I am surprised that we are at a point where they start together and they lead one of the better defensive units in the league, while playing with the same perimeter players with the exception of Dante Exum. Novak: I am not surprised by the individual defensive efforts of Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert. We all had expectations, but I don't think anyone saw it coming this fast. The Jazz have a shot at finishing the season as a top-ten defensive team despite that horrendous start. Or the Houston game where they held them to 91 points. That Charlotte game giving up just 66 points. It's just been phenomenal to see it all come together. He's a better communicator on defense that Kanter was. Gobert though allows everyone else to gamble just a bit more and to play better team defense. That doesn't discount the defensive contributions of Derrick Favors, Gordon Hayward, Dante Exum, or another rookie in Elijah Millsap. Rudy Gobert has not doubt been a large part of that. The defense was already improving before Kanter was traded which in and of itself is a small miracle. Only the incompetent Lakers defense kept the Jazz from having the worst defensive rating in the league. I don't think even the manliest Old Spice commercial could have washed the stink off of our early season defense. Our frontcourt turns me on to no end, and our backcourt should be at least twice as good with a (hopefully) healthy Rodney Hood and Alec Burks and a non-teenaged Dante Exum.īasketball John: I have to say I am surprised with the defense. JuMu: Great, for the first time in at least a couple years, this Jazz team actually looks like it is just a season away from making the playoffs. Plus, Rodney Hood & Rudy Gobert & well, everyone. And it seems like the team is actually getting better and going somewhere positive, which has been a while in the making. And then we fell into that gray zone where we weren't good enough for the playoff chase and were too good to get a top-5/7 pick (without lottery luck), and it became all about watching the guys develop even more as a team. Utes89: Refreshing? I'd go more with exciting. Even after the growing pains of earlier this season it was amazing to watch the team collectively realise "Hang on, we CAN do this!" TazzJazzFan: Very, given what we went through during The Winters Our Discontent. The past two months have been simply joyous. It was almost like the team's performance was specifically designed to convince anyone who was still skeptical of the improvement. even though the record didn't show it yet, the evidence (statistical and anecdotal) were everywhere. it's real.īut in a way, it's only the flair of icing on an already good season. If they can keep it up next season, that's like pinching yourself and realizing that it isn't actually a dream anymore. YuccaMan: Post All-Star break has been like dreaming you're hooking up with Norah Jones or Dana Scully. THIS is how a team develops and rebuilds. Young players with promise and potential have been given the lion's share of minutes, which has led to a group of individual players whom have grown significantly throughout the course of the season. ![]() Novak: I think the better question is: "How refreshing was it to watch how this team played starting with the Summer League in July?" In either case, the answer is "extremely refreshing." Whereas the last few years have been marred by a coaching staff with different career objectives than the team's front office, we now have a cohesive functioning team once again. Even after that rough start, the Jazz are already ten games ahead in the win column this season. I don't think enough credit has been given to Quin Snyder for coming in and transforming a young team - one giving rookies so many minutes - and having everyone buy into the system on both offense and defense. Even though the losing was still painful, the team lived up to Dennis Lindsey's October promise of expected results starting to show in February. The change in the team feel was evident from training camp with the Jazz finally shedding the last remnants of players and coaches that weren't in the long-term plans. How refreshing was it to watch how this team played after the All-Star break?īasketball John: I think it's been refreshing since the beginning of the season, even with Enes Kanter still on the team. It's been a while but we have to do more of these Jam Sessions.Today we're talking about the Utah Jazz (duh), their play after the NBA All-Star break, their defense, and more! It's part review of what we've seen over the last few weeks, and a part off-season preview.
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