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SALT LAKE CITY — The month of March signifies many things in the complexion of the year.
It’s most visible attribute is it is the month where winter’s long, cold darkness is shed and a vibrant new life emerges in the form of colorful growth. The days are brighter and warmer, adding to the positivity stemming from new opportunities.
March is a period of growth as well, providing a growing light from which life emerges.
The month of March may have been one of the most dramatic months of growth for the Utah Jazz in the past five seasons. A franchise mired in a rebuilding project finally saw some of the efforts pay off.
New growth in players, like saplings on trees, is evident, whether it is in the form of improved defense or personal development. With growth, pruning is needed, but the Jazz grew in the month of March.
Jazz coach Quin Snyder said March was an important time for his team.
“I think it was a really good month in part because we saw a little of everything,” he said. “We had a lot of enthusiasm amongst the group with how we were playing, and then we had injuries, which I thought the Golden State game (a 106-91 loss March 26) culminated a difficult but productive stretch.
D-League purchase important to Jazz future
Utah Jazz senior leadership believe the team's purchase of the D-League Idaho Stampede is critical to the team's basketball operations development into a championship-caliber organization.“After that, we lost Gordon (Hayward) for a couple games and we lost (Derrick Favors) for a couple games. (At the end of March), we lost a couple games where we were able to dig in and reflect, and remind ourselves of why we were playing well.”
With Snyder’s assessment in mind, it’s important to look back at the month with a report card and recap the month of dramatic growth for the Jazz.
When the Jazz traded Enes Kanter to Oklahoma City they lost a viable scoring threat in the post, who also possessed the ability to stretch the floor. However, they found ways to score just enough points to finish March with a 10-5 record. In the month, Utah averaged 98.5 points a game, which was well above the season average of 94.7 points. It’s important to also note the Jazz played multiple games without stars Hayward and Favors, the team’s two leading scorers.
The Jazz scored over 100 points three times, going 2-1 in those games. However, the team won four games where they scored fewer than 90 points. Utah isn’t an offensive juggernaut, but the team is finding ways to win.
For instance, the team averaged 12.5 offensive rebounds a game in March. The team is fourth in the league for offensive boards.
Turnovers are still a problem for the team, averaging 13.3 turnovers a game in March. Even though that is an improvement over the season mark of 14.1 turnovers a game, the Jazz routinely surrender double-digit points to an opponent off turnovers. There will be improvement in this area as the team becomes more comfortable playing with each other, but there has to be a conscious effort.
Grade: B
While the Jazz have had to learn on the fly offensively, they have suddenly become one of the best defensive teams in the league. Utah went from being the league’s worst defense in October, to the best defense in March. In the month, Utah gave up only 94.8 points a game.
In the month, Utah’s blocked shots went up from three blocks a game in October to 6.55 blocks a game in March, thanks, Rudy Gobert. Part of finishing off defensive performances is rebounding, and the Jazz have the second-best rebounding differential in the league with a plus-4.3 margin over the opposition.
Snyder has mentioned the defensive impact of Rodney Hood and Dante Exum several times, and it seems Utah has been able to create a defensive identity around Favors and Gobert locking down the paint, allowing the players on the perimeter to take chances and switch easier.
Grade: A
Since the Kanter trade, it has appears the Jazz have never been more united. Take the win against Oklahoma City after Kanter’s commitments disparaging the team. Hayward mentioned how bothered the players were by Kanter’s comments about the organization and roster. Nothing rallies the troops quite like an outside source attacking the inside, and it appears in the postgame locker room that guys are focused on winning for the team, for the fans and each other.
No NBA locker room is ever perfect, but the Jazz appear to have a good fire going in theirs with the current roster.
Grade: A-
I might be one of the few people who believes Hayward and Favors’ injuries in the month helped the team in the long term. There will be no playoffs this season, so the greatest takeaway from the season needs to be learning.
For the team to get roughed up a few games without Hayward, and then win a couple games without Favors, is experience the team can use in the coming seasons when it needs to win games to stay in playoff contention. That’s team development, but it helps the personnel on the team understand their roles.
As far as personal development, Gobert’s improving free-throw shooting is a huge plus. It’s tough to stop players that can’t afford to be fouled, and free-throw shooting makes him a tougher player for whom to game plan. Also, Trey Burke’s floater he’s using in his offensive game has made him a more versatile player in the Utah offense, and he hit a critical floater in an 88-85 win over Detroit March 14.
There are still improvements that need to be made. For instance, Gobert needs to work on adding a short-range jump shot/hook shot to make him an even tougher matchup. At this point, Gobert has to view himself as a future All-Star candidate — a candidate who needs to continue to add tools to his game.
Also, Gobert, Exum and Hood need to continue to add strength to their bodies. While there is work to be done, the in-game results in March showed there is significant development happening.
Grade:B+
The outlook for this team should be bright. There are some troublesome spots, like Hood's durability, but there is a reason for Jazz fans to feel confident this team will contend for a playoff spot as soon as next season.
If fans are encouraged by one stat from March, it should be the team’s 5-3 home record, with five of those games coming against teams in playoff contention (3-2 in those games).
It seems as if everything in the organization is feeling upgraded after March, including Utah’s basketball operations. The Jazz purchased a D-League affiliate, and that figures to help the team develop future talent.
Grade: A
Hope springs eternal, and as the Jazz prepare to enter the offseason, the prospect of a better future is as real as the blooming flowers and more green, full trees.
Only time will tell how good this offseason’s fertilizer will be for a growing, developing roster.
