|
Overall
Win/Loss Record (as of November 30th): 2-15, fifth place Northwest
Division
|
25
|
This Month:
26
|
Team
Statistics and League Rank
|
Individual
Statistical Leaders
|
|
SDH’s Worst of the Month: Gordon Hayward
 After all the dust had settled with all the old guard leading the team, it was time for Gordon Hayward to take his rightful place as the top offensive option for the Utah Jazz; however, despite leading the team in scoring and assists per game, Hayward has struggled mightily with his offense. For the first month of the season, Hayward's field goal percentage dropped to a career low .397 and his accuracy from beyond the arc took a severe shot as well going from a rather respectable .415 last season to a very uncharacteristic .286. Add the fact that the Jazz have started the season losing thirteen of its first fifteen games, altogether it has not given the player that I have routinely called "Larry Bird 2.0" any justification of being given such a title. Nonetheless, I will not lose hope that he will live up to my lofty expectations of Hayward being a potential reincarnation of the Legend himself as it is still a long season and he has a long career ahead of him, but he needs to improve on those shooting numbers. If not, then possibly the Jazz faithful along with the team's front office will start losing faith in expecting him to ascend to an elite level and thus possibly cut ties with him at the end of the season once he becomes a free agent. |
SDH’s First of the Month: Jeremy Evans
 Out of all the young core Jazz players who have emerged to become focal points this season, none have been more surprising that the ascension of Jeremy Evans. From being buried on the Jazz bench for the past three years, this lanky athletic swingman known for his aerial acrobatics has suddenly burst onto the scene to the pleasant surprise of Jazz fans. Coming off the bench, Evans has provided a rather solid an consistent presence on the court averaging 9 points and six rebounds in under 19 minutes per game thus far, but that is not even the most impressive part. What stands out about his performance is not just the drastic jump in minutes and production, but the amazing accuracy that he has been connecting on his shot attempts--hitting a scintillating .800 from the field. If there has been a silver lining from the Jazz's poor start, it simply has to be the breakout performance of a low second round pick whom many figured would not wear a Jazz uniform much longer. |
|
It can be said that the start of the 2014 NBA season has been a mixed bag for Utah Jazz--for starter's, it was the first time they get to see their young prospects who had spent much of their time waiting for their chance to shine finally get their chance to show what they have got. So far it has been rather promising as the young studs who have been slated to lead the next generation of Utah Jazz have performed well above anyone's expectations as they have posted rather impressive numbers thus giving Jazz fans something to look forward to in an uncertain future. Gordon Hayward has shown flashes that he can certainly play at an elite level as he leads the team in scoring and assists, while Derrick Favors, who had been patiently waiting for his turn for the last three year, has finally stepped out into the forefront averaging a double double in points and rebounds while at the same time has been the Jazz's defensive anchor leading the team in steals and blocked shots per game. Although Favors and Hayward had impressive coming out parties, two of the biggest surprises in terms of development and impact had to come from third year Turkish big man Enes Kanter and his fellow draft mate from the class of the 2011 NBA Draft, Alec Burks. Both had the biggest increase in terms of production: Kanter went from posting modest and respectable numbers of 7.2 points and 4.3 rebounds in just 16 minutes per game to posting All Star like numbers of nearly 18 points and 11 rebounds per game in the first 10 games of the season; at the same time, Burks came off the bench looking like a candidate for the Sixth Man of the year award starting the season averaging nearly 17 points per game. It was certainly a splendid coming out party as this fledgling foursome of star quality finally flourished into a fearsome force making the Jazz's future look bright to the delight of their fans and the chagrin to its foes. Unfortunately, despite the pleasing performance and the impressive progress from their more than potent prodigies, their production did not translate into victories as the Jazz would start the season losing eight of their first nine games and finish the month of November with a rather deflating 3-15 record. In twelve those fifteen losses, the Jazz fell by 10 more points with four of the being complete and utter blowouts as they started the season losing six of their first eight games by a total of 94 points--an average loss margin of 12 points each game. Thus far, the progress of their dynamic developing group of dribbling and dunking debutantes has been overshadowed by suffering one disheartening and disastrous defeat after another. To make matters worse, the promising production from their prized pieces The team's sheer lack of experience has certainly been exposed as this young Jazz team that many were looking forward to watching currently rank at the near bottom of every statistical category in the league on both ends of the floor. On the offensive end of the floor, the team's inability to put the ball in the basket has been usurped by an even more sadder realization that the Jazz can barely even get the ball past the center line as they are among the worst teams in the league in committing turnovers. Defensively, Utah seems more clumsy and clueless as the Jazz were completely out of sync allowing teams to drop bombs on them at a nearly .460 clip from the field while at the same time they were getting mauled on the boards being out-rebounded by a +4 margin. Certainly inexperience plays a big part in the Jazz's current poor start, but there is also one major determining factor that has contributed for the team's inability to set up its offense and lack of quality shots and that is the team's severe lack of a point guard. Thus far Utah has been playing through the season via point guard by committee in which the Jazz had been forced to use a less than stellar rotation consisting of a washed up Jamaal Tinsley who is no longer with the team, a perennial journey man in John Lucas, and a second year player that had seen limited time last season in Diante Garrett. Most Jazz fans must have anticipated that their team would start off rather poorly and probably would more than likely finish with one of the worst records in the league; however, they were certainly not expecting their team to perform this badly. After all, Utah did have a talented young group who were all drafted among the top ten in the NBA draft over the last four years and after spending some time sitting on bench to watch how it was done, they would have come out more prepared than they have currently shown. The highest of expectations were placed on both Hayward and Favors as they were arguably the most talented and most polished young players thus were also expected to have breakout seasons and be the key leaders of this new Utah Jazz team. Unfortunately that has not happened as both players, despite putting up rather solid number in their first season thrust into the limelight, have not had the immense impact that many had most eagerly anticipated. Favors, who finally earned his chance to get in the starting rotation after three seasons of patiently waiting, was expected to take the league by storm with his seemingly perfect blend of size, strength, skill and athleticism, but has thus far been rather average to say the least. At the same time, Hayward, who had also shown flashes of All Star potential and the possibility of become of the league's elite, was also expected to emerge as one of the NBA's top players, but has also sadly fallen flat on expectations. Despite their less than dramatic launch at the start of the season, it does not mean that they will not live up to the promise that many have hoped from them as they have very long careers ahead of them and both Hayward and Favors have very bright futures in this league. Unfortunately, from what can be taken in by watching the first month of the season, they along with their teammates still have a ways to go until they are ready to bring the Utah Jazz not only back to playoff contention, but also to the prominence that it once had in the Western Conference. After years of being accustomed to watching their team have 50 win season finishes and regular post season appearances, fans in Utah will have to adjust to a new reality that they have gratefully had the opportunity to experience--that of having a team that will not only struggle this season, but also for a few seasons to come. Despite all the hope and promise that they talented young core has shown thus far, in a very tough and highly competitive Western Conference, the Fantastic Four of Hayward, Favors, Burks and Kanter will certainly be taking their lumps against a far more talented and stronger opponents in their own division, let alone conference. So expect this to be a very long season for this Utah Jazz team that struggles to not only find wins for this season, but to establish a new identity after being so accustomed to winning for so long. |
||
Monday, December 23, 2013
SDH Presents the NBA's Worst to First for November: 26. Utah Jazz
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment