Utah Jazz defense is locked-in, but offense is lacking focus

The Utah Jazz may be playing their best defensive basketball of the season, but the offense has been abysmal since the All-Star break.

On Monday night, the Utah Jazz managed to do something few have done this season. They stymied the Houston Rockets’ vaunted offensive attack. After 24 minutes of play, James Harden and Co. had scored just 39 points — more than 20 points below their first-half season average of nearly 60 points.

Even with the Rockets coming alive in the second half, by night’s end they had knocked down just 27 percent of their 3-pointers and were sitting on their lowest point total (96) since October. Alas, the Jazz band was playing some sour notes on the other end of the floor.

Unfortunately, that’s been the trend since Quin Snyder’s team returned from the All-Star break — inspired defense dwarfed by total ineptitude offensively.

Over the three games played since the break, the Jazz have allowed just 96.5 points per 100 possessions, which is tops in the league. For frame of reference, the league-leading Boston Celtics D is conceding 100 pts/100 poss. for the year.

Despite the fact that defense is, was and always will be a Rudy Gobert-led squad’s calling card, though, the Jazz need more than that to succeed. And right now, they’re just aren’t getting it.

Over that same stretch, the Jazz offense ranks 29th. Only the Memphis Grizzlies have been worse during that time, and they’re actively tanking to the tune of 10 straight losses.

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It’s not just a matter of missed shots either, although there’s been plenty of that — the Jazz are sitting at just 41.9 percent from the field and 25.6 from distance over those same three games. The biggest shortfall has come mentally; the team’s ability to focus on the task at hand and overcome mistakes.

Said Coach Snyder following the Rockets game —

"“I just think collectively we have to be mentally tougher during adversity during the game. You’re almost easily defeated; if you miss a shot, are you dwelling on the shot or getting to the next play? Turn it over, are you feeling sorry that we turned it over or are you getting to the next play?”"

The turnovers have been particularly disconcerting. On Monday the Jazz coughed up the rock 22 times, which led to 20 Rockets points. And since the break, they’re turning it over at a league-worst rate of 18 per game.

Snyder was particularly surly about this development. His post-game responses re: turnovers were so great, they demand a video snippet —

Snyder continued —

"“We had a lot of turnovers that were just careless. I think a lot of that, if they’re unforced like that, is us needing to be mentally tougher.”"

Again, mental fortitude comes into the picture. It’s something the Jazz will need if they hope to remain in the playoff race in the Western Conference. Right now, they’re not showing it and, as a result, they’ve followed up their 11-game win streak by dropping two out of three.

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Missing shots is one thing — that will happen to best teams in the league. The Rockets, for example, have hit less than 34 percent of their 3-point shots in 20 games this season. That said, unforced errors and lapses in concentration are another matter entirely, and those things have been the norm lately for Utah.

Fortunately, the Jazz remain just 2 ½ games out of the West’s final playoff spot and 3 ½ out of the No. 5 seed. But the longer they fail to focus, particularly on offense, the more unlikely a postseason push becomes.

Now is the time to WAKE UP from the post-break slumber. It won’t matter one iota that the Jazz are getting stops if they’re running into mental stop signs on the other end of the court.

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