Despite Loss, More Positives Than Negatives for Utah Jazz

Although the Utah Jazz dropped their season opener to the Portland Trail Blazers, there were several positives that should have fans feeling optimistic for the year ahead.

To the dismay of Utah Jazz fans who have been anxiously awaiting the start of the 2016-17 season, Tuesday’s season opener didn’t end up quite as well as hoped. In the end, the Jazz fell 113-94 to Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers. Nevertheless, there were still several positive takeaways and a lot to be encouraged about after watching this hard-fought bout.

First and foremost, two of the three newcomers were simply phenomenal. George Hill and Joe Johnson absolutely stole the show for the Jazz in the first contest of the new season.

In 30 minutes of play, Johnson finished with 29 points on 12-of-16 shooting, including going 3-of-4 from deep. He looked a lot like a seven-time All-Star and little like the aging veteran many predicted Utah would be getting when they signed him.

Iso Joe relentlessly took advantage of mismatches and showed off an array of offensive weapons to power the Jazz in the second half in which he scored 27 of his 29 total points.

Hill also showed just how big of a jump the Jazz took in point guard talent with his acquisition. Not only was he an incredible floor general, but he finished with a solid 19 points in 38 minutes while also logging six assists, two steals and a block.

Apart from these two, Jazz starters Rodney Hood and Rudy Gobert were also exceptional. Hood finished with 26 points of his own, including going 3-of-7 from deep. Aside from Johnson, he was the most consistent and dangerous offensive threat and also gave us the highlight of the night with this incredible poster dunk–

Gobert continued his hot start that he displayed in the preseason, finishing with a strong 12-point, 14-rebound double-double. He had several solid plays defending the rim and looked comfortable all-around on the offensive end.

While I would have liked the Jazz to look for him a little more on offense like they did in preseason, he was undoubtedly a formidable low-post presence.

So if all of this went right, why is it that the Jazz couldn’t pull off the win? While the positives did outweigh the negatives overall, there obviously wasn’t quite enough positive for the Jazz to seal the deal. So what went wrong? In essence it comes down to one major issue — bench play.

Now before anyone starts to panic, citing all the times we here at The J Notes lauded the Jazz’s depth for the upcoming season, it’s important to remember that Johnson (who was the team’s leading scorer on Tuesday) and Boris Diaw will both typically be coming off the bench rather than starting. This alone will shore up Utah’s second unit significantly.

I hate to use injuries as an excuse, but with a healthy Hayward and Favors in the starting lineup and the offensive juggernaut Johnson coming off the bench, this is a completely different game. Not to mention, Alec Burks was also out and while I was a huge supporter of Shelvin Mack in the preseason, he definitely struggled as the first guard off the bench in the season opener.

Yes, Gobert could have helped better on some of those threes, but many of Portland’s makes from behind the arc were heavily contested. All excuses aside, the Blazers were simply on fire on opening night. And oh yeah, that Damian Lillard guy? He’s pretty good. He finished with 39 points on 13-of-20 shooting from the field (65 percent) and 4-of-5 from deep (80 percent).

So, yes, the Jazz certainly have some kinks to work out. Their bench confidence, their perimeter defense and a few areas of concern among the starters were all evident, but overall Jazz fans have to be excited and encouraged by Utah’s first performance.

First of all, this Portland team is no pushover. If they can shoot the ball consistently like they did against the Jazz, it wouldn’t be at all unrealistic to see them crack into the top three in the West. Not to mention they currently have the longest home-opener winning streak in the league with 16 consecutive victories.

Despite both of those facts, Utah was in a position to win all game long.

And seeing how newcomers Johnson and Hill instantly fit in with the team was probably the most positive takeaway of the night. As they continue to gel and the Jazz get healthier, it’s clear that this is going to be a prolific team on both ends of the floor.

Furthermore, Hood and Gobert’s play, Exum’s return to action and the overall performance on both ends of the court minus the few lapses I mentioned were also extremely reassuring.

So while the Jazz dropped their season opener in somewhat disappointing fashion, including a fourth quarter falter that was reminiscent of so many close losses last year, there is more reason for optimism than alarm.

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In game one of the 2016-17 season, Utah showed that as they build on what they did well, patch up what needs work and get their key guys back in the rotation, they truly have the look of a team that will be able to live up to all the hype they got this summer.

And I’m fully confident we’ll continue to see improvements in each and every game all season long, starting with Utah’s return to action against the Los Angeles Lakers in the home opener this Friday.

You won’t want to miss it.

All stats courtesy of NBA.com