Utah Jazz preseason loss disappointing, but far from a reason to panic

The first preseason game featuring the Utah Jazz’s highly-touted newcomers was a total dud. Fortunately, there’s absolutely no reason to panic.

The anticipation had been building for months. The wait had become excruciating. Fans wanted to see the new Utah Jazz backcourt of Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley hit the floor together.

Well, they finally got it in Wednesday’s road preseason bout against the Milwaukee Bucks and, as my J-Notes colleague Ryan Aston mentioned following the game, the result was an enormous letdown. Conley failed to convert on a field goal, as did highly-touted newcomer Bojan Bogdanovic, as the pair went a combined 0-of-14 from the floor for the evening.

In fairness, Donovan Mitchell played quite well. He looked comfortable, collected and confident, knocking down 5-of-9 shots from the field for 14 points in just 17 minutes. He was easily Utah’s brightest point in what was otherwise a very, very disappointing contest.

And when I say disappointing, I mean an utter letdown. The Jazz were run off the court from nearly the game’s onset with Giannis Antetokounmpo proving far too much to handle and with the Bucks simply giving them the business. Milwaukee would go on to win by a commanding score of 133-99.

True, the Jazz were without Rudy Gobert, their player that would have likely been the most vital in slowing the Greek Freak. They also didn’t have sharpshooter extraordinaire Joe Ingles, who has turned into an invaluable ball handler for them.

And, yes, I’m well aware that it was nothing more than an inconsequential preseason game wherein Utah’s starters didn’t log anywhere near their normal minutes and the team as a whole was still adjusting to one another. But while it was just a preseason game, the fact still remains that it was very much a disappointment. Both things can be true.

It was a massive letdown because Jazz fans had been so anxious to see their newcomers in action, especially their new point guard, and instead of getting a glimpse of awe-inspiring reassurance, instead they were treated with a hard blow of reality that, as good as this team should be this year, things aren’t going to just magically come together all at once.

Nevertheless, with all that said, the good news is that it is far too early to panic. There’s already the situational things I mentioned – a non-important preseason game setting, no Rudy Gobert or Joe Ingles, wonky minutes and rotations for the Jazz while the Bucks gave more minutes to their true rotation guys, etc.

But beyond that, the new Utah Jazz roster is still adjusting to Quin Snyder’s system and to one another. It was a first contest on a hostile court against an elite team, no less. While Bogey and Mike’s 0-of-14 outing was disconcerting, that’s an anomaly that’s almost certain not to replicate itself. And, hey, at least they got an ugly poor shooting outing out of the way in a game that didn’t count!

Not only that, but people sometimes tend to forget the human side of things. Those who have played pickup basketball know that if you join a group you’ve never played with before, especially if it’s one that is familiar with each other, it can be a bit awkward to know your role and understand where to fit in. Should I take this shot, should I pass this time, where am I better or worse than my teammates under certain situations, and so on and so forth.

Obviously, these are professional basketball players we’re talking about, so they aren’t dealing with quite that level of angst, uncertainty or discomfort. However, the principle still applies to some degree as the new guys sort it all out. Conley and Bogdanovic figure to play massive roles for the Jazz this upcoming season. So in their first competitive action with the new team, it’s entirely normal that they’d feel a bit uncertain and out of sorts as they adjust to their teammates and figure out how they can best work in harmony with one another.

Fortunately, they have plenty of time to figure that out, including three more preseason games, and now they even have film (as painful as it may be to revisit) to watch wherein they can further learn what tweaks need to be made. These guys are all too talented for it not to come together, especially under a coach as brilliant as Quin Snyder.

Not only that, but Rudy Gobert and Joe Ingles will return, the Jazz will get regular rotations in effect and, all in all, they’ll establish more of a rhythm come regular season time. Preseason is meant to be an experimental time wrought with trial and error. Sometimes experiments go bad and sometimes trial and error is far more error than anything else.

Wednesday’s bout was a clear example of that, but it’s far from the time to panic. Very, very far. In fact, don’t be surprised if the Jazz struggle for their first few regular season games as they adapt to one another. For what it’s worth, I’m projecting them to go about .500 in their first 24 games.

But even if they do, don’t lose hope or get discouraged with this squad, because they still are very much a team built to contend. Regardless of any hiccups or setbacks, the Jazz have been masterfully engineered to be a dangerous squad when all cylinders are firing this season.

And, who knows, they may even be able to clean things up much sooner than later given the abundance of talent, selflessness and basketball IQ throughout this team. They won’t have to wait long to give it another go, as the Jazz visit the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.

Due largely to the play of rookie sensation Zion Williamson, the Pels have already become one of the more highlighted teams of the summer and preseason thus far, which will make for a tough challenge for the Jazz. Ideally, they’ll get off to a better start, Conley and Bogdanovic will look a little more assimilated, and the reassurance that was so drastically missing on Wednesday will be present in full force this time around.

Utah and New Orleans tip off on Friday at 6:00 PM MT in what will be Utah’s third of five preseason games. Their first regular season bout is under two weeks away as they’ll host the Oklahoma City Thunder on October 23rd.