Despite a negative end result in NOLA, the Utah Jazz more closely resembled the team fans want to see against the Pelicans on Friday.
For the first time since preseason play tipped off, the Utah Jazz fielded a lineup featuring all of their core players on Friday. As a result, the Jazz band made big strides, playing the hi-octane brand of offensive ball fans want to see from the club this season.
Sure, the New Orleans Pelicans ultimately prevailed in the game’s waning seconds — escaping with a 128-127 victory on a controversial goaltending call — and Zion Williamson did Zion Williamson things, but Quin Snyder’s “blender” and his team’s improved marksmanship and scoring prowess were all on full display.
In particular, the Jazz’s ball movement was on-point in a way it hadn’t been against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday; Utah racked up 37 assists in the contest. A big factor in that flow was the team’s new additions striking the right notes and making better reads in the offense overall.
After combining to miss all 14 of their shot attempts in Milwaukee, Mike Conley and Bojan Bogdanovic played with passion, purpose and precision in their second go-round.
Conley scored 13 points in 23 minutes, hitting three triples along the way, and logged seven assists. More importantly, he seemed much more comfortable in directing the traffic offensively. Bogdanovic, meanwhile, scored 15 points, hit three threes of his own and added eight boards and three dimes for good measure.
Bogey still looked less comfortable than Conley, and committed five turnovers in the game, but his decision-making in the Jazz’s schemes was improved and his ball skills and shooting ability shined through nonetheless. There’s still time for him to work out the kinks, too (and the Jazz need him to if they’re to reach their ceiling this season).
Royce O’Neale, who started the game and spent time at the four spot, looks to me like the frontrunner for the starting power forward role. He chipped in with 16 points and had a handful of good defensive moments on Williamson.
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Of course, one could also point to veteran Jeff Green as a potential starter at the four, and he actually led the Jazz in the game with 20 points. I, for one, like him as scoring punch and playmaking in the second unit, but I can also certainly see scenarios where match-ups warrant Snyder giving him the nod.
In any case, his ability to move around at 6-foot-9 and handle the ball puts him in rarefied air for Jazz alums of a similar stature. He may end up being more important to the Jazz’s efforts this season than many would have anticipated when they snatched him up on a minimum deal last summer.
The game also marked the first game action of the exhibition slate for Rudy Gobert, who responded with 15 points of his own on a perfect 5-for-5 from the field and two blocked shots.
Gobert’s return aside, the bugbear for the Jazz against the Pels was obviously their defense. Sure, NOLA did the brunt of its damage in the fourth quarter when Snyder had essentially punted on the game and emptied his bench, but Williamson and Co. also got whatever they wanted when they squared of with the Jazz’s big guns.
The defense looked a little better when the Stifle Tower was in there, but the Jazz clearly still have a lot of work to do around the edges.
I’m particularly concerned about the team’s D when Gobert takes a breather. For the last several years, Derrick Favors did a beautiful job of holding court in those situations. Now, he’s gone, and while Ed Davis brings a lot to the table as far as his rebounding and position D go, he offers only a fragment of the rim protection that D-Faves brought.
Speaking of, the former Jazzman will never not look weird in a Pelicans uniform, and he had a quiet night against his old team here, scoring two points in just 11 minutes. Regardless, Favors will be a major asset for New Orleans this season.
Next up for the Jazz will be the Sacramento Kings on Monday. The action will tip-off at Vivint Smart Home Arena at 7 PM MT.