Dec 8, 2014; Sacramento, CA, USA; Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder speaks to center Enes Kanter (0) during the fourth quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Sleep Train Arena. The Sacramento Kings defeated the Utah Jazz 101-92. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Kevin O’Connor took a chance when he drafted Turkish big man Enes Kanter No. 3 overall in the 2011 NBA draft. A big chance. Kanter had played hardly any competitive basketball in the previous couple of years, and had only been playing the game of basketball for a few years of his life, all told. It’s taken most of his rookie contract, but Enes Kanter seems to have finally turned a corner in his development.
Most of us are familiar with the narratives about the Utah Jazz’s record and defensive rating when Kanter is in the starting lineup, and if you aren’t, suffice it to say story time isn’t pretty when it’s Enes.
But the light went on a couple of weeks ago, finally, and Kanter is getting a shot to showcase himself as an NBA starter — in a contract year, no less — with Derrick Favors out with a sprained ankle. It feels like Enes is making real progress in the last few games.
Over the last five games Kanter is averaging 15 points on 52% field goals and nine rebounds per game with two double-doubles. But we already knew he could score and rebound — the latter when he remembers what NBA skill got him drafted in the first place; Kanter loses focus sometimes, or at least used to.
Over the last three games Utah has had the league’s 17th-best defense, which doesn’t sound impressive until you consider the Jazz have been in the bottom three in defense in the NBA for a year. And these were decent-to-very-good offenses: the San Antonio Spurs, Miami Heat and Washington Wizards.
To have gone a total of -7 together against the likes of Chris Bosh, Nene Hilario and Marcin Gortat is worth mentioning
During the recent nine game losing streak, the Jazz’s defense couldn’t even slow down a bad opposing offense. Sure, Rudy Gobert is a big reason for Utah’s strides on defense of late, but it would be unfair to overlook Enes Kanter here too. He no longer looks as lost on defensive rotations, now at least making a man adjust, no longer giving up a lane to the basket wider than State Street in Orem on a Sunday.
No joke, there’s been times when Kanter would rotate on defense out to the elbow and just stand there. Without a man within eight feet of him. Seriously, this has happened.
No one is expecting Kanter to be a defensive stopper, but reaching a level of defense where he’s not a glaring liability is a big step for him and the Jazz as a team. A good defensive teammate like Favors or Gobert can only cover up so much extremely poor defense, so recent strides in understanding schemes and the game as a whole better are critical ones.
Players, Minutes Played Together, Offensive – Defensive Rating, Net Rating
• Kanter/Favors 442, 110.2 – 116.7, -6.5
• Kanter/Gobert 114, 97.2 – 103.2, -6.0
• Kanter/Booker 63, 105.4 – 116.1, -10.7
The Kanter + Gobert lineup has played about 32 minutes together since Derrick Favors was injured two games ago, going a net simple plus-minus of -7 while on the floor together. While this may seem bad, within context it’s an improvement from previous numbers, and quite a notable one.
We’re talking about a player in Kanter whose defense has been so bad that it’s the second thing anyone mentions when talking about him. And an NBA sophomore in Gobert who’s started a grand total of one NBA game and played a tender 845 total minutes in the league. To have gone a total of -7 together against the likes of Chris Bosh, Nene Hilario and Marcin Gortat is worth mentioning.
"Enes Kanter has linked together a really nice stretch of games. He is a bonafide offensive player. The Heat are interior weak and he took advantage with 25 points and 8 rebounds on 10 of 17 shooting. He is able to punish some players. No assists in 36 minutes is not great and that is an area that needs development but he is making strong offensive plays and making a good effort on defense.–David Locke, Locked on Jazz"
Kanter followed up that effort with 10 points, 11 rebounds and 3 assists against the Wizards in a game that probably shouldn’t have been as close as it was.
At times Quin Snyder will get frustrated with a play or effort and pull Kanter out of the game, only to explain to him what he’d done wrong, then reinsert him into the game. It’s clear Kanter is bright and putting in effort to get better, so it’s nice to see the fruits of the last few years labor spent on him begin to ripen.