Gordon Hayward: Is he the future of the Jazz, or just another average wing player?
Hayward's first season was a little shaky, he had alot of DNP (Did not play) at the start of the season, which is normal for rookies in the Utah Jazz system. It takes them awhile to figure out what exactly they are supposed to be doing. He began to figure it out at the end of the season and ended starting some games, at this point we saw the true potential of Gordon Hayward
His second season he began the season starting, which everyone kind of expected. Once again at the start of the season he started slow, but ended the season on fire to get his FG% up to a quality starters. He ended the season averaging 30 minutes per game, but was a little timid in the games and you could tell.
Going into his third season everyone wanted Hayward to be more aggressive, take some more shots and not to be scared to do what he wants. He came into the season doing exactly that, he is taking more shots and has the ball more then ever, but up to this point he hasn't shot to well. I expect this to get better throughout the season, the last two years he has started out slow and finished hot. If he does this he will be a 15 PPG (point per game) scorer at age 23. This is a very positive thing, because there are alot of questions marks for next season. Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap and Marvin Williams could potentially go to other teams, that is a lot of shots opening up for Hayward. So this year he needs to establish that he can be a go to scorer.
Friday, December 7, 2012
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Home Vs. Road
As of today the Jazz are the only team in the western conference that is undefeated at home. Which is great, means the team is playing hard and coming through in the clutch when it matters at home.
They Jazz are also 2-7 on the road. They look like a completely different team on the road. I wouldn't say they look lazy, but they aren't playing with the drive and tenacity they do at home.
A home-road split is to be expected as every team in the NBA will have a better home record than away record. Thats just how it works, I belive it has to do with the fans. Pumping up the team and making them give that extra effort. I also believe it has to do with jet lag. There are many studies on jet lag and it is a real thing. With all of this being said, I think the leaders of the team need to take charge on the road and get this team some extra wins. Tyrone Corbin needs to find a way to push his team, make better cuts, set hard screens, but most importantly he needs to get after his team on the defensive end. Al Jefferson needs to take the game into his hands on the road. He is the teams best players, and if you ask any analyst in the league they will tell you that the star of your team will dictate how good you are on the road.
If the Jazz continue to play as they have I see them as the 8th seed, still making the playoffs. If they make some adjustments and become a better road team then I see them making it to the 4th or 5th seed which puts them in a much better postion to make a deep run in the playoffs.
They Jazz are also 2-7 on the road. They look like a completely different team on the road. I wouldn't say they look lazy, but they aren't playing with the drive and tenacity they do at home.
A home-road split is to be expected as every team in the NBA will have a better home record than away record. Thats just how it works, I belive it has to do with the fans. Pumping up the team and making them give that extra effort. I also believe it has to do with jet lag. There are many studies on jet lag and it is a real thing. With all of this being said, I think the leaders of the team need to take charge on the road and get this team some extra wins. Tyrone Corbin needs to find a way to push his team, make better cuts, set hard screens, but most importantly he needs to get after his team on the defensive end. Al Jefferson needs to take the game into his hands on the road. He is the teams best players, and if you ask any analyst in the league they will tell you that the star of your team will dictate how good you are on the road.
If the Jazz continue to play as they have I see them as the 8th seed, still making the playoffs. If they make some adjustments and become a better road team then I see them making it to the 4th or 5th seed which puts them in a much better postion to make a deep run in the playoffs.
Monday, November 19, 2012
Observations
There has been 10 games played so far this season, here is my observations on each player:
1. Al Jefferson: I just don't think he is a good fit for the team,whenever he gets the ball on the left block the entire team stops moving, no cuts to the baskets, no screens to open others up. All because they know once Big Al has the ball he is going to take the shot. The other team knows this too, so they double or triple team him and force him to take a bad shot.
2. Paul Millsap: I like the new addition of the 3 point shot to his game, he is currently in the top ten for 3% percentage. Every year Millsap adds something new to his game. That being said, all other aspects of his game so far are lacking. He isn't attacking the boards like Jazz fans have been used to. He looks mighty small out there as well.
