Utah Jazz Chemistry: Burke, Exum Can Co-Exist

Jan 22, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Utah Jazz guard Dante Exum (11) shoots over Milwaukee Bucks guard Brandon Knight (11) during the first quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Everything could change for the second half of the season, but through 43 games of 2014-15 some clear patterns of Utah Jazz chemistry have emerged in regards to who assists whom.

Note: The assist numbers do not include Utah’s blowout win of the Brooklyn Nets in Salt Lake City

Certain players have developed a chemical connection with other players, the most common of which has been Trey Burke to Derrick Favors thus far. Since it’s already been covered in depth at PnB, we won’t rehash it much in this column other than to state some numbers for context. Please, click the link for in-depth analysis of the implications of Dante Exum‘s insertion into the starting lineup in regards to Favor’s game.

The most common connection of 2014-15 has been Trey Burke to Derrick Favors, mostly in the pick-and-roll. 73 times Burke has assisted Favors, with Gordon Hayward finding Favors next most, 45 times.

But Burke has been relegated to a sixth-man role by Quin Snyder. And it’s worked. It remains to be seen if it will continue to work — but if there was a stretch of games to start Exum over Burke, this is a good one to try it.

So, who helps whom most, who’s shown a propensity for Utah Jazz chemistry together thus far?

Enes Kanter has been assisted the most by Burke also, 41 times, but not by much more than Gordon Hayward to Kanter, 30 times. Hayward and Kanter seem to have developed a particularly strong chemistry on offense, the big Turk instinctively rolling or cutting to the basket at the right time for Hayward to find him.

Kanter and Exum also seem to have a more magnetic connection than Exum to Favors does, the Aussie rookie finding Enes for the finish twice as often as he does Favors so far, ten times to five, coming into the Brooklyn game.

Three-pointers falling for a couple of games in a row is more a luxury than a sustainable model, icing on a cow pie rather than a real meal

Snyder has the luxury of having multiple ball handlers to work with, although this is an area Exum needs work in, especially if he’s to be a starting point guard in the NBA. Maybe that’s the point of moving him into the starting lineup.

Trey Burke leads the Utah Jazz in assist percentage at 26%, followed by Hayward at 21.3%, then the other Aussie on the roster, Joe Ingles, at 18.1%. Exum lags a bit behind at only 17% assist percentage, a number that needs a boost badly if he’s to be more than a glorified shooting guard.

For his part, Ingles has shown an ability to find Rudy Gobert more than any other Jazzman, the lengthy pair hooking up 22 times, mostly ending in the big Frenchman humiliating someone at the rim in spectacular fashion.

When it comes to Trevor Booker, Mr. Big Utility Man for Utah, Hayward has found him the most, assisting 19 times, Exum 14, Burke 12 and Ingles 10, a very nice balance, an indication of Booker’s role and how he fulfills it for Utah.

But back to the new starting “point” guard for Utah — a term more vague by the season in the new NBA.

Including the Nets game, in his two consecutive starts, Dante Exum has taken only four field goals that weren’t threes out of 19 FGAs. At this point, Exum is far more a shooting guard starting at point than a combo-guard even. It should be noted that his three-shooting has been excellent as a starter over that span though, going 8-15 from three and averaging a hearty 4.5 dimes.

Certainly, the Jazz need to find out who is who while they have the chance to, with the young roster coming of age in waves. Exum and Burke show not only a willingness to play together, but an ability to play off of each other, combining for a couple of terrific games since the switch.

However, if Exum is to be the true starting point guard of the future for Utah that assist percentage is going to have to come up. And quite a lot.

So far, the only player Exum’s shown a consistent ability to find for buckets aside from Kanter is fellow Australian Joe Ingles. He’ll have to find a way to develop some chemistry in the paint with Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert if the Jazz are to find true long term success.

This Jazz team isn’t built to rely on perimeter shots falling. Three-pointers falling for a couple of games in a row is more a luxury than a sustainable model, icing on a cow pie rather than a real meal. What Exum’s doing is awesome, but not sustainable unless he’s about to morph into Ray Allen.

At the very least, the question that we started the season with in Utah, “Can Trey Burke and Dante Exum co-exist?” has been answered. Exum and Burke have combined for 47 points and 14 assists over the last two games for the Jazz, both wins.