PORTLAND — We're back with The Triple Team! Here are three thoughts on the Jazz's 98-89 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers in game one of NBA preseason action from KSL.com's Utah Jazz beat writer, Andy Larsen.

1. Jazz newcomers still getting oriented

It was the first game in a Jazz uniform for Boris Diaw, Joe Johnson, and George Hill, and it showed.

Hill was the best of the three: he finished 2-5 from the field (all from within the arc), and picked up two assists and two turnovers. When he was in the game, the offense flowed relatively well. Defensively, he was beaten by Damian Lillard a couple of times, but was generally pretty good. Again, this was the best of the performances.

Boris Diaw finished scoreless, with three fouls and a turnover in 15 minutes. He was the Jazz's second substitution, but wasn't snappy enough in the Jazz's offense (and understandably so!) to create much of an advantage when he was on the floor. Defensively, there was, and will continue to be, a big difference between his rim protection abilities and those of Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors.

Joe Johnson finished with a game-low -22 when he was on the court, shooting 1-5 with two turnovers. In case you're curious, that's 60 points per 100 possessions while on offense, and 123 points per 100 possessions given up to the Blazers while he was on the court on defense. His shots were all mid-range-y pull-ups and floaters, and even for Johnson, those aren't the looks you want him taking. He'll want to find a way to get involved in other ways, more inside or out.

As Quin Snyder said after the game, "It's going to take us a while offensively to find some cohesion." I think that's true, and you could see it in the kind of turnovers the Jazz were making: Hill passed it behind a rolling Favors, Johnson struggling to find room with teammates (and therefore extra defenders nearby).

2. Hayward and Favors looked elite

On the other hand, Gordon Hayward and Favors looked great. Hayward picked up 17 points in 14 first-half minutes with only eight shots, after which Snyder gave him most of the rest of the night off. Maybe most impressive was the variety of ways Hayward scored: seven free throws, two 3-point makes, a floater, and pull-up mid-range shot.

Favors was gigantic, too. He finished with 14 points and nine rebounds in his 24 minutes, adding two blocks and a steal. He was the Jazz's most effective rim protector, and then did a nice job in getting out in passing lanes. There were a couple of times when he got caught outside on the perimeter defensively when he should have been inside, or vice versa, but for the most part he had a very impactful game.

Gobert finished with 10 points and 13 rebounds, which is difficult to complain about. Nevertheless, I'm going to do it anyway: he still struggled with his hands, especially early, on catching dump-off passes and lobs that could have been easy points. That's going to have to change. One moment was promising, though. When Portland sagged off of him as he held the ball at the elbow, Gobert took two dribbles and charged towards the rim for an easy and-one play. If Gobert can do that consistently, he'll be much easier to keep on the floor, especially in the playoffs when everyone is hyper-scouted.

3. Initial rotations revealed

Every time we've asked him, Snyder has downplayed the rotations and minute distribution for this team, despite the clear amount of depth on the roster. But I think tonight's first-half rotations are a decent indication of what Snyder's baseline thinking is, to be adjusted and experimented with as more evidence comes out. A Bayesian prior, in nerdy terms.

Joe Johnson was the first man off the bench for the Jazz, replacing Rodney Hood. That makes a lot of sense, especially as Burks continues to be out as he recovers from knee surgery.

Then, Diaw was the second man into the game, replacing Favors. This allows Diaw and Gobert to play together, which, in theory, has a lot to offer: interior defense, good passing, solid spacing, and familiarity from their time playing together on the French national team.

Dante Exum was third, and actually went in for Hayward. Exum received the majority of the minutes allocated to backup point guards, but with four other PGs on the roster, Exum played a lot of time next to Hill, Mack, and Neto.

Speaking of Exum, his return was a major storyline tonight. He looked essentially exactly like rookie-year Exum: he didn't attack very frequently, using just 14 percent of Jazz possessions when he was on the floor. When he did go into the paint, he nearly always looked to pass to his interior big man, which led to some awkward turnovers. On the one exception, his attempted bank shot fell well short.

The good news is that he was still capable defensively, and he hit two shots from 3-point land, including a nice pick and roll three where his defender went under the screen. Overall, Snyder wrapped it up by saying, "he looked like he hadn't played in a year."

Dante Exum is back and healthy 💪 https://t.co/gTEBVC44WY — NBA TV (@NBATV) October 4, 2016

Again, this is about what we saw from him his rookie season, which is actually pretty encouraging for recovery from an ACL tear. Now we see if he can take the next step. 

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