The Utah Jazz Are Getting Back To Their Defensive Ways

With the playoff race intensifying, the Utah Jazz are playing elite defense once again.

After last season’s All-Star break and the subsequent departure of Enes Kanter, something incredible started to happen to our boys in blue. The Utah Jazz defense transformed into a defensive boa constrictor that slowly choked out their opponents en route to victory after victory.

A lot of this can be attributed to the addition of Rudy Gobert into the starting lineup, but that’s not the entire picture. The Jazz were a mix of length and limbs that were locking down teams left and right.

The result was a 19-10 post All-Star break record and the league’s best defensive rating. Eyebrows were raised due to just how stifling the Jazz defense had become.

Enter the 2015-16 season. Amid the highs and lows — especially the injuries and player inexperience —the Jazz just haven’t seemed like they’ve had that same defensive swagger. While they’ve never truly been awful on defense, the juggernaut of the past season seemed to be just that — in the past.

That is until recently.

The Utah Jazz’s defense has seemingly awoken from its slumber and is back to being that terrifying boa constrictor. The post All-Star defensive uprising has officially become a trend. And with the playoffs on the line, it couldn’t have happened at a more opportune time.

So just how good has the Jazz defense been as of late?

Since this year’s All-Star break, the Jazz allow the second fewest points per game in the league. They trail only the San Antonio Spurs — who are having a historically great defensive season. Utah is only giving up 96.2 points per game and have established themselves, once again, as an elite defensive unit.

Furthermore, The Jazz are 6-2 in their last eight games. Most of these wins can be credited to the defense. In fact, over the past 10 games, the Jazz have the best defensive rating in the league — giving up 3.4 less points per 100 posessions than any other team.

This current hot streak also includes a four-game win streak, in which the Jazz held all four teams to under 100 points. This included an 85 point performance from Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers and a 69 point performance — the lowest for any Jazz opponent this year — by the Phoenix Suns a few days later.

This is even more impressive when you consider that the Cavaliers have the fourth best offense in the NBA.

Continuing the momentum, in what was arguably the most thrilling win of the season, the Jazz held the Houston Rockets — the NBA’s eighth best offense — to a subpar 87 points earlier this week.

“That’s our calling card — we play defense,” Jazz shooting guard Rodney Hood said in an interview last week. Everything defensively seems to be clicking at the right time.

What we’re seeing is a heightened level of defensive intensity, defensive communication, as well as defensive intimidation. Teams aren’t looking to go into the paint when Derrick Favors and Gobert are packed inside. And getting a shot off with Hood, Gordon Hayward and other wings draped all over them is a challenge all of its own.

And to think this could all get even better next year with Alec Burks and Dante Exum back.

It’s no secret that even with this defensive resurgence, the Jazz are still a flawed team. They often struggle down the stretch offensively and have shown an ineptitude when it comes to closing out games. But with their defensive identity intact, the Jazz now have a formidable weapon that can keep them winning games — regardless of how cold they go from the field.

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With the season coming to an end and the playoffs looming, it’s imperative that the Jazz keep this defensive momentum rolling. I believe that the offense will come, but as of right now, Utah needs to ride the defense as much as possible.

If the Jazz can keep it up, then I’ll happily be eating a heaping portion of crow while watching my favorite team in the playoffs in a few weeks. I don’t remember the last time I was so anxious to be wrong.