Utah Jazz offseason 2018: Checklist for the Jazz to become contenders

The playoffs proved that the Utah Jazz are on the cusp of breaking through in the West. Nailing this offseason could propel them toward contender status.

By every definition, it was a roller coaster season for the Utah Jazz. Even with the departure of Gordon Hayward, expectations were high entering the year. The Jazz started off strong and looked like they may be able to live up to the hype they were receiving entering the year. However, injuries quickly altered the course of the season, and they fell to 19-28 by mid-January.

We all know what happened from there. The return of a healthy Rudy Gobert and the improved play of Ricky Rubio saved the season for the Jazz. They wouldn’t just turn the season around and make the postseason, but they won their first-round playoff series in convincing fashion against the Russell Westbrook-led Thunder.

They also put up a valiant fight against Houston and showed the league that they are one of the up-and-coming teams in the NBA. They have the youth, talent, coaching and organizational stability to be contenders for the foreseeable future.

As evidenced by their playoff loss to the Rockets, though, they aren’t quite there yet.

In order for the Jazz to reach their full potential, they’ll need to nail this offseason. They need to focus on accomplishing three things if they are to truly compete next season.

Target Shooting in Free Agency

The most obvious discovery during the second-round loss to the Houston Rockets is that the Jazz are severely outgunned. During this offseason — and specifically during the free-agency period — they need to target shooters.

Utah was able to generate decent shots during the Rockets series, but they just didn’t have the snipers to convert them into baskets. I’m a big fan of players like Dante Exum, Royce O’Neale, Jae Crowder and Alec Burks, but they just aren’t consistent knockdown 3-point shooters. Bringing in one to two more shooters would be a big boost to this offense.

The Jazz are one of the few teams currently ready to compete in the playoffs, who actually have money available to spend during the offseason. If they choose to retain both Exum and Derrick Favors, money will be tight, but they should still have the ability to go after a solid role player.

The most expensive of those players (and perhaps too pricey for the Jazz), is the Denver Nuggets’ sixth man Will Barton. Barton will be turning 28 this next season, and he is coming off a year where he average nearly 16 points per game, to go along with five rebounds and four assists per game. He only costed the Nuggets $3.5 million last season. It’s safe to say he’ll be getting a pay raise, but how much?

If the Jazz can get him on a short-term deal for 10 million annually, he’d be a great fit. If that isn’t realistic, they can go after a couple lower profile players with high potential. My favorites for the Jazz to target are Joe Harris, Doug McDermott and Glenn Robinson III.

If I could pick, I’d go after Harris. He received a minimum contract from the Brooklyn Nets, and followed that up with a career year. Harris averaged 11 points per game and shot 40 percent from three, including 42 percent shooting on above the break threes.

The surprising number on Harris is his effectiveness as a driver. He is sneaky athletic, and finished with the highest field goal percentage on drives in the league. Reports have said he should cost $4-7 million annually.

Regardless of who the Jazz bring in via free agency, more 3-point shooting is a definite priority. Whether it’s targeted in free agency or the draft, it’s a need that must be addressed.

Find a rotational player in the draft

For a playoff team, finding hidden gems later in the draft is a necessity. Most contenders have the highest payrolls in the league, so being able to draft a player on a guaranteed, team-friendly contract is an enormous benefit. You also ensure that you have the players’ Bird rights when it comes time to potentially re-sign them in the future.

As previously stated, the Jazz could really use some help off the bench and in the shooting department. This draft is the perfect opportunity to grab a 3-and-D wing at the No. 21 spot in the draft.

I recently wrote a piece for The J-Notes where we focused on five wings that the Jazz can target in the draft. What’s crazy, is there are even more wing prospects that project to be available when Utah is called upon to make their selection. My J-Notes colleague Jared Woodcox recently wrote an article where he listed all of the players who have been projected to go to the Jazz in varying mock drafts. He listed thirteen different players, and all but two of them were wing players.

The Utah Jazz could absolutely use a stretch four, but the pickings for that are slim in this year’s draft, especially where the Jazz are picking. Instead, there is a wealth of wings for them to select from.

It will be key for the Jazz to select a player who can have an impact from the get go. It will save them money in free agency today and in the future if they can achieve this.

My two cents: keep an eye on Keita Bates-Diop, Donte DiVincenzo and Shake Milton. KBD has the potential to be a solid starter in this league for years to come. He was the Big Ten Player of the Year after averaging 20 points and eight rebounds a game, while also shooting 36 percent from three. At nearly 6-foot-9 with a 7-foot-3 wingspan, he can score in a variety of ways, including posting up smaller players.

DiVincenzo and Milton would also be strong selections at this position. If you are looking for the safest pick at this point in the draft, DiVincenzo has a much higher floor. He projects to be a high level 3-point shooter, who also has the athleticism to create his own shot off the bounce. He could immediately step in and make an impact for the Jazz.

Milton has been pegged to go to the Jazz in multiple mock drafts, and his shooting and defense should translate to the NBA right away. Milton shot 43 percent from three last season on over a hundred attempts.

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At the end of the day, the Jazz have shown a history of making the right picks this late in the draft. Most recently, Rudy Gobert and Rodney Hood were both selected in the twenties. Utah will be doing themselves an enormous benefit if the can find a rotational wing player with the 21st pick in the draft.

Current Jazz players must improve this offseason

This is likely the most obvious, but it is also the most important area of focus this off-season. Utah is blessed to have young players on their roster who still have significant opportunities to become better. If they can maximize their talents, this team can immediately take a leap into contention.

I have asked this to many people recently, but if the Utah Jazz had not had the injury woes this past season, how many wins do you think they would have finished at? So no 26 game absence from Gobert, and we get a full season of Exum. Is 55 wins expecting too much?

According to ManGamesLost.com, the Utah Jazz lost the most wins due to injury this season.

Thirteen wins?! Maybe that’s a stretch. Hard for me to picture the Jazz being a 60-win team this season. It definitely makes my 55-win projection extremely realistic though. The point is, the Jazz could absolutely just run it all back and expect to improve upon their win total from last season.

That being said, they still have to find a way to improve internally. Players like Donovan Mitchell, Rubio, O’Neale and Exum are going to have to add more to their games.

Imagine if Mitchell can improve his off the bounce and above the break 3-point shot? What if Rubio can improve his consistency, and play an entire season like he performed over the second half of last season? Can O’Neale improve his corner 3-point shooting and become the additional 3-and-D bench player the Jazz desperately need? If all that were to happen, the Jazz really could be a 60-win team next season if healthy.

In my opinion, the player who must improve the most is  Exum. As the former No. 5 pick in the draft, he is clearly oozing with potential. Injuries have greatly derailed his development and where the Jazz expected him to be at this point, but he is still only 22.

This will be one of the first times since being drafted that Exum is entering the offseason healthy. Entering next season, I would like to see him with a tightened handle, and a greater willingness to shoot the three. Far too often during the playoffs he was almost unplayable due to careless turnovers, and his unwillingness to shoot the ball when open.

Next: Report: Jazz aiming to keep Derrick Favors

If the Jazz can pull off the three points that I have outlined here, they could be in store for a magical ride next season. If they can find help in the off-eason through free-agency and the draft, and then can show great internal development, becoming a contender could arrive sooner rather than later.