How to judge this season's Utah Jazz


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SALT LAKE CITY — The new “musicians” playing the Utah Jazz are obviously a little different.

No longer does the power trio consist of Jerry Sloan, John Stockton and Karl Malone. No longer do the old-school names even play in the lineup.

Instead, new-school players, like head coach Quin Snyder, Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors, man the new trio.

The Utah Jazz chose to completely change how their style of basketball is played in the offseason going for Snyder’s flowing offense. With the increased passing brings a reason for increased hope amongst the fan base, and it appears Utah could surprise national pundits this season.

Utah’s 2014-15 “Shock the National Pundits” tour started with a 104-93 loss to the Houston Rockets with NBA commissioner Adam Silver in attendance. The loss, while encouraging in moments, showcased how far the Jazz still have to go. However, a productive offseason has set the stage for what is to come.

First, the Jazz landed an elite player in the draft, and second, they played preseason basketball with a spirit that simply wasn’t seen last season. From this, fans are tepidly optimistic Utah can improve upon its dreadful 2013-14 season.

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But, fans still don’t quite understand how to judge the team. Should Utah be judged solely off of wins? Do Jazz fans need to look at player development when making their grades? What about the offensive system, how long should it take for players to run it effectively?

In a pregame session with the media, Snyder said his team should be judged upon how they play as a unit.

“I’d like us to continue to be judged based on us being a team,” he said. “We should (and) when you watch our team play, people should like we’re a group that’s cohesive. Sometimes the opponent has something to do with that. But, that effort, energy and unselfishness will be the things that hopefully will our calling card for a long time.”

It appears this composition of the Utah Jazz will play with energy. The team showcased as much Wednesday against Houston with a 10-0 run at the end of the third quarter, showing how this offense could have more flow than Snyder’s well-maintained hair style.

When rookie guard Dante Exum found center Rudy Gobert for a transition alley-oop dunk in the second quarter was another play showcasing what this team can do.

Those plays indicate confidence players have in themselves and teammates, and it’s refreshing to see.

Exum hinted as much in a postgame interview session describing the play.

“I think (I need to) find my time when I can attack more, get into the paint and create for others,” said Exum, who finished with five points in 9:37 of game time. “I found Rudy tonight, and I’m hoping to build that relationship with him more and find him a bit more.”

Fans should use Snyder’s criteria to plan this team when judging the team, but they should also judge it on how evident the on-court chemistry is. If the players look like they trust each other then that is the start of a very positive trend for the future of this team.

Already, people around the league are seeing what Snyder, Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey and the rest of the organization are doing. Rockets coach Kevin McHale, who has been a part of several rebuilding projects in his career, said it’s easy to see the difference in the Jazz.

“I like what they’re doing,” said McHale, who is coaching his second NBA team. “They’re moving the ball, their bigs are running and attacking the glass hard. (Enes) Kanter and Favors are big, strong guys. ... They’re going to make you play. They are not an easy team to defend.”

Now it’s time to sit back and see how this new squad operates under the harsh reality of life in the NBA. The road will be bumpy — get used to it — but it doesn’t always have to be like that.

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Jon Oglesby

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