Patrick Kinahan: Best for Jazz to jell quickly


Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

SALT LAKE CITY — Better to fall short during the meaningless stretch of games than later when it actually can determine fate.

That's the position the Utah Jazz are in as they enter the start of the new season, coming off a suspect preseason during which they went winless in four games against NBA competition. The results start counting this week, meaning the team needs to jell quickly.

Coming off a productive offseason that upgraded the talent through several acquisitions, the Jazz enter this campaign with high expectations. There’s no question, at least on paper, that this is Quin Snyder’s best team since he became the coach before the 2014-15 season.

Anything less than a strong performance in the postseason, a statement that is open to interpretation, would be considered a disappointment. Advancing to the Western Conference finals or extending the second round to at least a six-game series should qualify as a success for a team that has to incorporate up to five newcomers into the playing rotation.

Recognizing the dire need for shooting, Jazz management added prolific scorers Mike Conley and Bojan Bogdanovic to pair with Donovan Mitchell and Joe Ingles. Savvy veterans also were brought in to bolster the rotation and give Snyder a host of options.

The preseason was a disaster from the perspective of defense, the staple in helping the Jazz make the playoffs the last three seasons. The roster changed to a degree each of those seasons, but with center Rudy Gobert protecting the rim the defense always ranked among the NBA’s best.

Not counting a game against an outclassed Australian team, the Jazz yielded an average of 128 points in the other four games. Neither the coach nor the players seemed overly concerned the porousness would carry over to the regular season.

Let’s hope not.

In the more competitive Western Conference, the Jazz cannot afford to endure another sustained slow start. Last season the team did not stay above .500 for good until the 43rd game, which was actually a substantial improvement over the prior year.

Related

The West is loaded this season, with multiple All-Star talents joining forces with teams that already have established stars. Portland and Denver return largely intact teams that won in the playoffs last season.

And then there’s the Golden State Warriors, whose injuries prevented a potential third consecutive NBA championship. Kevin Durant is rehabilitating a serious injury this season, having signed with the Brooklyn Nets, but the Warriors could still be dangerous in the postseason if Klay Thompson returns in time for his injury.

The Jazz belong in the mix, provided the four practice games were not a window to the season. The guess here is it won’t be, not with Snyder controlling each player’s minutes on the court.

The coach, who recently agreed to a long-term contract extension, will demand an increased intensity on defense once the games count. Regarded among the best in the league, Snyder has proven the ability to get the most out of his team’s talent.

This was best exhibited last season when the Jazz won 50 games despite sorely lacking offensive prowess. In a league increasingly dominated by three-pointer shooting, Snyder was forced to start three players without consistent perimeter games.

This season the Jazz will be able to space the court with four shooters surrounding Gobert. The newcomers also should improve the production and efficiency of the holdovers.

A realistic goal for the regular-season is in the vicinity of 50-53 wins, which likely could qualify for a No. 3 seed in the West. The path to success in the second round becomes much more difficult with anything lower than finishing third in the conference.

To get there, the Jazz need to become defensive about it.

Patrick Kinahan
About the Author: Patrick Kinahan ---------------------------------

Patrick is a radio host for 97.5/1280 The Zone and the Zone Sports Network. He, along with David James, are on the air Monday-Friday from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Most recent Utah Jazz stories

Related topics

Utah JazzSports
Patrick is a radio host for 97.5/1280 The Zone and the Zone Sports Network. He, along with David James, are on the air Monday-Friday from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.

ARE YOU GAME?

From first downs to buzzer beaters, get KSL.com’s top sports stories delivered to your inbox weekly.
By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

KSL Weather Forecast