'A lot to prove': Jazz try to explain how they've become an early season surprise

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NEW ORLEANS — Jarred Vanderbilt let out a primal scream as he hammered home a two-handed slam as the clock hit zero.

Vanderbilt claimed his return trip to Minnesota was all business. His boisterous cry may have showed otherwise. The points weren't needed — the Jazz had already wrapped up the game — but Vanderbilt apparently wanted to leave one final impression.

And why wouldn't he?

Here was a player that helped a rebuilding Minnesota squad reach the playoffs for just the second time since 2004 who was deemed expendable. It didn't matter the move made sense on paper for the Timberwolves; it's still hard for trades to not feel a little personal.

Those type of feelings may be part of the secret to Utah's surprising 2-0 start.

"Honestly, we are who we are," Mike Conley said. "We are a bunch of guys who have a lot to prove, top to bottom. A team that's hungry, a team that's playing hard, and we are not listening to whatever they expect us to be. That's what they want us to be. We're in the trenches together, working very hard to create something special."

What did the experts expect? A team that may be a little feisty but one that would ultimately succumb to more talented teams.

In the season-opener, however, the Jazz didn't allow a Denver Nuggets team, led by the reigning back-to-back MVP, finish a comeback. And on Friday in Minneapolis, it was the Jazz that had to fight back from an early deficit, and then showed enough resolve to win an overtime game on the road.

None of that was supposed to happen.

So is this all a fluke? What did everyone miss about this team that was expected to challenge for a bottom three spot? Have expectations now changed?

"I know everybody (on the team) knows that we've got good players on this team," Lauri Markkanen said. "And we can play really high level basketball."

Everyone else is starting to catch on.

The Jazz have had the most assists in league, they've generated a ton of 3-pointers, and have eight players who have averaged 9 or more points through the first two games. Yes, this is an extremely small sample size, but the Jazz aren't falling backward into wins, they're playing some phenomenal basketball.

The 39 assists they had on Friday was the most the team has had since Jan. 6, 2010 — when a legend named Jerry Sloan was still patrolling the Utah sideline. That doesn't happen by accident.

So what did everyone miss about these guys?

"If you look at our roster, we probably have eight or nine guys that could play for any team in the NBA and be in the rotation," Jazz coach Will Hardy said. "I think they're missing the fact that the collection of the sum is greater than the individual parts — the way they fit together, the way they play together. They're capable of playing winning basketball — we're seeing it.

"We're able to find different ways to win in these two games with different groups. But I really just enjoy the fact that they're so passionate, so in it with each other. … I really think that sometimes people look at just the individuals and stack up individuals against individuals and they miss how a team fits together."

If there's one thing Jazz fans can take away from the first two contests is that Hardy, the 34-year-old wunderkind, can absolutely coach.

Hardy has gotten a group of apparent misfits to play such cohesive basketball that they've bested two contenders. He's used small lineups and has gone big with three 7-footers sharing the court. He's been able to find combinations to weather foul trouble and used a different closing lineup in each of the first two games.

"Our versatility has allowed us to make changes," Conley said. "Guys are unselfish about it: 'If it's not my night, I'm out — someone else come in for me.' That's been huge."

So is this sustainable? Logic and reason says probably not, but logic and reasons would have had the Jazz at 0-2 at this point — not the opposite.

The fact is the Jazz are playing for each other and have a lot of guys that do a lot of things well; and they're collectively playing with a massive chip on their shoulders. That's a pretty good recipe for some surprise wins — and maybe, just maybe, a surprise season.

"Of course, you're not gonna win every night, but we can play really hard and outcompete the other team, and I think that's what we did," Markkanen said.