Utah Jazz Report Card: Player grades through Utah’s first 10 games

How has each Utah Jazz player performed relative to their potential through the first 10 games of the 2017-18 NBA season?

10 games into the regular season, the Utah Jazz sit at 5-5 and at eighth place in a surprisingly close Western Conference. Despite the small sample size, let’s take a look at some early season grades for every member of the Jazz.

Disclaimer: These grades are not based on speculation or comparison, rather they are solely determined on how each player has performed in their role compared to their expectations up to this point.

I will keep a running total of each player’s “GPA” throughout the regular season and playoffs (Nothing like some optimism on a Monday, right?). 

Let’s get right into it….

Rudy Gobert is the anchor of this Jazz team. Plain and simple. After a “slow” start, many looked ready to hit the panic button on Gobert’s season. Gobert has since strung together a nice stretch of consistent production on both ends of the floor to silence the critics.

Rudy Gobert is still the heart and soul of this team.

I, like many, would like to see more field goal attempts from one of the most efficient players in the NBA, however, I still think Rubio is learning how to play alongside a player like Rudy. Gobert is right around his career averages so far this season and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

For this team Jazz to take the next step, Rudy will need to not only match last year’s breakout season, he will need to improve upon it.

For those of you still doubting Rudy’s fire this season…

https://twitter.com/utahjazz/status/926630353288118273

Rubio may have been the most difficult player for me to grade. We have seen about three versions of Rubio this season:

(1) Classic. Pass-first Rubio

(2) Offensive weapon Rubio and most recently

(3) Not-good-at basketball Rubio.

After starting the season with a pair of 10-assist games and a solid stretch of decent scoring nights.  Rubio looked every bit the part of becoming the offensive orchestrator that Quin Snyder’s offense needed to get a below-average offensive lineup easy looks.

Then the magic happened.

Rubio went for 21, 20 and then 30 against Portland. While some bought into Rubio as a viable floor-stretching shooter, most were apprehensive and believed his shooting would soon regress to the mean.

That seems to be exactly was has happened.

Over his last two games, Rubio has shot 5-of-19 from the floor for 11.5 points per game.

What is more concerning is that Rubio has failed to reach 10+ assists since an October 25^th loss to the Phoenix Suns. He has averaged just 3.4 assists per game since the Phoenix loss.

I believe the true Ricky Rubio falls somewhere in between what we have seen so far and I believe that version of Rubio is pretty good. Throw in his consistent defensive effort and you’ll find that Rubio has been a solid addition to this Jazz team.

George Hill Who?

Heading into the regular season, I was probably more excited to watch Derrick Favors than any other Jazz player. Ten games into the season, Favors has failed to disappoint.

Favors is on the verge of returning to his old, budding all-star self. Favors has shown impressive post moves and has been consistent with his mid-range shooting.

He also looks committed to evolving into a true stretch big. Favors has taken at least one 3-point attempt in eight of Utah’s first ten games. Most recently, Favors went 2-of-3 beyond the arc against Houston. Despite the increase in attempts, he is currently only shooting 23 percent from three. If Favors can add that wrinkle to his already sound offensive repertoire, he will become one of Utah’s most viable offensive options (if he isn’t already).

One alarming stat is that he is currently averaging under five rebounds per game so far this season. He needs to improve his rebounding, but I believe Favors can and should be a 14 and eight guy for this Jazz team.

I’m not entirely sure if Alec Burks’ offensive explosion against the Denver Nuggets on opening night helps or hurts his cause in these grades.

Regardless, his 16 points in just 15 minutes off the bench now seem like a distant memory. Since that game, Burks had failed to hit double figures until Sunday night against the Rockets when Burks saw 24 minutes on the floor due to a BIG Rocket’s lead in the fourth quarter.

Alec Burks has shown flashes of brilliance in the past, however, the bad FAR outweighs the good this year. Burk’s athleticism is wasted due to his uncontrollable play style and extremely poor decision-making.

If I were able to give out the broken heart emoji as a grade for Dante Exum this season I would.

After putting in the work this offseason, Exum finally looked healthy and primed to take the much-anticipated next step in his career. That was, however,  before he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in the pre-season.

Exum’s ceiling, to quote His Airness himself, “is the roof”, but we may never get to see if he can reach his lofty potential.

That video never gets old.

The question is whether or not the Jazz have seen enough to re-sign the oft-injured, intriguing young player. Until then, an “I” for Incomplete is all we can really give Exum.

Hood seems to be most Jazz fans’ scapegoat for Utah’s recent struggles and it might be warranted. Rightly so or not, Hood was set up to be Utah’s primary scoring option.

While Hood missed time early, he looked impressive against Minnesota and nearly led the Jazz to a win with 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting to go along with four assists. That is exactly the kind of player the Jazz need Hood to become on a nightly basis. Hood has shown flashes that he can be “the guy” in a win over Dallas and a surprising loss to Phoenix.

Unfortunately, Hood’s season has again been plagued by inconsistent shooting and times where he just simply seems to disappear. In his last three games, Hood has shot just 11-of-40. Hood’s recent slump includes an 0-of-11 performance against Portland which saw Coach Snyder turn to rookie Donovan Mitchell over Hood down the stretch.

This should have served as a wake-up call to Hood, however, he has failed to hit 20 points for consecutive games since. It seems to be increasingly clear that Hood is far better suited as a secondary scoring option.

Expectations may have been unrealistic for Hood, but he simply needs to play better.

His replacement may already be waiting in the wings.

Not much to say about Raul Neto.

He provides decent depth at the point guard position and has played meaningful minutes in the past for the Jazz. While Neto fills his role well, he has already had five DNPs this season. Neto’s defensive tenacity is entertaining and he has shown that he can be a streaky shooter when given the opportunity.

