In lieu of retaining Gordon Hayward last summer, Utah Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey constructed what ultimately evolved into a defensive juggernaut.
Trailing 3-1 in their second-round series with the Houston Rockets, the Utah Jazz are facing elimination and, in turn, the end of their 2017-18 campaign. It’s an emotional letdown for all involved; less than two weeks ago, the team was riding high after dispatching the OKC 3. Now, one loss spells doom.
Let’s take a different approach, shall we? Because regardless of what happens during Game 5 on Tuesday, what Utah has done this season has been incredible. Somehow, Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey’s wild, all-defense plan to stay afloat in a post-Gordon Hayward world worked.
Let’s back up a bit.
July 4 of last year was a pivotal day for the Jazz organization. It was decision day for Hayward, who had built himself (with a lot of help from the Jazz) into an All-Star and led the team to Round 2 of the 2017 NBA Playoffs. If he re-signed with the team, we would see the fruits of a years-long rebuild and Hayward would own the town.
Otherwise, it would be back to square one for the Jazz. Hayward’s decision had lingered so long that there was no hope of landing a suitable replacement. If he left, a step back into obscurity seemed inevitable. After all, teams don’t just lose their All-Star without suffering the consequences.
Except the Jazz did. And they did it with defense.
Executing Plan B
Having missed the opportunity to bring in a suitable Hayward stand-in, someone like Danilo Gallinari, Rudy Gay, Otto Porter — although, if I’m being honest, some of those feel more like dodged bullets in hindsight — Lindsey decided to double down on D.
He waved the white flag on acquiring a high-scoring wing and instead spent the team’s money on players whose will to guard matched that of his All-NBA center, Rudy Gobert. The summer began with hopes of re-upping Hayward, but ended with doling out deals to defense-first vets Thabo Sefolosha and Ekpe Udoh, and a glue guy in Jonas Jerebko.
Those moves came after Lindsey had replaced George Hill (17 PPG in 2016-17) and Trey Lyles (playmaking four-man of the future?) with a non-shooter in Ricky Rubio and a supposed 3-and-D guy in rookie Donovan Mitchell.
Later, at February’s trade deadline, “sharpshooter” Rodney Hood was dealt. As a result, Jae Crowder — one of the league’s ultimate hard-nosed guys — joined the fray.
The team’s direction was clear; it would stay afloat sans Hayward by suffocating the opposition. And that’s exactly what happened. For the season, the Jazz surrendered just 101.6 points per 100 possessions. That number was good for second league-wide, just 0.1 behind the No. 1 Boston Celtics.
What seemed like madness during the summer came with a clear method. Gobert would own the paint and the rest of the crew would run teams off the 3-point line. The opposition would have to live in the mid-range, where efficiency goes to die, and that’s exactly what happened.
When players dared to take on the Stifle Tower, he made them regret it. On average, the opposition made 11 percent fewer of their shots than normal within six feet of the hoop when Gobert was on the scene.
Often times they shied away from challenging him altogether. Jazz opponents attempted just 24.6 shots in the restricted area per game. Only the Dallas Mavericks allowed fewer attempts at the basket. Clearly, the Gobert effect is real.
In the meantime, Utah’s perimeter players kept opponents from making up the difference from distance. Teams were limited to just 26 3-point attempts per game against the Jazz; third fewest in the Association. So, with the high percentage shots at the hoop and the high reward ones behind the line stymied, opponents went to the middle of the floor.
Much to their own chagrin.
This was a major key in Utah’s second-half surge, during which the Jazz went 29-6. Over that span, the opposition took a combined 37 shots between the non-restricted area of the paint and the mid-range. Weirdly, the Brooklyn Nets were the only squad with a better number.
All of this was made possible by Lindsey’s roster playing in Coach Quin Snyder’s system.
Next: Can the Utah Jazz stave off elimination in Gm 5?
Make no mistake, the emergence of Mitchell has been huge in everything the Jazz have accomplished. He’s a unique talent and, undoubtedly, a franchise player. Without him, the Jazz don’t make the playoffs, let alone beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in Round 1.
He and Gobert now combine to form one of the best young cores in the league.
But the players that were brought in to fill out a roster seemingly on the fast track to irrelevance helped make it possible. Lindsey, without question, has earned his paycheck this year; and he did so without mortgaging the team’s future.
Hayward be damned.