watch and I don’t see the Jazz moving him anytime soon while Lowry is definitely the main character in this story Colin ston has also played a major part as well in fact that Nicks game

That lry came back and started this 15 and5 stretch for the Jazz Utah’s head coach will hardy slid Colin Sten into the starting lineup for the first time that season in that game and he hasn’t taken him out since during this 23 game stretch Colin is averaging 22.1 points

Per game and five assists on pretty awesome efficiency shooting 51.6% from the field 42.2% from three 89% from the free throw line and only playing 27 minutes a night I really think Colin ston has a serious case for most improved player of the year he’s not

Going to win it and he really isn’t even being considered right right now as it’s a two-horse race between Tyrese Maxi and Alper and shenon but my point still stands will hardy had this to say about Colin after this recent stretch he’s been on because I think he was somebody

That really came in with a lot of narrative around the type of player that he is and I probably let that impact me too much last year you know he’s somebody that has shown me that like you don’t you don’t need to listen to any of

That at all you need to just take people at face value for how they are when they get here and what they do when they’re with our team and he’s a big reason why we’re playing well right now if you’re watching the NBA back in 2020 you know

How much of a menace Colin was in Cleveland in that 2020 2021 season he would average 24 points per game but he’s actually playing better this season in my opinion than that one he’s more efficient he only shot 47% from the field in that season and this one he’s

Shooting 49% including a 4% increase from inside the arc but it’s also more than that Colin because he came off the bench to start the season and just the way this Utah Jazz team has been structured is only playing 23.8 minutes per game versus in that season before he

Was playing 35 yet he’s still averaging 17.2 points per game this season one thing I think we all forget as NBA fans because things change so much from year to year is that players deal with injuries and it takes them a while to get back to what they were before then

And when it comes to Colin he had a torn meniscus early into the 2021 season playing in Cleveland was out the rest of the season and then that off season was traded in the Donovan Mitchell trade so last season he had a new coach a new envirment and he also dealt with some

Injuries that got him out of the flow including a naging hamster injury that kept him out most of the end of the season last year here’s a quote Colin had on how he’s been able to put the past two seasons of injuries behind him I put my time in I feel healthy I’m

Excited coming off injury last year and playing it was different I wasn’t able to work out in the summer I wasn’t able to play but this summer I was able to play as well as lift and get to the goals that I wanted to I feel great I’m

Excited and I plan on playing a whole 82 this year and so far he’s done just that he’s played in every single game for the Jazz bottom line Colin seon has been phenomenal and I’m so glad he’s allowed to continue flourishing in his new found

Home when it comes to a guy like Jordan Clarkson I think he’s a very valuable Sixth Man coming off the bench he started the season starting and then got hurt Colin moved into the starting line lineup and ever since he came back he’s been coming off the bench which I think

Is a perfect role for Clarkson to be in he’s a microwave on offense he comes in if he’s hot it only takes him a shot or two to get going and he can provide that nice offensive spark but I honestly think he just doesn’t fit this Utah Jazz

Team’s timeline being 31 years old almost 32 without any inside info my guess is that Danny a is going to want to move him at the trade deadline just due to there has to be a contender out there pursuing a title that could use a scoring option as

Legitimate as Clarkson coming off the bench then you have a guy like John Collins who the Jazz traded for from the Hawks this summer and while Collins has always struggled on the defensive end he really looks like he’s found his home over this past 20 game stretch in Utah

And is playing some of the best basketball he’s played in recent years we all just kind of considered Collins washed after the trade from Atlanta this summer so it is really cool to see him fitting in nicely in this Utah Squad but let’s hear from jazzmatic on this one

He’ll be able to provide a much nuanced take on what will hardy and Company have been able to do to unlock John Collins in Utah if Collins is being guarded by a slower big then Hardy will put Collins on the three-point line and let him use

His athleticism and speed and is shot if it’s falling to attack in space now if there’s an equal siiz guy or smaller that gets switched onto Collins or that starts the game on Collins Hardy will then have Collins dive off pick and rolls and dhos and certain actions that

They do for him not only to use his speed and athleticism but also on the offensive glass I do think though as I say that I think Collins has a little ways to go still defensively and I don’t just mean as a point of attack Defender which he has enough speed and

