What do the Utah Jazz need to do to reach the next level and can they fill those needs this summer? Here’s my offseason checklist for the team.
If you watched the Utah Jazz with a discerning eye this season, two undeniable facts likely emerged in your viewing.
First and foremost — this team is pretty darn good. With Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert and Quin Snyder steering the ship and Ricky Rubio, Joe Ingles and a host of others manning the cannons, the Jazz vessel became one that no team would want to encounter on the open waters of the Association.
I just went Jack Sparrow there, but you can use whatever similes you like. The point is that the Jazz have a couple stars, brilliance on the sidelines, a decent enough supporting cast, team chemistry and a suffocating defense that, all together, equate to a near 50-game winner and a threat in the playoffs.
Having said that, the second conclusion you would have come to over the course of the year is that, as good as the Jazz are, there’s still a sizable gap between them and the elite of the Western Conference. I’m talking the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets of the world.
If the Jazz hope to bridge that gap and turn a “pretty darn good” squad into an elite one, there’s work to be done. So much work, in fact, that it’s probably going to take more than an offseason for Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey to get the job done. And that’s assuming the team doesn’t incur any setbacks along the way.
Still, there’s a lot that can be done this summer to inch the Jazz toward that goal. To that end, here’s my 2018 offseason checklist to ensure the team’s continued evolution.
Next: A productive offseason for Exum
A true offseason for Dante Exum
As a restricted free agent, Dante Exum may or may not be back in a Jazz uniform next season. The team likely wants him back, but he remains something of a mystery, even after four years in the league.
This season was essentially his career in a microcosm — enthusiasm abounds, flashes of his potential follow, then the process ends with some kind of colossal setback. Rinse and repeat. Placing a dollar value on that kind of player will be difficult for Lindsey (it would be for any GM, really).
During Utah’s exit interviews, the No. 5 overall pick was excited that this wasn’t going to be a rehab summer for him. Believe me when I tell you that’s no small thing. Exum can help his own case, and perhaps give the Jazz some clarity, by having a productive, injury-free offseason.
Obviously, the Jazz won’t have the entire offseason to monitor his progress before making decision on him, but I’d be shocked if Exum was among the first wave of free agent signings. Between now and the moment he puts pen to paper, he needs to put his best foot forward and make some real progress.
Even if Exum and the Jazz ultimately part ways, you root for the kid to get a real shot at success.
Next: Alec Burks or nah?
A resolution for the Alec Burks situation
To Burks or not to Burks, that is the question. One thing is certain — the Jazz really shouldn’t be paying a player $11.5 million next season to be the 11th guy off the bench. It doesn’t make sense for either party.
So, one way or the other, Lindsey needs to set Alec Burks free.
During the Jazz’s second-round series with the Houston Rockets, Burks showed he can still contribute as a significant part of a good team’s rotation. If Exum and/or Raul Neto aren’t retained, you could probably do a lot worse than Burks for depth on the guard line.
If that’s not your jam, though, this summer is the time to deal. Burks is fresh off a year of health and a nine-game playoff run during which he averaged 25 points, seven boards and five assists per 36 minutes. Also — his contract is suddenly moveable as expiring deal.
Bottom line: Burks’ value is higher than its been in a while, so Lindsey either needs to strike while the iron is hot or clear the way for the team to get its money’s worth and for Burks to get the court time he deserves.
Let’s just get a resolution, one way or the other.
Next: A frontcourt fix
A frontcourt solidified
Featuring twin towers in the frontcourt with Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors, the Jazz’s starting five has been a throwback to a bygone age of basketball. Nevertheless, the duo was largely one of the best defensive frontcourts in the NBA, and a unique one offensively.
However, Favors is set to hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent. Furthermore, the time for the team to evolve with a more versatile big man next to Gobert may finally be upon us.
Case in point: the playoff dichotomy. Favors and Gobert owned the Oklahoma City Thunder defensively in the first-round of the playoffs, boasting a D-rating of 94.9. However, against the Rockets in Round 2, Coach Snyder couldn’t even play them together. In the 30 minutes of court time they did share, the Jazz were abysmal on both ends, getting outscored by 47 points per 100 possessions.
So, Lindsey will likely look to acquire more of a playmaker/floor spacer with better mobility to pair with Gobert down low. It’ll be tough — the top power forwards this summer in Aaron Gordon (restricted) and small-ball four Jabari Parker (perpetually injured) probably aren’t in the cards for Utah.
Even if the Jazz did decide to give the twin towers one more go, Favors may have other plans. Despite being a “traditional big man,” he’s still got the kind of game that helps teams win games. He’ll definitely have multiple suitors for his services.
