Four Utah Jazz Rookies Making An Impact

Jan 7, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Utah Jazz forward

(2) shoots the ball against Chicago Bulls forward

(16) during the first quarter at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

The Utah Jazz rookies are plentiful this 2014-15, and playing prominent roles for the franchise. When we get overly excited about a win or two it’s good to remember that the Jazz have four NBA rookies who have played at least 261 minutes this season, and could be much more if not for injuries.

It’s a marker for where this Jazz team truly is at in their rebuilding and development process. Typically, you might have one or two, at most, rookies on pace to play over 1,200 minutes in their first NBA season. And we’ve seen four play at least 18 minutes a night.

You might suppose that’s the most in the league, but not so.

However, the fresh faces for Utah seem to be having a much bigger impact than the four or five on the Philadelphia 76ers. Let’s count em down.

Rodney Hood 

18.3 MPG, 24 GP, 5 GS 5.3

PPG, 2.5 RPG, 1.2 APG

There were high hopes for Hood coming into the season, expectations derailing an all-around skill-set due an unfortunate recurring plantar fasciitis injury. The draft pick from Duke was touted as a steal by Dennis Lindsey, and had no injury history to speak of previously, so this feels like bad luck.

Hood’s shooting in his limited showings to this point in his career have been far removed from what everyone expected, only .317 field goals overall and a dismal .286 from three — shocking for a guy whose primary NBA skill on draft night was perimeter shooting.

We can likely chalk this up to inexperience in both the NBA and a new system, coupled with never really getting a chance to find rhythm due to the inconsistent play from unforeseen circumstances. Hood was expected to get big minutes and opportunities once Alec Burks was lost for the season, only to have Hood go down again shortly after.

He did give us a taste of what he can do in a handful of solid starts.

"As a starter in four games for the Jazz, Rodney Hood, in place of Burks, is averaging: • 27.8 minutes per game • 9.5 points per game • 3.8 rebounds per game • 2.0 assists per game • .389 from three–The J Notes"

It will be good to see what Rodney Hood can really do once he has a few more hundred NBA minutes under his belt. It’s wait and see until then. His injury will be reevaluated after the All-Star break. 

Elijah Millsap 

20.1 MPG, 13 GP, 0 GS

5.3 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 1.2 APG

Without the Alec Burks and Rodney Hood injuries we may never have discovered that the younger brother of Paul Millsap was a pro that deserved to be an NBA player. Playing the most minutes per game among the four rookies, Millsap’s basic stat line has covered for the missing Hood like a carbon copy.

"The biggest need on the wing for Utah with the losses of Burks and Hood were defense and three-making ability.Elijah Millsap was brought in to fill a very specific role for the Utah Jazz, and he’s done so admirably, nearly seamlessly, filling the exact need required.–The J Notes"

The worry about Millsap on his way into Utah on his first 10-day contract was his perimeter shooting, only 34% as the D-League Bakersfieled Jam’s star player. He’s shooting .414 on 2.2 three-point attempts per game since joining the Jazz, so we can put that concern in a deep hole in the west desert.

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Gritty and tough, just like you’d expect a Millsap to be, he’s also making at least one steal a game and leading the Jazz in free throw percent among players playing at least 18 minutes per game, a sliver under 85%.

If we were to use The Millsap Doctrine on Elijah — a theory created by the great Kevin Pelton for older brother Paul Millsap, when he was on the bench in Utah — extrapolating his numbers out to a starter’s, Millsap would be averaging 10 points , 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 block per game.

The only of these four rookies to not start a game this season, Elijah Millsap was recently signed for the remainder of the 2014-15 season after a second 10-day contract, as well as for the next two NBA seasons, albeit it, both team options for Utah. 

The Aussies 

Never a skite, Exum isn’t one to shy away from a challenge on defense, although he does seem to be wary of venturing into the paint on the offensive end

When Joe Ingles was brought in to to replace Brock Motum on the Jazz roster, many surmised it was simply to act in a mentoring capacity for Dante Exum, to make the teenager more comfortable, as they’ve been Australian National Team ‘mates for some time — roommates even. Few had the vision at the time to be as excited with the 27 year old international veteran signing as we were here at PnB. 

Joe Ingles 

19.7 MPG, 47 GP, 14 GS

4.0 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 2.5 APG

Ingles, like Millsap, Hood and Hayward, is a guy with an all-around game to offer, skill-sets in multiple categories. Unlike these other players for Utah, what Ingles does on the court often doesn’t translate into measurable stats as we currently understand them.

Nevertheless, the elder Aussie has been bonza for the Jazz in his last five games: 30.6 minutes, 8.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 2.0 steals per game. Ingles’ assist percent of 18.7 is behind only Trey Burke and Gordon Hayward on the season.

With a wry wit and fearless disposition, Slo Mo Joe — deceptively smooth with or without the rock in his hand, often taking an opponent unawares — has quickly become a Utah Jazz fan favorite for good reason. Making a mug out of many an analyst, Ingles appears to have real staying power in the NBA, preferably in Utah.

Dante Exum 

19.8 MPG, 47 GP, 6 GS

4.9 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 2.1 APG

Ingles’ ankle biter countryman has had his share of struggles, especially since his insertion to the starting lineup, but this was to be expected. Still, he holds his chin up and keeps chugging away. It’s impossible not to like the guy, and his ceiling is no lower now than when we knew very little about him.

The flashes of the future from “X” are more frequent as he finds his footing among the game’s greats. Dante Exum is making an impact on games in ever-growing quantities. Never a skite, Exum isn’t one to shy away from a challenge on defense, although he does seem to be wary of venturing into the paint on the offensive end of the floor still.

Inserted into the starting lineup by Quin Snyder five games ago, his natural defensive tools are turning into a savvy prowess even faster than many an analyst suspected.

On this play, the Golden State Warriors were coming hard in the half court at Utah, forcing a defensive switch that left Exum on the Original NBA Aussie, Andrew Bogut. 

Recognizing he would be in trouble on the glass if Bogut was allowed free rein, Dante Exum body’d up like a lineman and began pushing up against the much heavier center.

Skinny? “Wiry,” maybe. But never “skinny.”