The preseason didn’t begin as well as Utah Jazz fans hoped, but there were some intriguing bright spots in what looked like disappointing loss.
Although the Utah Jazz fell to the Portland Trail Blazers in their preseason opener, there were positives to be gleaned from the seemingly disjointed effort. Topping the list of good things to come out of the loss for the Jazz was the performance of their two best players — Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors.
Hayward looked in mid-season form from the outset, draining four jump shots in the first half to go along with his seven makes from the free throw line in eight attempts for the game. He was switched on and alert at the offensive end and put himself in position to score on several occasions early on.
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Favors’ performance looked very promising and he seemed to get whatever he wanted on offense. Whether it was using his power game to score at the basket or using a series of jab steps to get open for the 15 foot jumper, he was able to do it. He was good in part at the defensive end coming from the weak side to get a pair of blocks. He scored eight points in the third quarter and looked unstoppable when he got it going inside.
As for the rest of the Jazz, they were just a bit rusty. Defensive breakdowns and poor communication led to a lot of open shots and the Blazers were able to capitalize on those mistakes. The 21 turnovers are something the Jazz will cut down on as they learn to play as a unit and build that team chemistry while integrating the new pieces they added this offseason.
Dante Exum played as you would expect for after coming off 14 months of rehab from an ACL injury. He looked a bit loose with the ball which led to a few turnovers and rushed some shots, but his speed and flare off the dribble was back, similar to the pace he showed during his rookie season.
I would still like to see Exum be a little bit more aggressive heading to the rim. Twice in the third quarter he passed up an open lay-up that led to a turnover. It’s all a learning curve and the Jazz got what they wanted out of Exum in his first game back — him being able to run a game out without pain or sign of injury.
That in and of itself was a positive.
Next: Utah Jazz Fall to Trail Blazers in Preseason Debut
One thing that worried me was the difference in Rodney Hood’s jump shot. What makes Hood such a deadly outside shooter is the elevation he gets and the height at which he releases the ball. This all went missing and it led to him only making one shot outside of the paint all game. However, we did see Hood really push the tempo a few times in transition to get some easy points in the lane.
Hopefully Hood can iron out that jump shot in Wednesday’s outing against the Phoenix Suns.
At any rate, it is the preseason and the collective focus of the coaching staff is preparing the players for the regular season. Jazz coach Snyder did a brilliant job of that against Portland; the team’s connectivity on the floor is simply going to take time to cultivate.
Focusing now on the upcoming bout with the Suns, a win could be on the cards. With Phoenix electing to start three-point-shooter Jared Dudley at power forward, Favors can do some major damage down low. The main key to the game will be Exum and Hill’s ability to shut down the excellent guard play of Brandon Knight and Eric Bledsoe.
If the Jazz point guard duo can minimize the scoring of the Suns guards, Utah’s frontcourt could be too much to handle for the young Suns.
Statistics courtesy of NBA.com