The J-Notes
Fansided

Utah Jazz vs. Sydney Kings: Keys to the Game

By Jared Woodcox

TRARALGON, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 09: Brad Newley of the Kings competes for the ball during the 2017 NBL Blitz pre-season match between Melbourne United and the Sydney Kings at Traralgon Basketball Centre on September 9, 2017 in Traralgon, Australia. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)
TRARALGON, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 09: Brad Newley of the Kings competes for the ball during the 2017 NBL Blitz pre-season match between Melbourne United and the Sydney Kings at Traralgon Basketball Centre on September 9, 2017 in Traralgon, Australia. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 4
Next
Utah Jazz Rodney Hood Joe Johnson Donovan Mitchell
SALT LAKE CITY, UT – SEPTEMBER 25: (L – R) Joe Johnson #6, Donovan Mitchell #45 and Rodney Hood #5 of the Utah Jazz poses for a photo during media day at Zions Bank Basketball Center on September 25, 2017 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images) Joe Johnson; Donovan Mitchell; Rodney Hood /

Key #3 – Maintain Poise and Establish Identity

Let’s face it, while it’s an entertaining exercise to go through these keys of what Utah has to accomplish to log their first victory of the 2017-18 season, the fact of the matter is that we all know that the Jazz are heavy favorites in this bout and, barring an incredible upset, ought to come out on top quite easily even if several of their guys who are lower on the depth chart log the majority of the minutes.

Nevertheless, the Jazz still need to approach this game as they would any other and utilize the preseason contest to build an identity and begin establishing the rhythm that they’ll seek to carry into the regular season. Along with that, the Jazz will need to make sure to not get too caught up in the excitement of a first game in a newly renovated stadium and keep their poise from the opening tip and throughout the game.

There’s bound to be a lot of energy inside Vivint Smart Home Arena as fans will be treated to their first look at what’s certain to be an exciting 2017-18 squad. If the Jazz can feed off of that in a positive way rather than letting over-excitement or nerves get in their way, then this should be an easy win for the Jazz.

Next: Utah Jazz: What to watch for during the preseason

Although it’s far from being as thrilling as a regular season contest, the Jazz are in for a fun match-up on Monday that will give the new squad their first taste of competitive 5-on-5 play and help set the tone for the rest of preseason.

Home/Jazz News