Utah Jazz: Sorting fact from fiction 10 games into the season
By John Keeffer
The Jazz will be Top 5 in Turnover Percentage
This is the flip-side to how often the Jazz are turning the ball over themselves. They are currently number 5 for turnovers created per game, and number 1 in turnovers per possession. They are forcing their opponent into a turnover on 18.4 percent of their possessions.
Last season, the Jazz were one of the worst teams in creating turnovers, and forced the least amount of steals per game. The focus was to force teams into bad shots and to get the defensive rebound. This off-season they brought in specific players with a history of creating turnovers.
The results are clear. They are number three in the NBA with 9.7 steals per game, and they have five players averaging one or more steals per game; Joe Ingles (1.9), Ricky Rubio (1.8), Donovan Mitchell (1.1), Thabo Sefolosha (1.1), and Derrick Favors (1.0). Ingles, Rubio and Sefolosha are each in the top 20 for their steal percentage.
Last night: Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) w/ hustle play on defense to make steal & push outlet pass. #TakeNote https://t.co/8QLPszSDiw
— Best Videos (@ViralTw33ts_) October 31, 2017
Creating turnovers is going to be a focal point for the Utah Jazz defense this year. With the struggles on the offensive side of the ball, they will try to use turnovers to create easy offensive looks. The high steal rate and near league leading turnover percentage is going to continue throughout the season.