Utah Jazz: Thabo Sefolosha could be best bet on Harden, he may also be unavailable

Thabo Sefolosha was one of the only Utah Jazz wing defenders to do an admirable job on James Harden in Game 1. Unfortunately, an injury could leave him sidelined for the second contest.

To put it lightly, the Utah Jazz’s defensive scheme didn’t exactly work against James Harden and the Houston Rockets in Game 1 of their first-round playoff bout. Sure, the reigning MVP finished with 29 points which is well below his regular season average of 36.1, but make no mistake about it, The Beard had his way with the Jazz.

He was able to get into the lane with ease and if he didn’t get an easy shot up, he had ample options to pass out to the perimeter for an open three or find Clint Capela slipping behind Rudy Gobert for an uncontested dunk. Perhaps more disconcerting than his 29 points were his 10 assists which were just one indication that his Rockets teammates thrived alongside him.

Not only that, but the game was well over by halftime and Harden had no need to shift into another gear in a heavily lopsided fourth quarter that saw the Rockets outscore Utah by a count of 39-19. If Harden’s super powers had been called upon, he no doubt would have delivered well above and beyond the 29 points he put in. So there’s literally no moral victories on that front for the Jazz.

One tiny glimmer of hope that emerged for Utah in Game 1 was the defensive job that Thabo Sefolosha did on Harden. Clearly, Utah’s game plan was to force Harden to his less comfortable right, then funnel him in to the gaping jaws of Rudy Gobert. Unfortunately, the Jazz perimeter defenders, namely Ricky Rubio, Royce O’Neale and Donovan Mitchell who were the most common culprits, did a horrendous job of executing the plan effectively.

They committed so greatly to force him a certain direction that they often found themselves behind Harden and his quick first step. From there, rather than continue to fight to stay with him in the paint, he was allowed to cut straight to the basket. Then, with the defending guard eating James’ dust, Gobert was essentially asked to be in two places at once – either help on Harden or stick with Capela. Either choice led to an easy basket with the only difference being who made it.

But Thabo executed significantly better on his possessions guarding Harden. Salt City Hoops’ Dan Clayton had an awesome breakdown you can see here.

Essentially the key here is that Thabo didn’t simply force Harden right then say, “Good luck, Rudy!” Instead, he forced him right then fought to stay with him. Once it led to an offensive foul and another time it led to a deflection. Those are obviously certain options the Jazz will take over an easy basket for the opposition.

The fact of the matter is that there’s no secret recipe for stopping Harden. He’s undoubtedly a generational offensive talent and no amount of game planning will shut him down entirely. However, making him uncomfortable is the key to slowing him down and, more importantly, throwing him out of a rhythm in which he can get his teammates involved.

Sefolosha did so majestically in his brief possessions on Harden and as such, one may have supposed he’d get more of a chance to prove himself and further showcase his ability to force Harden right, then fight to stay with him into the paint to provide Gobert with some reinforcement. But unfortunately, based on recent reports, it’s quite possible that Thabo won’t even be available to play at all in Game 2.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Sefolosha was listed on the Utah Jazz injury report as ‘questionable’ with hip soreness. That by no means counts him out, but the fact that such is his status whereas Kyle Korver, who looked obviously hindered in Game 1, is listed as ‘probable’ may not be reassuring for Thabo’s chances.

If he’s able to play, ideally we’ll see him display yet again an ability to bother Harden on the defensive end. He was clearly the only one to do so in the Jazz ranks. If he’s unavailable, well, hopefully he can teach his younger teammates a thing or two and help them understand how it’s done. Each of Rubio, O’Neale, Mitchell and potentially Joe Ingles or Jae Crowder if they get the nod as well as anyone else that defends Harden will need to be more aware and prepared.

James Harden torched the Jazz in Game 1 in a variety of ways both by scoring on his own and setting up his teammates. If Utah hopes to have any shot at evening the series in Game 2 or competing at all as the matchup continues, major adjustments will have to be made by Coach Q and better execution will have to take place across the board.

We’ll see if such can take place in a few short hours as tip-off from the Toyota Center in Houston takes place at 7:30 PM MT on TNT.