Here is my state of the franchise after 20 games played.
The Utah Jazz are currently 12-8 which puts them 3rd in the Northwest Division behind Denver (game and a half) and Oklahoma City (four and half games) the Jazz are tied record-wise with Portland but hold the tie-breaker over them currently.
Here is the breakdown of the last TEN games...
The Jazz's record over the last TEN games was 6-4
- New Jersey- W 107-94
- @Denver- W 106-96
- L.A. Clippers W 108-79
- Dallas L 91-94
- Minnesota W 108-98
- Toronto L 106-111
- @Dallas L 101-116
- Sacramento W 96-93
- Portland W 93-89
- L.A. Clippers L 107-105
The Jazz definitely had some good quality wins in the last ten games including beating Denver on the road, and beating Portland and Los Angeles at home (the first meeting anyway). The Jazz also gave away some close games to Dallas and Los Angeles (the second meeting) at home. Then there is the frustrating stinker of a game against Toronto that the Raptors had no place even being in the game. I however am still set in my optimism of the Jazz this year. And here is a few stat categories that may sway your thought process my way too...
The Jazz are currently...
- 10th in the NBA in points per game at 97.2
- 3rd in blocks per game with 6.3
- 11th with steals per game with 8.3
- T-4th in fewest turnovers per game with 13.3
- 11th in rebounds per game
- 11th in offensive rebounds per game
- 12th in FG% at 45%
- 4th in free throw attempts per game
- 6th in free throws made
These stats here show me that the Jazz are playing tough together as a team and are also playing smart, they are very good in blocks, not committing turnovers, and getting to the free throw line a lot each game. The are better than most in scoring, getting steals, rebounding especially on the offensive side of the ball and overall shooting percentage. There are some things that are really hurting the Jazz though...
- 16th in defensive rebounds per game
- 74% free throw shooting.. 19th in NBA
- 29th in 3-point shooting with 29.3%
- 28th in attempts
- 28th in 3 pointers made
The Jazz rebound well on the offensive side, it's a mystery to me why they aren't as good on the defensive side, that can be fixed with a little more effort. Free throws are a tough one to swallow especially after last night's game against Los Angeles, but still a little more focus can improve that. 3-point shooting is horrible, the Jazz don't really have a consistent 3-point shooter, CJ Miles, Gordon Hayword, and Alec Burks were supposed to be the Jazz's deep threats but have not been good at all from behind the arc. Still i believe the Jazz have enough talent, toughness, and good bench play to push them into a good spot in the playoffs this year. Have far they go in the playoffs may be a different story but only time will tell. I for one still have high hopes. We will check in again after ten more games. Go Jazz!
I still think the Jazz are so young it is tough to tell how good they will be. If you look at the last 10 games 8 were at home and only 2 were on the road. February will be tough with 8 of the next 13 will be on the road and there is a stretch where they have a back to back to back on the road. If they can survive this month and still be in contention and health they will be alright and should make the playoffs because the west is so crazy!
ReplyDeleteHere are the reasons why the Jazz are so good. The Jazz are the Jazz. Not just Stocton and Malone. They don't have 2 stars and a bunch of no name Ostertags and guys to fill up spots on the roster. Every game this year there is a different person on the team who is the leading scorer. It's similar to watching most NCAA games. The Jazz play as a team. They all pass, rebound, block shots, and score. I love to watch now days because it's so different every game. It's not just the same 2 or three guys doing it all. That is why watching the Jazz is so great this year. If they can just stay healthy they'll win games. They are a young team that was sort of thrown together. If they are doing this good on a short season with no training camp. . . i can only see them going up from here. GO JAZZ!!
ReplyDelete