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CHARLOTTE — Kyle Korver had a dream start to his second stint with the Jazz.
Seconds after he checked in for the first time, he used a Rudy Gobert screen to free himself for an open 3-pointer. Korver did what he has done for pretty much all of his long NBA career: He drilled the long-range bucket.
"Players make plays," Jazz head coach Quin Snyder said. "We have drawn more bad plays and players hit shots. He obviously has had plays drawn up for him. He came in ready to shoot the ball."
That shot was the start of a successful (second) Jazz debut for Korver.
He played 24 minutes and finished with 14 points on 5-for-7 shooting (4-for-6 from deep) in Utah’s 119-111 win at Charlotte on Friday.
But it was more than just hitting shots. Here are the ways Korver helped the Jazz win.
Using Gobert's screens ======================
Korver’s first few seconds in a Jazz jersey this season showed just how valuable he can be. It was a play call specifically designed for him to get a 3-point look, but it's a play that doesn't have to end in a Korver shot, either.
Gobert is one of the best screeners in the league. He and Korver should work beautifully together. Whether that’s getting open shots for the dead-eye 3-point shooter or opening up a lane for a top rim-runner.
In the third quarter, Gobert’s man went up on Korver stopping him from taking the shot. All Korver had to do was pass it to Gobert who had a wide open lane to the hoop.
“I’m trying to do my best to screen for him and get him open shots,” Gobert said. “It’s kind of like automatic. It’s fun to watch and fun to be a part of. I just get him open and dive to the rim. I know that my guy is going to have to make a choice.”
It becomes a pick your poison scenario: Korver 3 or Gobert at the rim? Those aren’t good options for defenses.
Open shot effect ================
Late in the third, Charlotte tried to go into a zone defense. Rudy Gobert had controlled the paint on the offensive end (he ended up rim rolling his way to a 20-point night) and the Hornets were looking for a way to solve it. That meant sinking off shooters. That may have worked against some of the Jazz players, but it didn’t work on Korver.
The Jazz swung the ball to a wide open Korver in the corner and the ball was soon tickling the twine.
That was a big moment for the Jazz. In the first quarter, Jae Crowder had a similar opportunity. The Jazz made the right reads and got Crowder a wide-open corner 3-pointer, but the shot missed. To Crowder’s credit, that was one of the few shots he missed on the night, but it was more in line to what the Jazz had seen for much of the season.
The Jazz haven’t struggled to get open shots, they’ve struggled to make them. That wasn’t the case on Friday. And maybe it was a little contagious. The Jazz missed four of their first five 3-point attempts to start the game. But once Korver checked in, they made four of their next six — and only one of those makes was by Korver.
“It definitely helps,” Donovan Mitchell said. “He made the first two shots down. That’s what he does. It gives us confidence shooting the ball.”
And it helped Mitchell get some open space on drives, as Korver pulled defenders out of the paint. Mitchell finished with 30 points on the night and most of that came from inside the 3-point line.
Understanding the game ======================
Mitchell drove, jumped and passed the ball out to Korver on the 3-point line. But Korver didn’t fire away. Instead, he put the ball on the floor and drove in for a layup.
On another play, Mitchell drove and Korver ran to a spot outside the paint and delivered a devastating screen to free up Mitchell at the hoop.
The Jazz traded Korver for his shooting, but he also knows the game. And that should also help him with his most perceived weakness: defending.
There was one time when Jeremy Lamb took Korver off the dribble for an easy layup but for the most part, Korver defended well within Utah’s scheme.
Snyder said the team wasn’t going to “overreact” after the win. The offense carried Utah and he’d prefer the defense do the heavy lifting. But for one game at least, Korver looks to have solved some of the Jazz’s woes.
