Utah Jazz 2018 offseason checklist: Bigs, Burks and wing scoring
By Ryan Aston
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