In an NBA season turned upside down by the health crisis, it is not necessarily easy to find consistency as a collective and to chain victories. But on the side of Salt Lake City, everything has been rolling for a dozen days, with no less than six consecutive wins and a nice rise in the West. Left alone by the COVID and supported by some fans in the stands, the Jazz is currently providing enough to boost its ambitions.
The NBA fit team is located in Utah. Behind the Lakers, big favorites of the West, it is the Jazz that we find with a record of ten wins for four losses, tied with the Clippers. Quin Snyder’s men had had their ups and downs in the first eight games of the season (four wins and four losses) but since then they have clearly raised the tone and the “wins” column continues to fill up. Six in a row, best current series in the NBA. Not bad is not it ? Utah hasn’t lost since a trip to the dreaded Knicks on January 6, it’s been a little while. The Jazz hung the Bucks, Pistons, Cavaliers, Hawks, Nuggets and Pelicans on their hunting board. Not the most hardcore schedule we grant you, but when we see the WTF results of this start of the season, we say to ourselves that no game is won in advance. Every victory is earned, and the Jazz show seriousness regardless of the level of the team opposite. With five more meetings at home on the program (Pelicans, Warriors, Knicks, Mavericks twice), there’s a way that this series will last a little longer, especially when you see the way in which Rudy Gobert and his friends play basketball. at the moment.
Sixth in defensive efficiency (106.4 points allowed per 100 possessions, and best efficiency in the entire NBA since the start of the winning streak, around 100 points per 100 possessions) and eighth in offensive efficiency (112, 4 points scored for 100 possessions), Jazz shows real solidity on both sides of the field and the collective machine is currently well regulated. It’s balanced, it’s coherent, it’s complementary and you know it well, better than last year in any case where Bojan Bogdanovic and Mike Conley were in their first season in Salt Lake City. If Bojan – operated on the wrist last May – is rather struggling in attack this year (only 13 points on average at 39% shooting, including 39% at 3-points), Mike feels much more comfortable in Quin Snyder’s system and that immediately changes a lot of things. The identity of Jazz today is really established. If some can see Utah as a team guided by Rudy Gobert in defense and carried by the offensive qualities of Donovan Mitchell in attack, it would be very reductive to focus on the two All-Stars. Overall, Jazz is a team with a slow pace (25th pace NBA) but slow doesn’t mean boring. On half-court, the ball movement Utah is one of the most attractive in the league, thanks in particular to a spacing to the point, an altruism of the players present on the field and the search for the extra pass to obtain quality shots. And then in transition, Jazz can also hurt when it gets started. Thanks to solidity demonstrated in defense and securing the rebound (best rebound team in the NBA with 49.6 catches, best defensive rebound team with 38.5), opportunities are created, especially at 3-points. Today, no team scores more award-winning shots than the Jazz, which turns to 16.5 successes from the parking lot per game in 41.1 attempts (third in the NBA), for a success rate of 40.1% (fourth in the League). Clearly, shots from afar are a central aspect of attacking Mormons, with Quin Snyder integrating them more and more over the years to modernize his system. And if there is one who really enjoys it, it’s winger Royce O’Neale, more than ever in 3 & D mode this season (7.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 45 , 6% of the parking lot!).
???? JAZZ WIN 6th STRAIGHT ????
Donovan Mitchell’s (@spidadmitchell) team-high 28 PTS lead the @utahjazz to their 6th W in a row! #TakeNote pic.twitter.com/ml2c0mG6Kz
– NBA (@NBA) January 20, 2021
In the middle of it all Donovan Mitchell seriously ramping up after an ignition delay. The Spida that we have seen since the start of this great series is not the same as the one at the start of the season. Donovan’s stats from the first eight games? 21.3 points at 37.9% shooting including 32.4% from distance and 77.4% from free throws. Since ? 26.5 points average at 50%, 47.9% from parking and 88.9% from throws. Obviously, that makes the difference and we all prefer to watch this version of Mitchell. The 24-year-old rear obviously plays a very important role in the attack of Jazz with his explosiveness and his creative capacities, for himself but also for others. Last night, against the Pelicans, Donovan dropped some caviar and his playmaking gauge in 2K continues to increase gradually (4.9 assists on average this season, career high). To continue in the distribution of good points, we would like to highlight the contribution of Jordan Clarkson, who is riding his good last season with a campaign caliber Sixth Man of the Year (17.6 points and 4.7 rebounds in 25.4 minutes, 49.2% shooting including 43% at 3-points and 94, 4% on free throws), but also that of another named substitute Georges Niang, which regularly brings a boost at the moment (11.3 points on average over the last four games, 54.5% shooting including 44.4% behind the arc). A contribution that counts when we know that Joe Ingles missed four of the last six Jazz meetings for a painful Achilles tendon. Slow-Mo Joe however shone yesterday against New Orleans with 15 points on the clock (5/6 to 3-points) off the bench, bodes well for the future. Finally, we could even talk about the youngster Miye oni, a big backcourt defender who took advantage of Ingles’ absence to have playing time and contribute to Utah’s success. In short, we have a second unit strong, a starting five that runs well, a full team on both sides of the field, enough to compete with the best?
“Our main objective this year is to be a top team from the West. We have grown up enough for that, and we want to participate in the Finals, where anything can happen. So far, we haven’t managed to get through the second round yet, but this year we feel we are able to take that step. “
– Rudy Gobert, via NBA TV
As Rudy says, out of four consecutive qualifying playoffs, Jazz has never passed the Conference semifinals, and remains on two eliminations in the first round including one against the Nuggets in Mickey’s bubble. Clearly, Utah today wants to rub shoulders with the best teams in the West, where many see a battle between the two Los Angeles teams, the Lakers and the Clippers. Collectively, the Jazz have the weapons, but we know that the Playoffs are the playground of the big stars and we can wonder if Utah is enough bling-bling. to compete with LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Kawhi Leonard & Cie. Donovan Mitchell proved in the bubble that he could explode in the postseason but that requires confirmation and behind him, the Jazz does not really have a go-to-guy assigned to attack (especially if Bojan continues to struggle offensively), but rather a core of players capable of step-up in turn or even at the same time. The future will tell us if it can work, but in any case Jazz shows very encouraging signs for the future.
Six wins in a row and second in the West with a 10-4 record, the Jazz are really happy right now. Now have to see if it will last. Even though the regular season is just 72 games this year, it’s still long and it’s not easy to keep up the pace, especially in the Wild Wild West.
“To be a top team in the West…We really feel like this year might be the year when we take that step.”
Catch @rudygobert27 & the @utahjazz on #CenterCourt at 9pm ET on NBA TV! https://t.co/GNiJKQHCTc pic.twitter.com/lPlDH1LIlS
— NBA TV (@NBATV) January 19, 2021
