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SALT LAKE CITY — Brooklyn Nets wing Cam Thomas was taken aback at how the Utah Jazz were guarding him. Or, maybe more accurately, he was taken back to his AAU days.
"Today was the first time I've seen a box-and-one since AAU in high school, so that was different," Thomas said.
Welcome to playing the 2023-24 Utah Jazz.
Jazz coach Will Hardy hasn't been afraid to mix up his defenses, going from the basic man-to-man to a typical 2-3 zone and — as Thomas found out during Utah's 125-108 win over the Nets — to the more unusual box-and-one.
It's somewhat gimmicky, but, as of late, it's been effective. The Jazz have won three of their last four games, and have put up good defensive numbers while doing it. For Hardy, it's a way to use some of his team's strengths while trying to conceal some deficiencies.
Collin Sexton and Kris Dunn are very good at shadowing one player; heck, Sexton did it so effectively last week that Jalen Brunson ended up in the tunnel, resulting in what Hardy called the strangest and-one foul of all time.
"I think Collin and Kris are very good when they're on assignment — like this is my responsibility and everybody else sort of helps behind them," Hardy said.
The zone coverages are also partially designed to keep Walker Kessler close to the rim, allowing him to do what he does best: block shots. He's blocked 16 shots over the last four games, including five in Monday's win.
When the Nets went small — playing a lineup featuring just wings and guards — the Jazz were able to keep Kessler on the court because of the zone coverages.
"I do think there are times where we have decent size and not necessarily a ton of speed on the floor, and so I think the zone sometimes gives us opportunities to lean into our strengths and maybe hide some of our weaknesses," Hardy said.
Hardy credited the team's commitment to the scheme — or schemes — as the reason for its effectiveness. They believe it can work for them, and most players have used the word "fun" when describing it. It's different, it's active, and it's working — what's not to like?
"Any defense is going to take buy-in from the players and their commitment to it, no matter what the coverage is," Hardy said.
With the Jazz suddenly trending up in the win column, that buy-in is only getting stronger.
"We've been winning the times that we've been using it, so I just want to kind of build on that," Talen Horton-Tucker said.
If it's been effective for the Jazz — as well as the recent Miami Heat teams — why isn't the zone used more consistently around the NBA?
Hardy believes it's mostly due to what coaches are committed to. Some coaches want to drill one or two things over and over, while some want a menu of options to choose from; he's clearly in the latter camp.
And, yes, that means another zone coverage could be on the way soon.
"There's a third that's in the workshop, but it would be scary if I told you guys what it was," Hardy said. "I don't want to alarm anyone."
Too late for that; he already alarmed Thomas.
