Utah Jazz: Checking in on preseason team award predictions

Sixth Man

Preseason pick: Joe Johnson (Runner-up: Donovan Mitchell) 

Let’s get things started with the pick that I have been most incorrect about. After Utah lost their two best offensive weapons in the 2017 free agency period, this team appeared starving for offensive talent, especially from the bench.

Joe Johnson seemed like the prime candidate to step up. Despite the inevitable fact that Johnson’s minutes would have to hang right around 20-24 minutes per night in the regular season, I figured the 36-year-old veteran would be just what Utah’s second unit needed.

Johnson struggled through injury and inconsistent play and was eventually part of a three-team deal that sent him to Sacramento, where he was almost immediately released. Johnson, now a Rocket, will always be remembered fondly in Jazz Nation for his heroics against the Clippers during the 2017 playoffs.

Donovan Mitchell, my runner-up pick, would have been a solid option here if he didn’t play himself out of Utah’s bench rotation and into the starting lineup. Not a bad problem to have, right?

New pick: Jae Crowder

Due to the injury bug that continues to plague the Jazz, Quin Snyder has been forced to play a handful of unconventional lineups this season. This has made it difficult to peg any sort of true sixth man for this Utah team.

The answer, however, may have been found at the February 8th trade deadline. In the same three-team deal that sent Johnson to Sacramento and Rodney Hood to the Cavaliers, Jae Crowder was traded to the Jazz. Crowder has been a target of Utah’s front office as recently as last July and is a fantastic fit in Snyder’s system.

Crowder has already seen his PPG increase by over six points per night since becoming Jazzman. He also currently sits in sixth (heh?)  in terms of minutes played per game since joining the team. The production, fit, role and expected improvement should peg Crowder as an obvious choice for this award during the season’s final stretch.