Utah Jazz: Thoughts From Season Opening Loss To Pistons

Oct 28, 2015; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Utah Jazz guard Raul Neto (25) guards Detroit Pistons guard Reggie Jackson (1) during the game at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Pistons won 92-87. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

First impressions are a crazy thing. Within milliseconds of encountering something, our brains make snap judgments that may or may not be an accurate reflection of reality. Having said that, what judgment did we make after the Utah Jazz dropped their season opener to the Detroit Pistons in heartbreaking fashion, 92-87?

Although it’s easier said than done, I’m doing my best not to jump to any conclusions about what we can expect from the team this season after one loss. Still, things happened in Detroit, they weren’t always pretty and I’m not just talking about Andre Drummond‘s awesome refusal to shave his shoulders.

Here are my random thoughts and observations and from Wednesday’s malice at the Palace–

I’m not kidding about Drummond; that is one hairy guy. Good on him for owning it–he’s an example for us all.
https://twitter.com/Ananth_Pandian/status/402293103299944449
OK, let’s get this out of the way. Rodney Hood was fouled. It wasn’t the worst no-call of the night and I think the contact was oversold somewhat, but it’s always frustrating when something like that happens.
The officiating was less than great, but I was more dismayed by the team’s inability to stretch the floor. The Jazz missed 10 of their 12 three-point attempts.
The bench had a rough go of it. Trey Burke in particular struggled on both ends of the floor and was limited to 15 minutes of action. For the night, he posted a net rating of minus-52.3–not what you wanted to see from Burke.
The team really could have used Trevor Booker‘s energy. He was suspended for the game as a result of his preseason altercation with Roy Hibbert. His presence would’ve made a difference in the game. If anything, I can’t imagine him letting Reggie Jackson get into Raul Neto‘s grille.
In many ways, Alec Burks was the lone bright spot for the Jazz bench, scoring 18 points and grabbing six rebounds. Still, it was disconcerting to see him go into one-on-one, renegade mode on a handful of occasions. The Jazz can’t afford to have any rogue agents; the team was outscored by 12 points with Burks on the floor for a reason.
Neto was pretty good. He ran the offense, hit his outside shots, and played tough defense on Jackson. He posted the best net rating (29.1) and plus/minus (plus-12) marks on the team.
There has been a lot of discussion about whether Drummond or Rudy Gobert is the better young center. While both were good on Wednesday, I think the Pistons center came out on top in this particular game.
Jazz coach Qyin Snyder went with the triple-wing lineup to close the game. I suspect we’ll see a fair amount of that this season.
Drummond may have set the tone for the Pistons, but Derrick Favors was the best player on the floor all night long. That was an All-Star effort from D-Faves.
Gordon Hayward had a tough game, but made some key plays. Hayward is becoming the master of the sneaky good (or sneaky not-as-bad-as-you-think) box score.
I’ve long maintained that the Jazz can do some damage in the Western Conference this season, but with a team this young there are still going to be games like the one against the Pistons.

Mathematically speaking, the Jazz are currently on pace for an 0-82 season. However, one game does not a season make and the team has a chance to right the ship on Friday night against the Philadelphia 76ers.

The result against Detroit may not have been what we wanted, but there were undoubtedly some positive developments in Thursday’s game. If anything, we have a jumping off point from which to evaluate the team. The truth of things will come as the season continues.

What did you think about the season opener? Hit us up in the comments below or on Twitter. Stay tuned to Purple & Blues throughout the season for all the analysis, opinions and news about the Jazz as they look to return to the NBA Playoffs.

Next: Purple & Blues 2015-16 NBA Predictions and Staff Picks

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