Utah Jazz Notes: Offseason Review, Socks and George Hill

Utah Jazz news for the weekend, including an offseason review here on FanSided, Jazz socks and George Hill speaks.

With most of the dust having settled following the NBA free agency bonanza earlier this month, aficionados from around the basketball blogosphere are now issuing their judgement on the moves that were made. With the Utah Jazz receiving overwhelmingly high marks for their offseason moves, it’s been especially satisfying for fans of the club to ride the hype train.

Here on our network, Ian Levy put a different spin on his offseason review of the Jazz, posing three questions about the team to a panel that included myself, Jacob Rosen of Hardwood Paroxysm and Ben Dowsett of Basketball Insiders.

Here are my takes on the questions that were asked–

With the return of Dante Exum and the addition of George Hill, how good can Utah’s defense be?

Ryan Aston: While Rudy Gobert is undoubtedly the piece that defines the Jazz defense, the role that Dante Exum played in the team’s defensive schemes in the latter half of his rookie season was huge. His length and, subsequently, ability to recover, were crucial in setting the tone for defensive possessions.

With Exum on the shelf last season, the team’s pick-and-roll defense took a step backward and the bigger, faster, more athletic point men in the league were able to hurt the Jazz pretty consistently at the point of attack. Despite his best effort, Raul Neto lacked the quickness and measurables to compensate at times; Shelvin Mack’s size was a plus after the All-Star break, but the steak still lacked some of its past sizzle.

The Aussie’s return (and George Hill’s arrival) should make a huge difference in allowing the Jazz to do some things in coverage that they just didn’t have the ability to accomplish last season with diminished length in the backcourt. Both players are ultra-long, athletic and willing to guard, and I think their presence will have a positive effect on every position out on the floor.

Will it be enough to match their historic-level defensive efficacy during the latter half of the 2014-15 season? That’s probably a lot to ask, but I do expect the Jazz to, at the very least, display a better ability to defend late in games en route to being a top five defense statistically.

This season, Boris Diaw will be…

Ryan Aston: A strong veteran presence on the Jazz bench, hopefully. Serious question here — we all really like the team’s acquisitions this summer on paper, but what if things go horribly awry?

In theory, Boris Diaw is going to be a smart player who keeps the ball moving, makes great reads on the floor and occasionally makes the opposition pay for leaving him open. However, you could play devil’s advocate and wonder whether or not the Jazz actually get the guy who was a non-factor in Charlotte or one who has outlived his usefulness in the NBA.

Having said that, given his turnaround with the Spurs, the fact that he should be motivated to get his deal guaranteed beyond next season and the good situation he’s coming into with the Jazz (and a fellow Frenchman in Gobert), I suspect he’ll have a positive impact on the floor and in the locker room.

He may not win Mr. Universe anytime soon, but he should be able to help the Jazz win games, even at 34-35.

What’s the right amount of Joe Johnson for this team?

Ryan Aston: Perhaps more than most teams, the Jazz are a squad whose whole is greater than the sum of their parts. Moreover, the way in which Snyder uses those parts may differ wildly from quarter-to-quarter, game-to-game, etc., especially when looking at the team’s supporting cast.

With that being the case, I think what exactly constitutes the “right amount” of Joe Johnson is going to be a fluid situation. There will undoubtedly be nights when he doesn’t spend a lot of time on the floor. But there are also going to be times when he’s relied upon heavily or he’s closing games. The Jazz roster has been constructed with versatility in mind and, as such, you’re going to see Johnson put into a variety of situations.

If I had to put a number on it, I would probably set the line right around 20 minutes per game.

Do yourself a favor and check out Levy’s full offseason review, along with comments from Rosen and Dowsett over on FanSided.com; admittedly biased here, but I’d say its must-see for the Jazz faithful.

George Hill Speaks

It’s hard to deny that the trade to acquire Hill before the 2016 NBA Draft was the biggest move of the offseason for the Utah Jazz. While Johnson and Diaw help with the team’s depth, versatility and experience factor, Hill will be expected to play heavy minutes for the Jazz and will likely be the team’s starting point guard.

But who is George Hill really? The former Indiana Pacers and San Antonio Spurs guard spoke about just that, discussing his exploits on and off the court, his personal history and some of his experiences from playing in Utah as a member of the opposing team for Jazz Twitter.

Enjoy–

https://twitter.com/utahjazz/status/759128743541510144

More from The J-Notes

• With the FIBA World Cup over for Simone Fontecchio, it’s clear he deserves minutes for the Utah Jazz
• Best, Worst and Most likely scenarios for the Utah Jazz this season
• Hoops Hype downplays the significance of the Utah Jazz’s valuable assets
• 3 Utah Jazz players who have the most to gain or lose this season
• Former Utah Jazz forward Rudy Gay is a free agent still and it shouldn’t surprise anyone

SOCKton to Malone

Finally, for those of you among Jazz Nation who quite literally like to wear your fandom, the NBA and Stance Hoops have released a collection of cartoon socks featuring NBA Stars both past and present.

If you’re looking for a pair of Jazz socks, you can get some featuring our very own Hall of Fame pair, John Stockton and Karl Malone.

The socks retail for $20; you can pick some up from Stance, right here.