Athleticism to be decent at but what I’m talking about is more so on the team defensive side as sometimes he gets lost within the team defense or forgets his responsibilities especially because Hardy and the Jazz like to switch up defenses so much once again depending on

Matchups you know Hardy will go from a Zone to a boxing one or back to man they’ll do certain rules on certain guys but you can tell that he cares and he cares about the team and the guys like him which is something that I think every jazz fan can appreciate Keon

George is the Jazz’s 16th overall pick out of Baylor is Growing Pains there but it does look like he has some serious promise as a scorer in this league Walker Kessler is also someone who was injured for six or seven games early in this season but he has been nothing

Short of remarkable in this 23 game stretch Walker is leading the team in net rating at plus 10.7 he’s second in defensive rating on the team at 108.9 and his offense has been surprisingly efficient as well Danny a has to be very happy to have a young defensive anchor

Locked in for the indefinite future of this core and then we have the infamous Christ dun I remember when my wolf selected him at the fifth overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft he shot just 37% sent from the field That season playing only 17 minutes a game on an awful

Timberwolves team but he really did seem like a bust after his rookie season he was traded to the Bulls along with Lowry in the Jimmy Butler trade and now here we are in 2023 after bouncing around the league for the past four to five seasons he is the starting point guard for this

Resurging Jazz team we’re also going to let jazzmatic take it away on Chris Dunn I’ve been on the Chris Dunn bandwagon since super early in the year when he wasn’t starting he was getting spot m minutes the lineups were tinkered with they were adjusted some games he’ play

Half the game some games he wouldn’t and now that he’s starting everybody else can see what he brings to the team and the thing that I Love About Chris Dunn is he’s just doing what’s being asked of him he’s not trying to do anything more he’s just doing what coach Hardy and the

Jazz want which is to defend and to get scores the ball a nice addition to his game is his ability to get into the paint and make a play for himself anytime Chris Dunn has the ball he has the ability to get to his spots especially by the charger and he

Definitely looks for Shooters and looks for his guys but now what he’s also doing is looking for his shot himself which I think makes him invaluable so will Hardy has him being a Rover where he’s roving around disrupting everything when anybody attacks the paint he’s there not caring about the shooter he’s

Rotating well he’s taking charges he’s getting steals this way I wouldn’t trust anybody else on the Jazz to do this besides Chris dun I’ve called for him to be starting since he got 10 minutes a game maybe less than that and now he’s showing everyone what he can do ton

Horton Tucker is a player that ever since the Jazz have been rolling he’s been taken out of the rotation almost entirely with a ton of dnps during this stretch it really goes to show you that will hardy values continuity teamwork and playing within the system which just honestly isn’t tht’s MMO he’s probably

The most obvious cell at the deadline for this roster and then you have a guy like Kelly o lenck who has been fantastic in the second unit he is 32 years old so I really do think Danny a is also going to trade him at the deadline it’s just something that makes

Sense Simone fonio has also been a role player during this stretch he’s a 28-year-old second-year player averaging 8.9 points per game he actually starts with this new starting lineup and I have nothing really to say about him except that he’s just super solid but to be honest the biggest reason in my opinion

Obviously you give the players credit where credit is due but the biggest reason for this Jazz team success is their head coach will hardy he was the Spurs assistant alongside Greg papovich from 2015 to 2021 in 2021 he would join eay adoka staff in Boston for That

Season owner Ryan Smith and CEO Danny a would hire him to become their head coach in the summer of 2022 what makes him such a fantastic hire our friend Jaz mtic can say it better than I can so we’ll let him take it away I think the

Jazz absolutely knocked it out of the park with the hiring of Will Hardy he’s humble and he’s not afraid to try some things that might make him look foolish for instance this morphing Zone that they’ve put in which kind of a mix between two3 Zone 3-2 Zone with matchup

Responsibilities he’ll throw out a box in one he’ll Tinker with lineups he’s not afraid to try things for the success of the organization he figures out ways to let guys play to their strengths he doesn’t coach every dribble and he has mentioned in recent interviews that he

Sets philosophies or ideas of how he wants the team to play specifically on offense and then he trusts the guys to execute on those ideas but within the strength of their games so an example is he loves having ke George come down the right side of the floor because Keon

