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SALT LAKE CITY — The news is out and old that the Jazz will be without their starting point guard Mo Williams for the foreseeable future. The floor general has been a key early on and how the Jazz whether his loss might impact the future of the Jazz.
The Jazz have their backup plans in place with Jamaal Tinsley and Earl Watson still good enough to contribute to the team. Tinsley started the first game against the Magic, a 97-93 win, and will most likely keep the starting role until Williams returns.
Williams is part of the revamped Jazz lineup that features three new starters from last year. He, Marvin Williams and Randy Foye constitute the new arrivals that stretch the defense with the shooting dimension that wasn't there last year.
Williams was hurt in the Heat loss and according to ESPN it changed the way the game was played, "The Jazz immediately felt the impact of the absence of Williams, who averages 13.3 points and a team-best 6.8 assists per game this season. Utah, which trailed 47-43 at the half against Miami, was outscored 58-46 in the second half and also surrendered 20 points on 11 turnovers over the third and fourth quarters on Saturday."
The Jazz play differently when Mo is on the court. He, as expected, plays most of his time with the starters. The differences come from two different sources. The first is Mo's scoring ability. The second is the abilities of the second unit.
Basically, the Jazz score more inside when he isn't there, probably due to the skill set of second-unit players such as Enes Kanter and Derrick Favors. When he is on the court they shoot more 3's and make more, which is where his skills show.
This is why, despite two road wins for the Jazz, the Jazz aren't looking as good across the nation as they have been. This is from ESPN's Marc Stein, "The mood, though, is dampened by the news that Mo Williams -- one of the keys to Utah's improved 3-point threat -- is suddenly out indefinitely with a thumb injury."
His confidence in his shot was displayed in arguably the biggest win this season against the Spurs when he simply took the ball with the mindset to shoot and hit the three to win the game. He displays his abilities in areas that aren't statistical because of his leadership and confidence.
Williams could be seen in the Magic game as another coach. Often times he was on the court during timeouts working with the team and even talking in game.
"I'm still going to be there for my teammates. I'm still going to be there to support them," Williams said. "They're still going to hear my mouth. I'm not going to stop talking. I'm going to try to be as upbeat as possible."
The Jazz have a lot of depth, four quality bigs, a versatile group of wings and three good point guards, but Mo is the leader on the team and his loss is a big issue if he indeed misses 6-8 weeks like it has been reported.
Yahoo! Sports' Marc Spears called it a major loss, "The Jazz suffered a major loss with point guard Mo Williams out indefinitely because of a thumb injury. Jamaal Tinsley is now the starter.
If those 6-8 weeks are without Mo the Jazz could slip down in the standings. A full 8 week recovery would bring him back right at the Feb. 21 trade deadline. If they slip, the front office could look to make a trade. If they are in striking range the team might hold off with the hope of a healthy Williams boosting them over the top.
There is no good time for an injury, but for a team that was finding its identity there might be no worse time.
