The J-Notes
Fansided

How will the Utah Jazz struggle against the East?

By Caleb Manser

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - DECEMBER 27: Joe Ingles #2 of the Utah Jazz and teammate Rudy Gobert #27 defend Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers during their game at the Vivint Smart Home Arena on December 27, 2018 in Salt Lake City , Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.(Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - DECEMBER 27: Joe Ingles #2 of the Utah Jazz and teammate Rudy Gobert #27 defend Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers during their game at the Vivint Smart Home Arena on December 27, 2018 in Salt Lake City , Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.(Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 4
Next
Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz, Gordon Hayward, Boston Celtics
BOSTON – NOVEMBER 17: Boston Celtics’ Gordon Hayward misses a dunk attempt with pressure from Utah Jazz’s Donovan Mitchell during the third quarter. The Boston Celtics host the Utah Jazz in a regular season NBA basketball game at TD Garden in Boston on Nov. 17, 2018. (Photo by Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /

New York Knicks

The Knicks signed an intriguing offensive weapon. Julius Randle is 6-foot-9 and 250 pounds. When Randle was being drafted in the NBA, his player comparison was Zach Randolph, a low post bruiser. But Randle has developed into a big that can handle the ball and devastate opponents on drives to the rim. He took over as the Pelicans’ number one scoring option late last season, and even scored 24.6 points per game after the All-Star break.

He isn’t the best at taking care of the ball or staying efficient, but he can still take a crappy Knicks team from worse to bad. Will Joe Ingles and Royce O’Neale be able to defend Randle well?

Also keep an eye on point guard Dennis Smith Jr., who can jump out of the gym.

Brooklyn Nets

The Nets are about to give something Kyrie Irving hasn’t had in a long time: the keys to an offense. Irving loves getting his buckets in isolation, making incredibly tough shots. That didn’t jive too well with the Boston Celtics offense the past couple of years, and now that the two parties have moved on, expect big things from Irving this year.

Outside of Irving, the Nets have several perimeter weapons that can ball out on any given night. Spencer Dinwiddie has shown the ability to take over a game, Joe Harris is an elite three-point specialist, and Caris LeVert is expected to be an All-Star capable scoring guard in the near future.

The Jazz play Brooklyn on the back end of a back-to-back in November, and in March they will travel to Brooklyn as part of a road trip that will see them play their third game in a third different arena, in six nights. Brooklyn could be fighting for a high playoff seed especially in the March game, so make that out to be a tough one for the Jazz to steal on the road.

Philadelphia 76ers

  • The incredible length
  • Jazz didn’t beat them the past couple years, they’ve struggled to beat this team
  • Donovan Mitchell vs. Ben Simmons (2018 ROY)

This has the potential to be a great rivalry. Philly has stolen the last four games from the Jazz, and the intensity of this potential rivalry could play a part if the Jazz were to drop the season series against the 76ers.

As I have previously mentioned, the 76ers have incredible length and a starting five that is a toss up between them and the Jazz.

Boston Celtics

The Jazz and Celtics already have several ties. Public enemy Gordon Hayward spurned the Jazz to play for the Celtics, and they also signed on former public enemy Enes Kanter.

Jayson Tatum and Donovan Mitchell competed for the Rookie of the Year in 2018, albeit not as much as Mitchell and Simmons did.

The Jazz and Celtics were both on rebuilding tracks at the same time. In the 2014 draft, the Jazz wound up with the 5th pick and the Celtics had the 6th pick. The Celtics hired their coach Brad Stevens ahead of the 2013-14 season, as part of a new era of Celtics basketball. The Jazz hired Quin Snyder ahead of the 2014-15 NBA season.

Maybe these are more storylines to watch than a scouting report, but you can count on these games being exciting between Bean Town and Salt Lake City’s basketball squads. There are so many parallels when you compare these two teams.

Toronto Raptors

The Raptors have another versatile power forward even better than Julius Randle. Pascal Siakam can run the floor, play off the ball, on the ball, create for others, and get buckets.

Marc Gasol is another big bruiser. He has a record of 5 wins and 5 losses going against the Jazz the last 10 games, and in those games he’s averaged 17.3 points and 6.8 rebounds. When Gasol has beat the Jazz he scored at least 17 points and had a good night. So one of the keys for the Jazz is to make sure Gasol doesn’t go off.

The Raptors also have Kyle Lowry, who when paired with Gasol combine for 24 years of NBA experience. These guys have been around the block and know what they’re doing, and were both integral parts of the Raptors championship run.

Home/Jazz News