CHARLOTTE — Three thoughts on the Jazz's 104-98 loss to the Charlotte Hornets from KSL.com's Utah Jazz beat writer, Andy Larsen.

1. Jazz could have used George Hill

George Hill's sprained thumb didn't cost the Jazz much against the hapless Sixers, but against the much more skilled Hornets, his presence was really missed in a few ways.

• First, the Jazz could have used his 3-point shooting. The Jazz finished just 8-34 from the 3-point line Wednesday night, that's just 23.5 percent. Hill is shooting 43 percent from deep this season. Even his presence on the court has led the Jazz to shoot 41 percent while he's out there.
• Secondly, his defense would have been nice. Kemba Walker didn't have his best night overall, but did score nine points going down the stretch. Quin Snyder tried both approaches at point guard late in the game. Dante Exum played for his defense early in the quarter, but the run also occurred when he was in the game, he finished with a -12 on the night. On the other hand, Shelvin Mack was really poor offensively again, shooting 3-11 from the field. Hill is the best of both worlds: consistently solid offense and defense.
• Third, Hill's penchant for scoring important baskets would have been useful. Hill leads the team in fourth-quarter scoring this year, showing an impressive ability to just take over and get a basket in really important situations for the Jazz. Tonight, though, in the fourth quarter, they finished with just 20 points and a 83 offensive rating.

2. Late in the shot clock makes

Once again, the Jazz have the slowest pace in the league so far this year. But what does that actually mean? I looked at pace earlier in the season, but I thought tonight's game was a good application of those thoughts.

First of all, they're the second-slowest team in the league in terms of their offensive possessions (taking an average of 16 seconds each). On defense, they push teams to take 15.3 seconds on an average possession, which is the fourth slowest in the league.

That the Jazz take as long as they do on offense isn't necessarily a terrible thing. On shots that happen with less than four seconds left on the shot clock, the Jazz have the 10th best eFG percentage in the league. When the clock shows between four and seven seconds, the Jazz are fourth in the league in eFG percentage so far. That includes 53 percent 3-point shooting, which admittedly probably isn't sustainable.

Against Charlotte, the Jazz repeatedly got good shots in the middle of the shot clock that they missed. But Rodney Hood made some tremendous shots as the shot clock buzzer sounded, keeping the Jazz level with the Hornets even as the easy looks weren't going in. That Hood can get off his shot anywhere at any time because of his height and vertical on his jump shot is one of his most unique skills.

🎯 🎯 🎯 🎯 #UTAatCHApic.twitter.com/5kL6Lwt7FW — Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) November 10, 2016

Beyond that, this game only featured 92 possessions, and the teams scored 106 and 112 points per 100 possessions. Offense can work even without an up-and-down game.

3. Frank Kaminsky and Trey Lyles battle

Frank Kaminsky and Trey Lyles had a fun little battle in their bench minutes today. Their respective lines:

Kaminsky: 20 minutes, 13 points (6-10 shooting), 5 rebounds, 3 assists.

Lyles: 18 minutes, 10 points (5-10 shooting), 6 rebounds, 1 assist.

Lyles really struggled to contain Kaminsky in the post, but I felt Kaminsky couldn't deal with Lyles' quick drives.

Remember, Kaminsky and Lyles were selected three picks apart in the 2015 NBA Draft. The Hornets allegedly refused an offer including four first round picks to draft Kaminsky (the Celtics wanted to draft Justise Winslow); the Jazz received no such offer for Trey Lyles' slot.

They're actually fairly similar players in the end:

Of course, that Age column is pretty important too. Lyles just turned 21 this week, and Kaminsky will turn 24 this season in April. Overall, I'd have to say Lyles is the better prospect, if only due to the nearly 3-year age gap.

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