3. Marvin Williams: I was very excited when I found out the jazz were picking up Williams. As the season goes on I realize why fans in Atlanta were so frustrated with him. He goes missing from the game for long periods of time when he has the skill set to take over.
4. Gordon Hayward: I like the aggressiveness out of Hayward so far this season, he is taking more shots and has more confidence then he did in previous seasons. This is the adjustment people have wanted Hayward to make since he entered the league. His fg% isn't as high as I would like, but Hayward has always been a slow starter shooting wise and I believe his fg% will rise throughout the season.
5. Mo Williams: I like Mo Williams, he is very exciting to watch and makes some amazing shots. That being said I don't think he is the correct PG for the Jazz. He is to crazy with the ball, a jazz pg needs to be able to run the system, look for the open guy. He just doesn't have the vision I would like to see
6. Derricks Favors: I have been very impressed with Favors this year. He is a defensive force out there and he affects almost every shot at the rim. He has done a better job at not fouling so much, so he can stay in the game for longer periods of time. He is receiving more minutes, but I still believe he needs more.
7. Randy Foye: I am surprised by Foye this year, I expected a defensive SG who could hit a spot up open three. This is not what Foye is at all, he is a poor defensive SG due to bad lateral quickness. He is however a very good shooter and can shoot with a hand in his face. He has made some big shots so far this year. He is blocking Burks from playing though, so i'm not sure how I feel about that.
8. Enes Kanter: In the preseason it looked as if Kanter was ready for alot more minutes and possibly even a starting role, but throughout the season he has shown that he is not ready for a starting role. I do believe he needs more minutes though, but there is just no time on the floor with all the bigs that jazz have. The weight he lost over the offseason is obviously making him more agile and quick, and the guy can rebound with anyone. He is just to raw on offense and defense to take over the starting role.
9. Jamal Tinsley: Its obvious to everyone on the floor that Tinsley is incapable of scoring the basketball, so teams back off of him and defend the pass which closes his passing lanes. Making him very ineffective. So far not so good.
10. Damare Carroll: I knew coming in that Carroll was an energy guy, but he has showed improvement in his jump shot and basketball IQ. Very Impressed so far.
11. Alec Burks: He hasn't been seeing much playing time at all, so its tough for me to say much. From what I have seen whenever burks has the ball he is worried about getting himself some points to impress the coach, but Tyrone Corbin wants burks to do the exact opposite. He wants him to play in the system, make cuts, set screen, come off curls, and take good open looks. Once Burks makes this adjustment I think his playing time increases.
12. Jeremy Evans: No NBA skills or abilities other then jumping. Good 12th man off the bench for energy reasons.
1. Al Jefferson: I just don't think he is a good fit for the team,whenever he gets the ball on the left block the entire team stops moving, no cuts to the baskets, no screens to open others up. All because they know once Big Al has the ball he is going to take the shot. The other team knows this too, so they double or triple team him and force him to take a bad shot.
2. Paul Millsap: I like the new addition of the 3 point shot to his game, he is currently in the top ten for 3% percentage. Every year Millsap adds something new to his game. That being said, all other aspects of his game so far are lacking. He isn't attacking the boards like Jazz fans have been used to. He looks mighty small out there as well.
3. Marvin Williams: I was very excited when I found out the jazz were picking up Williams. As the season goes on I realize why fans in Atlanta were so frustrated with him. He goes missing from the game for long periods of time when he has the skill set to take over.
4. Gordon Hayward: I like the aggressiveness out of Hayward so far this season, he is taking more shots and has more confidence then he did in previous seasons. This is the adjustment people have wanted Hayward to make since he entered the league. His fg% isn't as high as I would like, but Hayward has always been a slow starter shooting wise and I believe his fg% will rise throughout the season.