Unfortunately for Neto, Utah is committed to developing Mitchell as soon as possible which means that Neto has primarily been relegated to garbage minutes this season.

If the Jazz are forced to call upon Neto due to injuries, at least they know that they have a competent back-up on the roster.

It’s been a disappointing start to the season for the ageless Joe Johnson. After appearing in the first seven games of the season, Johnson has been out with “Tendon Instability” for Utah’s last three games and is expected to be out at least another week.

Before the injury, Johnson was never really able to get into any sort of offensive groove. The offensive specialist shot a miserable 11.8 percent from downtown before the Jazz decided to shut him down to recover.

While Johnson has proven to be a valuable asset, especially late in games, giving him time to fully recover may be the best move the Jazz can make. If this team wants any chance to make a post-season push and compete in a seven-game series, they will need a shot-creating, go-to option down the stretch of close games.

Even at 36, Johnson provides Utah with just that.

We are just seven months removed from this…

The myth. The man. The rookie.

Donovan Mitchell has captured the hearts of Jazz fans everywhere. After an up-and-down start to the season, Mitchell has seemed to find his confidence within Utah’s system. He has scored at least 15 points in five of Utah’s last seven games. At the same time, he has looked like Utah’s best offensive option.

I don’t know if that says more about Donovan Mitchell’s ability or Utah’s lack of options. The reality is probably somewhere in between.

Mitchell has, however, taken a large volume of shots and his decision-making still seems to be a recurring issue. Regardless of the expected mistakes, it is hard not to get excited about Mitchell’s potential. He has far exceeded my expectation for his rookie year already.

Mitchell looks like another draft-night steal for Dennis Lindsey and his staff. Thanks again, Denver. #InDennisWeTrust

Tony Bradley has split time between the Jazz bench and the Salt Lake City Stars. Bradley got his first minutes in Houston.

The jury is still out on Bradley’s NBA future, but the Jazz seem to be high on the North Carolina product. Until we see more from him against NBA competition, an incomplete is all we could give to Bradley.

Jonas Jerebko’s lack of playing time early in the season came as a shock to me. When the Jazz signed the sharp-shooting big man this offseason, I was under the impression that he would be a part of Utah’s rotation. Jerebko logged only four total minutes during Utah’s first seven games.

Despite not being a part of Utah’s early season plans, Joe Johnson’s injury has created an opportunity for Jerebko to earn a place in Utah’s frontcourt rotation going forward.

When called upon, Jerebko was ready. He played 20 minutes against Portland, finishing with seven points on 2-of-3 shooting from beyond the arc.

While his absence from Utah’s normal rotation has to be disappointing, give Jerebko credit for being ready when his number was called. I’d like to see the Jazz try more floor spacing rotations with Jerebko playing the 4 or 5.

Thabo Sefolosha has made a career out of locking down opposing teams’ best players. That was exactly the reason he was brought in this offseason.

The Jazz front office seems to be stockpiling athletic, lengthy players with a knack for defense. Sefolosha has fit the bill all season long.

On top of his impressive defensive abilities, Sefolosha has shown the ability to knock down open jumpers, especially timely corner threes. He has been a great fit with Utah’s second unit and has provided priceless leadership to rookie Donovan Mitchell.

Many veterans seem to tune out up-and-coming rookies, however, Sefolosha has seemed more than happy to take Mitchell under his wing.

Being from Ogden, I will always think of Royce O’Neale as “the guy that the Jazz kept over Joel Bolomboy”. It seems as though the Exum injury forced the Jazz’s hand in keeping O’Neale on the roster as depth.

While he has yet to play meaningful minutes, the lackluster play from Burks may start to open the door for O’Neale to get more playing time. O’Neale has shown potential and seems to play hard every time he gets a chance. I look forward watching him if (probably when) his role is increased.

This was pretty cool too:

If these grades were strictly based on analytics, Ekpe Udoh would have been the valedictorian of the NBA’s opening week. Udoh took the Jazz world by storm with his insane plus/minus stats over Utah’s opening week of the season.

Udoh’s production, in terms of plus/minus, has taken a considerable hit over Utah’s last few games. Despite the sudden drop, Udoh has still proven to be an elite defender off the Jazz bench.

While the Jazz would probably like to see some improvement on the offensive end, Udoh will continue to be one of the major reasons for Utah’s second unit’s defensive success.

And for those of you struggling with your actual grades…

Solid advice from the Jazzman that is quickly replacing Boris Diaw as “Utah’s most interesting player”.

I keep waiting for Joe Ingles to make me question why the Jazz re-signed the 30-year-old to a four-year, $52 million contract over the offseason, but it just hasn’t happened. Fingers crossed I never have to.

Ingles has proven to be one of Utah’s most consistent players on both ends of the floor. He has followed up his breakout season last year with an impressive 48 percent from three-point range. Ingles has also become one of the primary distributors for the Jazz offense, he is averaging a career-high 3.4 assists per night and has shown impressive court vision.

I would like to see Ingles increase his total attempts per game as he still seems to pass up one or two open looks from downtown per contest. If Ingles can continue to be a “glue-guy” for the Jazz while increasing his PPG to around 15, he will quickly see his grade rise as the season progresses.

TEAM GPA: 2.62

Analysis:

This seems about right for a 5-5 team still trying to figure out its identity. A quick scan over each player’s current grade will tell you that the Jazz are a team full of players filling their role nicely, but not much more. This team will need at least 2 more players to boost their grades into the “As” if they want to be taken as a serious playoff contender in the West.

Next: Utah Jazz vs Houston Rockets reactions: Jazz fall victim to Harden’s career night

How would you grade the Jazz after 10 games? Leave your grades and thoughts in the comments section below.

Follow me on Twitter @TylerDThorpe for more Jazz updates and analysis.