Loves coming off screens or attacking going to his left hand I think he does a good job of giving the young guys experience like keante and Taylor Hendrick in the NBA but then when they have a full roster and they’re not injured he’s still getting those young

Guys reps in the G League which I think is just as valuable to me if the Jazz keep this up and they make a playoffs Will Hardy has to be considered for Coach of the Year Chris Finch is right up there Mark dagnal is right up there

But so is Will Hardy the best part about this recent surge for the Utah Jazz is the insane amount of draft Capital they have from now until 2030 through the Donovan Mitchell trade and through the Rudy gobear trade primarily Danny an has armed himself with a first round pick in

2024 three 2025 first including two unprotected from the Cavs and the Wolves their own first in 2026 four first round picks in 2027 the Cavs the Wolves their own and a Lakers top four protected which is a part of the D low Russell Westbrook trade and then three first in

2028 and three first in 2029 this is an insane amount of ammo in the Arsenal for Danny a to mess around with but the question Still Remains will the Jazz be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline like I said before I think they trade Away Kelly o lenck at the deadline he

Doesn’t fit their timeline same with probably Jordan Clarkson if they can get a good deal for him maybe they decide to keep him but the real question is could the Jazz go out and make a Big Splash is Danny a ready to win now is this team

Ready for a playin push I truly do think they are they have an elite coach they’re getting good guard play out of Colin ston and Chris Dunn they have an Allstar and Lowry marinan they have a first team all defense caliber anchor in Walker Kessler and lastly let’s be

Honest the West is a juggernaut this year but the playin is completely wide open with the Grizzlies losing johnar for the season Marcus Smart and Desmond Bane being out for the foreseeable future the Lakers have really sucked this year the Warriors have sucked even more and the rockets have been faltering

Lately and the Mavs and the Kings have been struggling lately as well which means we have six teams and four spots available why can’t the jazz beat out two of those teams it’s not really too much of a concern to me if they lose in the playin they have to get their young

Core a playoff atmosphere experience at some point so why not give them a taste for it now you’re too good to get a high lottery pick no matter how hard you try so if I’m Danny a I’m making Zero moves involving my future first but I may try

To be a third team in a trade again take on a salary filler for extra ammo I then trim a couple layers of fat like a Kelly o linic and maybe a Jordan Clarkson and then I ride with the rest of my guys we haven’t even mentioned the fact that you

Have Taylor hendris and Bryce sensah getting play in the G League ready to come up and see if they can contribute let this team that you’ve constructed see if they can prove themselves and even if they do barely miss the play in let them see how it feels to almost make

The playoffs get them hungry for next year and go all in this summer either way if I have to predict the playin teams today here’s what I think I have zero concerns of the Mavericks or the Kings not making the playin so we’ll put them at s and eight I don’t see the

Lakers not making the play in so I’m going to put them at nine which means it comes down to the Jazz the Rockets and the Warriors for that final spot I don’t know about you but I have zero faith in the Warriors they’ll have to do some

Miracle working at the deadline for me to believe in them so I’m going to eliminate them it’s really down to the Jazz and the rockets and I just think the Jazz have the upper hand the Rockets are good but they haven’t been as strong as they started the season I really

Could go either way but I’m going to say the Jazz get the final spot bookmark this and we’ll see how I did in my predictions at the end of the year either way whether the Jazz sneak in the playin and get bounced or they somehow

Make it into a playoff series and get a gentleman’s sweep or if they miss the playoffs entirely I don’t think there’s a way that you can say this wasn’t a successful season for this team their best days are ahead this Jazz team is for real I think we’ve seen enough

They’re good enough to make the playoffs they play unselfish they have such depth at almost every position and they have a truly Elite coach who knows how to get the most out of his guys this is the first time I’ve ever collaborated with a local Creator slbe reporter for a video

I hope you enjoyed this style let me know if you’d like to see it more make sure to follow jazzmatic on Twitter he deserves way more eyeballs on his tweets if you enjoyed this video check out the video I just made on the Lakers role player problem explained and as always

We’ll see you on the hardwood

Follow Jazzmatic over on Twitter! https://x.com/nbajazzmatic?s=21

Aside from the Wolves and the Thunder… are the Utah Jazz the biggest surprise of the Western Conference this year?