Utah Jazz preview: They could be the surprise team of the year
Paste BN projection: 40-42
Things are looking up in Utah, as the Jazz had the best defense in the league last season, allowing 94.9 points a game.
What’s different this season? The talking point of the offseason was 20-year-old guard Dante Exum tearing his anterior cruciate ligament while playing for Australia in an exhibition game, possibly ending his 2015-16 season. Although he didn’t impress on the stat sheet last season (4.8 points, 2.4 assists, 34.9% shooting), he was a key part of the rotation. Luckily for Utah, the return of Alec Burks (13.9 points, 3.3 assists, 40.3% shooting) after missing the majority of last year with a shoulder injury makes the Exum injury less devastating.
How good can they be? Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert are both coming off of breakout seasons that made them a top-tier big-man duo. Gordon Hayward also had a breakout season, averaging 19.3 points, 4.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game. With a little bit more time and a couple more components, the Jazz could be a team to watch.
How far do they have to go? If the Jazz had the best defense in the league, why didn’t they make the playoffs? Because they ranked 26th in the league in points per game with 95.1. They also ranked 19th in field goal percentage (44.7), 27th in field goals made (35.4) and 19th in three-point percentage (34.3). A lot of the blame is on the shoulders of the backcourt, Trey Burke and Exum, who both shot below 37% from the field last year.
The Stifle Tower Gobert, 23, took the league by storm last season. Even though he averaged 8.4 points per game, he shot 60.4% from the field and averaged 2.3blocks and 9.5 rebounds a game. He has tons of potential, not to mention a 7-81/2-wingspan (the highest ever documented at the draft combine).
Ending on a good note Even though the Jazz missed the playoffs, they were one of the league’s best teams after the All-Star break, going 19-10 — most notably with wins coming against the Dallas Mavericks, Portland Trail Blazers, Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs, all playoff teams.