5. Mo Williams: I like Mo Williams, he is very exciting to watch and makes some amazing shots. That being said I don't think he is the correct PG for the Jazz. He is to crazy with the ball, a jazz pg needs to be able to run the system, look for the open guy. He just doesn't have the vision I would like to see
6. Derricks Favors: I have been very impressed with Favors this year. He is a defensive force out there and he affects almost every shot at the rim. He has done a better job at not fouling so much, so he can stay in the game for longer periods of time. He is receiving more minutes, but I still believe he needs more.
7. Randy Foye: I am surprised by Foye this year, I expected a defensive SG who could hit a spot up open three. This is not what Foye is at all, he is a poor defensive SG due to bad lateral quickness. He is however a very good shooter and can shoot with a hand in his face. He has made some big shots so far this year. He is blocking Burks from playing though, so i'm not sure how I feel about that.
8. Enes Kanter: In the preseason it looked as if Kanter was ready for alot more minutes and possibly even a starting role, but throughout the season he has shown that he is not ready for a starting role. I do believe he needs more minutes though, but there is just no time on the floor with all the bigs that jazz have. The weight he lost over the offseason is obviously making him more agile and quick, and the guy can rebound with anyone. He is just to raw on offense and defense to take over the starting role.
9. Jamal Tinsley: Its obvious to everyone on the floor that Tinsley is incapable of scoring the basketball, so teams back off of him and defend the pass which closes his passing lanes. Making him very ineffective. So far not so good.
10. Damare Carroll: I knew coming in that Carroll was an energy guy, but he has showed improvement in his jump shot and basketball IQ. Very Impressed so far.
11. Alec Burks: He hasn't been seeing much playing time at all, so its tough for me to say much. From what I have seen whenever burks has the ball he is worried about getting himself some points to impress the coach, but Tyrone Corbin wants burks to do the exact opposite. He wants him to play in the system, make cuts, set screen, come off curls, and take good open looks. Once Burks makes this adjustment I think his playing time increases.
12. Jeremy Evans: No NBA skills or abilities other then jumping. Good 12th man off the bench for energy reasons.
Monday, November 5, 2012
Opening Night
Opening night is a night of Optimism and excitement every year for the Utah Jazz. They played the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks were coming off a game the night before against the Lakers. So they were expected to be a little tired among with the fact that their star Dirk Nowitzki is also out from knee surgery this was supposed to be chalked up as a victory.
The Jazz did not look good in the first half at all, allowing the Dallas Mavericks to shoot 10 of 16 from three which is well above the league average. This was due to a lack of effort defending the three point shot, the jazz members weren't hustling to put a hand in the face of the Maverick shooters.
Going into the second half Tyrone Corbin must have made a point of playing better defense. The jazz game out looking great. They went on a 16 to 2 run led by point guard Mo Williams. It seemed like nothing could stop the jazz at this point. While after the run they began to slow down and go shot for shot with the Mavericks they were able to withstand the outside shooting of OJ Mayo and won the game.
Overall in this game I saw signs of how good the Jazz could be but I also saw how bad they could play. I'm hoping the real Jazz was the team that played good hard defense and ran the system to get open looks. Because if they do those two things this team is deep and talented enough to be able to make a run into the playoffs.
The Jazz did not look good in the first half at all, allowing the Dallas Mavericks to shoot 10 of 16 from three which is well above the league average. This was due to a lack of effort defending the three point shot, the jazz members weren't hustling to put a hand in the face of the Maverick shooters.
Going into the second half Tyrone Corbin must have made a point of playing better defense. The jazz game out looking great. They went on a 16 to 2 run led by point guard Mo Williams. It seemed like nothing could stop the jazz at this point. While after the run they began to slow down and go shot for shot with the Mavericks they were able to withstand the outside shooting of OJ Mayo and won the game.
Overall in this game I saw signs of how good the Jazz could be but I also saw how bad they could play. I'm hoping the real Jazz was the team that played good hard defense and ran the system to get open looks. Because if they do those two things this team is deep and talented enough to be able to make a run into the playoffs.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)