In any event, the frontcourt situation is probably the biggest question facing the Jazz this offseason. The sooner they find their answer, the better off they’ll be.
Next: Scoring on the wings
A high-scoring wing
Entering the 2017-18 season, the Jazz looked to be in good shape on the wings. Gordon Hayward was gone, but Rodney Hood was there to take over as the go-to guy on the perimeter.
Ultimately, the Hood experiment failed and even though Donovan Mitchell ended up carrying the load offensively while Joe Ingles solidified himself at the small forward, Utah is still missing a high-level wing scoring presence. Specifically, one that needn’t always really on others to generate offense.
Aside from his history of being banged-up, Tyreke Evans is a free agent who would fit the bill nicely. Parker, Will Barton and Mario Hezonja are also intriguing options from where I sit. Or maybe Lindsey will discover a big-time scorer in the draft?
However it happens, the Jazz simply need more punch offensively from the wing to take the next step. The team’s lack of a swingman that can create his own offense really hurt them against the Rockets and could continue to keep them a rung below the West’s best.
Rodney Hood: Round 2, anyone?
Anyone?
Next: Internal development
Internal development
Any time a team fails to accomplish its stated goal, the tendency is to look outward for solutions. In stark contrast to the gut instincts of fans and hoops pundits alike, the Jazz will continue to look inward as much as they search the draft or the open market for fresh faces.
Lindsey confirmed as much during his end-of-season interview. Said the Jazz GM —
"“When you fall short, it’s human nature, natural inclination, to look outside your walls. I would start with what we can do internally to improve.”"
He’s not wrong. For one, Mitchell could be more effective shooting off the bounce. Elsewhere on the roster Ricky Rubio has work to do in finishing at the basket, Jae Crowder could be more consistent from distance and in making decisions with the ball and Gobert needs to figure out how to be more effective against bigger, more athletic centers.
Those are just the CliffsNotes; every Jazz player can improve little things — and Snyder can improve schematically — to put the team in a better spot to compete without making any other changes. Personnel changes will undoubtedly happen, but the team needs to take care of its business in-house, too.
Next: Another draft score
A little luck on draft night
Utah has notched multiple major scores on draft night over the years. In the last five alone, the Jazz have picked up two franchise players in Mitchell and Gobert, a high-level (for a moment in time, anyway) scorer in Hood, an upside guy with elite speed, length and defensive instincts in Exum and a starting point guard via trade in George Hill.
To say that they’ve had good luck on draft night is an understatement.
But if Lindsey could pull another rabbit out of his hat with the team’s pick at No. 21 — whether that happens via trade or by catching something other GMs miss in a prospect — it would be a major win for the team.
Luring big-time free agents will always be a challenge in Salt Lake City. So any talent the team can acquire through the draft (or by trading their pick) is a godsend.
And while the Jazz aren’t quite in a cap crunch, they’re not exactly flush with cash. So, if there’s no trade to make using the pick, a good player on a rookie-scale deal is still super helpful. Who knows — Lindsey’s next pick could be the team’s next All-Star in the making.
Next: A shrewd signing
A diamond in the rough via free agency
When Hayward decided to hit the road last July, it left the Jazz in a pretty rough spot. The team was suddenly without its All-Star and, by that time, all the players with the potential to replace his production were off the market.
Doom and gloom reigned along the Wasatch Front.
Lindsey didn’t panic, though. He went to work signing Sefolosha, Jonas Jerebko and Ekpe Udoh; players that didn’t move the needle at the time, but who would ultimately prove extremely valuable over the course of the ’17-18 season.
This summer, with the Jazz facing long odds to bring in a marquee free agent (and likely lacking the cap room to do so anyway), he’ll need to find a hidden gem on the discount rack once again. The 2019 offseason will be a better time for making a splash; right now it’s all about incremental upgrades on a budget.
Maybe that’s where a Hezonja, a Wilson Chandler or a Kyle Anderson type comes in.
Next: Good health
No injuries!
This one is pretty basic, but is ultra important re: the Jazz’s ability to reach their full potential.
Health is crucial to the success of any NBA team and despite consecutive appearances in the second-round of the playoffs, the Jazz have been more hindered by their lack of it than any team in the league over the past three years.
This season, Gobert, Exum, Neto and Sefolosha all missed significant time. So, too, did Joe Johnson and Hood before they were dealt. Last year it was Favors, Gobert, Burks, Hayward and Hill. And so on and so forth.
Obviously, the real danger comes once the season starts, but the Jazz can’t have any of their players tearing up their knees playing with their national team or busting ribs during pick-up, either.