Utah Jazz: Scattered thoughts about a great opening night

The Bench

Before singling anybody out individually, I just have to say, how about that bench!? The Jazz’s depth will be one of their biggest weapons this year and it certainly didn’t disappoint in the season opener as it was largely Alec Burks and Joe Johnson who sparked the Jazz comeback and helped seal the deal as the duo combined for a whopping 29 points in just 34 combined minutes.

As deep as Utah was supposed to be last year, injuries took their toll as did some unexpected inconsistency and in a lot of ways the Jazz bench didn’t seem to have quite the impact that many hoped. This season, however, at least early on it appears the Jazz bench will at times help carry the team over its opponent.

Utah will be able to attack on both ends of the floor for 48 minutes straight no matter who’s out there and that’s a great sign for their continued success this season.

As I mentioned, Joe Johnson was absolutely phenomenal, not only in his timely offense, but also with some solid defense on Nikola Jokic. Joe Johnson has transformed himself into an effective stetch-four and if he’s able to succeed there both offensively and defensively, including against bigger guys like Jokic, he’ll become even more of a wonder at the position than he already is.

Rodney Hood gets a mulligan in this one in my book. His last minute scratch from the starting lineup and limited minutes produced minimal results. I hope he wasn’t feeling well, because otherwise it just wasn’t a good game for him at all. Let’s hope he wises up about what he eats before games and can turn it around beginning with tonight’s contest against Minnesota.

Alec Burks was absolutely special. 7-of-10 from the field and 2-of-2 from deep while energizing the team during a crucial comeback – that was special to watch. He’ll have some ups and downs this season, but it’s very clear that his athleticism is back and his three-point shooting appears to be very much on point. We could be looking at the biggest surprise of the Jazz season and a potential Sixth Man of the Year candidate if he can build off of his success from Wednesday night.

Ekpe Udoh only put up two points in 12 minutes, but he was still absolutely phenomenal at doing what the Jazz needed him to do. Recently claiming to be one of the world’s best defenders, Udoh certainly lived up to the description as he logged three blocks and absolutely challenged the Nuggets in every facet. He was a whopping +24 in his limited minutes on the court which says a lot about his instant impact.

The thing I’m most excited about regarding Udoh is the fact that he will help maintain the defense and stabilize the second unit. Whenever Rudy Gobert would go to the bench last season, Jazz fans always held their breath knowing that the opponent would likely then be primed for a run. However, Udoh is an excellent stopgap who helps maintain elite defense and a solid rim protector even while Rudy is catching his breath.

Time will tell how his season pans out, but he could very well end up being Utah’s most underrated signing if he’s able to bring such effective defense night in and night out, allowing the Jazz to comfortably rest their frontcourt stars and hopefully even stretch some leads while they’re at it.

Thabo Sefolosha was solid as well, especially at his specialty which is the defensive end. He logged a pair of steals and was a team-high +25. Although not a prolific offensive player, he’s smart on that end of the court and if he can even be mediocre there, his elite defense will be more than enough to continue to guarantee him significant playing time.

Next: 10/20 Utah Jazz at Minnesota Timberwolves: Keys to the Game

All in all, aside from a slow start and a few negatives here and there such as Rodney Hood’s disappointing start and involvement in the game, Rudy Gobert’s baffling plus/minus and some shooting woes for guys like Mitchell and Rubio, the Jazz looked absolutely sharp, especially to close out the game.

I know it’s a bit ridiculous to jump to some of these conclusions after just one game, but the fact of the matter is that in five preseason games and one regular season comeback victory, the Jazz have given us a lot to be excited about.

Let’s hope that trend continues as Utah faces heightened competition in a road bout against the Timberwolves tonight and a back end of a back-to-back against the star-studded Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday.