Find the touch from deep
As I mentioned, the Rockets were incredible from deep in Game 1, converting on over 53 percent of their long-ball attempts. The Jazz, meanwhile, were not. They ended the night just 31.8 percent from behind the arc.
When facing the team that puts up the most threes of any team in the league, that certainly isn’t a recipe for success. Utah’s offense had a hard time finding a rhythm in Game 1, and if they are to produce anywhere close to the amount of firepower that they’ll need to compete, it’ll be important that they find a groove from deep.
Unfortunately, three-point shooting has been an issue for the Jazz for most of the playoffs. They’re currently shooting just 35.5 percent from deep in the postseason, 11th of the 16 teams. That’s below their regular season mark as well, which also wasn’t much to write home about compared to the rest of the league in the first place.
To improve this, the Jazz need a couple of things to happen. First, they need to get better looks by moving the ball well and executing their offense. Second, they need to be smarter about the shots they take. Donovan Mitchell was just 1-of-7 from deep in Game 1. While some of those were decent looks that just didn’t fall, he needs to be wiser about when he pulls the trigger. The same goes for Jae Crowder, who if anything has been far too trigger-happy this postseason.
.@Joeingles7 full practice interview ⤵️
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) May 1, 2018
"Obviously the series we came out of is totally different to this one."
>> https://t.co/ww7ZN0beF6 pic.twitter.com/vigd2rFFaB
Then there’s Joe Ingles, who actually needs to be less gun shy than he’s been. Ingles was the fourth best three-point shooter in the NBA during the regular season and he continues to shoot at an incredible 45.8 percent clip in the playoffs. With that being the case, not only do his teammates need to set him up for good looks, but he needs to be willing to shoot them!
He had just three attempts from deep in Game 1, which is nearly inexcusable, especially when considering that both Mitchell and Crowder, who aren’t nearly as accurate as Ingles, put up seven apiece.
Between executing better to create better looks and simply making better decisions from behind the arc, whether that means holding off on shooting or being more aggressive depending on the player, there’s a lot the Jazz can do to improve their accuracy from deep.