The Triple Team: 3 thoughts on Jazz vs. Pelicans


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NEW ORLEANS — Three thoughts on the Jazz's 100-96 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans from KSL.com's Utah Jazz beat writer Andy Larsen.

1. Starters do their part, but Jazz don't get help from the bench

Going up and down the Jazz's list of starters, they probably did enough against the Pelicans to get the win. Derrick Favors was fantastic, with 29 points on just 15 shots. The rest of the unit was solid: Gordon Hayward scored 21, Rudy Gobert scored 12, and Raul Neto scored nine. Every single one of those numbers exceeds their individual scoring average for the season.

But the bench was pretty bad. They combined for only three made baskets all game — that plus two free throws added up to just nine points.

One way Snyder hides his bench's weakness is by playing multiple starters alongside them. Tonight, every single lineup the Jazz played had at least two starters on the floor, and even that was for just for six minutes. For three and a half quarters, the Jazz had at least three starters in the game.

That's usually really smart, especially against a good bench like the Pelicans. Quin Snyder does this staggering well, almost better than any coach in the league. This data is from 2014-15, and the small red bar at the bottom shows just how infrequently Snyder plays with zero starters on the floor.

The Triple Team: 3 thoughts on Jazz vs. Pelicans

But on the second night of a back-to-back, doing this is difficult. The starters that just dragged through an playoff-esque overtime affair now have to bring that same level of play for nearly 40 minutes. To their credit, the Jazz figured out a way to make it nearly work, but the Pellies' crunch time execution took advantage of the Jazz's tired legs.

The "Burkcourt," Trey Burke and Alec Burks, would have helped here. Getting them healthy would add a different dimension to the Jazz's attack. But I also wonder if the Jazz would like to add another threat at the deadline, either at the wing or power forward positions. More on that later.

2. Jazz turn the ball over too much tonight

The big statistical cause for the Jazz's loss tonight was 17 team turnovers, which led to 16 Pelican points. Given the slow pace of the game, a matchup against another team may have led to 20 turnovers.

The Jazz's total number of turnovers has been really indicative of the Jazz's win-loss record this season. In games where they've turned the ball over 16 times or more, they're 5-11 on the year. Turnovers may especially hurt the Jazz because of their elite half-court defense: when you have the Jazz's defense in a half-court set, they're difficult to break down. In transition, though, teams have a chance.

That's one reason Chris Johnson played as much as he did tonight (nearly 22 minutes) — he hustled back in transition unlike any other player. He noticeably turned the tide of a fast break at least three times, and picked up a beautiful chasedown block to boot.

Johnson's a very limited player, but he's getting onto the floor right now on the back of his hustle and defense. Props to him for finding a way to wedge himself into the rotation.

3. Will the Jazz make a trade?

The trade deadline is now just a week away, and I'm continually asked how likely I think it is that the Jazz make a trade in that time. I figured I'd answer that question here to the best of my ability, with my knowledge of the situation as it currently stands.

First of all, I do not expect the Jazz to make any trades before the day of the deadline itself, Feb. 18. I've been told repeatedly from NBA front offices that teams don't really start to reveal their true asking prices for players until 24-48 hours before the deadline. Doing a deal before then might mean that you lose out on another opportunity elsewhere.

But at that point, I'd characterize the Jazz making a move as likely. If I were to throw out a percentage, it would be 65 percent.

The bidding for starting caliber point guards seems surprisingly steep: since Jeff Teague's appearance in rumors, we've seen reports of Orlando, Indiana, New York and Dallas all interested in the Hawks PG, all reportedly willing to give up big value. For the Jazz to win a bidding war against all of those teams would be difficult, especially without trading Favors, Hayward, Hood, or Gobert. Spoiler alert: the Jazz won't be trading any of those guys. That's a promise. A Teague trade isn't impossible, but seems difficult right now.

But despite this, because of their roster, the Jazz have many possibilities and opportunities in the trade market. Here are a few:

  • Trey Burke's playing time was declining even before his flu kept him out of this road trip and all but three minutes against Milwaukee. Neto's been relatively impressive taking on a larger role, and the Jazz have a 13-4 record when Burke plays under 20 minutes. Burke's family clearly isn't happy with his current situation in Utah. While I don't expect Burke's value to be high, if there is a team sufficiently interested in Burke, I suspect the Jazz will make the move.
  • The Jazz's front office really likes what its seen from Trey Lyles so far this season, but he's losing out on major minutes to Trevor Booker. While Booker is a critical part of the team's locker room, his play on the floor has regressed this season. He's also an unrestricted free agent this summer, and the Jazz may try to get value for him before the deadline.
  • The Jazz are one of just three teams with real cap room right now, along with Portland and Philadelphia. The Jazz could look to acquire a small asset in return for taking on someone's contract.
  • As point No. 1 discusses, the Jazz's bench is fairly weak. They also have seven second-round picks in the next two drafts. Trading a second rounder or two for a bench contributor might be possible.
It may not be a radical, franchise-changing move, but in the end I suspect that the Jazz will be able to find a partner in at least one of those four scenarios.

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