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Utah Jazz: 10 Takeaways From Loss To Portland Trail Blazers

Oct 12, 2015; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward Allen Crabbe (23) and Utah Jazz forward Derrick Favors (15) go for the loose ball in the second quarter at EnergySolutions Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

Monday night’s preseason loss to the Portland Trail Blazers was an ugly one for the Utah Jazz. One that Jazz fans will want to soon forget. A bunch of stuff happened—mostly bad—during those 48 minutes. These are the top 10 things that stuck out to me.

10) It’s just the preseason.

The players are still shaking off the summer rust and getting ready for a strenuous 82-plus games. Quin Snyder and the rest of the coaching staff are tinkering with lineups to see what will and won’t work. New additions to the team have been made and it’s going to take a minute to establish chemistry.

So let’s all just chill for a minute, okay? Games like this are going to happen in the preseason. If this kind of play flows over into the regular season on a recurring basis, then it’s time to hit the panic button. Remember that, last year, the Jazz looked like world beaters in the preseason and ended up missing the playoffs.

9) No Damian Lillard was a bummer.

I know I’m kind of contradicting myself with this, seeing that it’s preseason and all, but I was bummed out. D-Lill is one of my favorite players. I’ve loved watching him since he was getting buckets up in Ogden for Weber State—even though I loathe college basketball.

Damian Lillard is one of the best young point guards in a league that’s overflowing with talent at the position. You can almost always count on him making a handful of “wow” type plays each game. Not getting to see him play was a letdown. Hopefully he gets that ankle back to 100 percent soon.

On the other hand, you would think an undermanned Trail Blazers team, sans their best player, would be ripe for a whooping. It was kind of head scratching to see the Jazz play so poorly.

8) It was nice to see Dante Exum in the arena and get an update on his status.

Yesterday, it was reported that Dante Exum is indeed back with the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City after tearing his ACL this summer. According to Tony Jones of the The Salt Lake Tribune, Exum has been working out at the Jazz practice facility and is moving without a limp—both are good signs.

During last night’s game, Jazz announcer Steve Brown interviewed Exum. He seemed to be focused on his rehab and in good spirits. However, he still has a long road back to being able to play.

We’re all pulling for you, kid. Come back healthy, strong and with a chip on your shoulder.

7) When Rudy Gobert gets into foul trouble, it’s bad news for the Jazz.

I could argue all day on how silly some of the foul calls were, but that’s irrelevant. The fact is, Rudy Gobert committed three fouls in the first quarter and it cost the team some valuable minutes.

When Gobert was on the floor, the Jazz were dead even with the Blazers in the first half. By halftime, the Blazers had a six point lead.

Rudy makes such an enormous difference when he’s in the game and is the anchor to a stifling Jazz defense. When he’s not able to play, the team is going to suffer.

Another thing: Rudy hasn’t made a major impact yet this preseason and understandably so. He just finished an exhausting and emotional offseason playing for his native France in EuroBasket. I don’t know what the Jazz have to do to get him up to snuff, but all that matters is that he’s ready come October 28th.

6) C.J. McCollum did this.

Yikes.

C.J. McCollum is a really nice player and also a seemingly nice guy. I have no idea what was going through his head on this play. Regardless, it was B.S. and he deserved to get tossed.

I can’t imagine the fallout had Hayward been seriously injured on the play.

It’s the preseason, C.J., cool your jets. At least he had it in him to apologize to Hayward before heading to the locker room.

5) Small ball and triple-wing lineups are going to happen.

The Jazz point guard situation is a work in progress at best. Last night, with a traditional point guard playing—Trey Burke and Raul Neto—the Jazz were minus-13. With the triple wing, the Jazz were plus-six. Moreover, throughout the preseason the Jazz are plus-12 with the triple wing and minus-35 with a point guard on the floor.

With this, you’re going to see a lot of wing heavy lineups along with some small ball—think Golden State Warriors ball. In short spurts, we can expect to see Gordon Hayward, Joe Ingles and Elijah Millsap playing power forward. I predict the Jazz to push the ball a lot when this happens. And yes, we should also expect a heavy dose of Alec Burks, Rodney Hood and Gordon Hayward on the floor together.

4) Meyers Leonard had himself a game.

Meyers Leonard ended up as the Blazers leading scorer and rebounder—splashing down 19 points to go along with eight boards. He finished shooting 50 percent from the field, knocking down four three-pointers and posting a plus-10 in the box score.

Leonard was the biggest reason why the Trail Blazers were able to rattle off a 20-3 run midway through the first quarter that ultimately turned into a 14-point lead before the start of the second quarter.

With both LaMarcus Aldridge and Robin Lopez departing from Portland, Meyers Leonard’s role and numbers are about to get a big boost. He’s my pick to win the NBA’s Most Improved Player and if last night is any indication of how his season is going to turn out, I’ll be spot on.

3) The Jazz shot like crap.

Like, abysmally. When the final horn sounded, the Jazz made a meager 24 shots on 77 attempts. That’s 31 percent. The Jazz also shot just 23 percent from behind the arc. It was an ugly night all around.

Additionally, out of the 44 losses the Jazz had last year, 18 of those were by five points or fewer. A trend in those games was poor free-throw shooting. Last night, the Jazz shot 68 percent from the line and lost by seven.

Hopefully, this is a trend that will soon be bucked.

2) Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors played like crap. 

Both guys just looked off. Combined, Derrick Favors and Hayward shot a putrid 19 percent from the field—Hayward went three for 15; Favors went two for 11.

There aren’t a whole lot of games where a team’s two best players can struggle like this and the team still wins—especially in the NBA. Thank goodness it’s just the preseason. Like I mentioned with Rudy, all that matters is that these two are ready coming opening night.

1) Alec Burks has been the best Utah Jazz player this preseason.

After a slow start, Burks had a really nice night. He finished with 19 points and was able to continually get into the lane for easy buckets. No matter who guarded him, he broke them down off the dribble. The result was eight free throws. He also had a really strong game on the boards, corralling eight rebounds.

Alec was sorely missed last season as he recovered from a torn labrum, and he’s going to have an enormous impact on how his team plays this year. His ability to push the ball, get into the lane, draw fouls and generally make plays are all huge assets. He’s absolutely shined these first four games.

Burks also adds a new level of pace to the offense. He’s able to switch gears and put defenders—and entire teams—on their heels. This is going to take some getting used to—remember the Jazz were dead last in pace of play last year— but it’s a weapon that’s going to make the Jazz that much more dangerous.

Next: Jazz Fall to Blazers in Home Opener

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