10) Turnovers
Turnovers have been a thorn in the Jazz’s side all year. A lot of it can be attributed to the point guards, while another fraction is due to sloppy, lazy play.
The Jazz have also perfected the art of turnovers-to-touchdowns. That's not good
— Tony Jones (@Tjonesonthenba) March 3, 2016
Currently, the Jazz rank 24th out of 30 teams in turnovers. They cough up the ball just over 14 times per game. That puts them right above the Brooklyn Nets (wow, another lottery-bound team).
Throughout the last month, the Jazz’s offense and turnover rate have hit a new low.
Over the last month, Utah is 28th in points per possession, 29th in turnover rate. Yucky.
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) March 9, 2016
These turnovers lead to transition offense and easy buckets for opposing teams. Just think of all the times the Jazz have lost close games. How many of those losses are a direct result of not taking care of the ball?
If they continue cough up the rock like this, we can expect the same results going forward; frustrating loss after frustrating loss.
Next: Rev Rants: The Jazz Must Lean on Derrick Favors
I really hope I’m wrong, guys. I want nothing more than for the Jazz to finally find their footing and start winning meaningful games. I want the Houston Rockets to vomit all over themselves and choke away their playoff chances. I want Alec Burks to come back healthy, shore up the Jazz bench and unleash hell on the league. I want Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks to finally fade to black. I want the Portland Trail Blazers to stop defying the odds and being so damn good.
Heartbreakingly, these things probably won’t happen.
Please let the Utah Jazz make the playoffs. I want nothing more than to eat a Thanksgiving-sized portion of crow come season’s end.