Utah Jazz need to make a move for a more reliable backup big

Although Tony Bradley encouragingly continues to improve, the Utah Jazz need to add a more reliable backup center prior to the start of the playoffs.

After a turbulent start to the 2019-20 NBA season, things are finally starting to look much more rosy in Utah Jazz land. The team has won 16 of its last 18 games, the bench is finally clicking and Mike Conley made his long-awaited return on Saturday night.

The Jazz will have a much-needed testing ground period beginning with their next contest against the Indiana Pacers on Monday that extends all the way to the All-Star break with a litany of tough opponents. Ideally, we’ll see a lot of the strengths they’ve exhibited during their recent run carry over even when they find themselves up against heightened competition.

Even if the Jazz continue to play as well as they have been lately during the more difficult stretch ahead, one thing has been highly evident over the course of the past few weeks. Namely, the Utah Jazz need further help in their frontcourt for when Rudy Gobert goes to the bench.

This offseason, Ed Davis was brought in to be that backup center and semi-replacement for the departing Derrick Favors. Unfortunately, while his professionalism has been on point, his fit has been abysmal. Davis simply hasn’t meshed well in Quin Snyder’s system where he’s found himself completely out of the rotation.

Taking his spot has been Tony Bradley, the Jazz’s 2017 draft project that is only now beginning to play significant NBA minutes. To Bradley’s credit, he’s been relatively good and he’s made massive strides since his initial seasons in the league. He’s capitalized on his strength as a rebounder, has improved as a rim-runner and is getting better on defense.

Although I wasn’t very bullish on him initially, I’m starting to see a scenario where perhaps Tony does indeed turn into a respectable backup big man in the NBA.

However, he still has a long ways to go. If the Jazz were merely hoping to make the playoffs and compete in the first round, he’d be serviceable enough for their purposes. That’s just not the case, though. The Jazz have their sights set on the ultimate prize, so if they are to accomplish it, they’ll need to bring in someone who can be more of a force in the paint while Rudy Gobert rests.

That’s not to take away from what Bradley has been able to do this year, but he still makes youthful mistakes, doesn’t have the respect of the referees and simply isn’t scaring anyone on defense the way a guy like Gobert does. Utah’s defensive rating worsens when Bradley is on the floor versus when he’s off, and in general the Jazz just aren’t able to maintain their lockdown ability when he’s in the game.

Not only that, but while Bradley could be viewed as sufficient against teams that mainly lean towards playing small, there are specific opponents that could present an extremely daunting matchup challenge for the Jazz with Bradley as the number two center. The first that comes to mind is the Los Angeles Lakers, who as of right now appear to be the team that any Finals hopeful will have to go through.

Their overwhelming size with the likes of Anthony Davis, JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard in tow make them a difficult cover for the Jazz. Put Gobert on Davis, and whichever Laker center is in can out-size whichever Jazzman is guarding him. Put Gobert on McGee or Howard, and Davis can simply overpower whichever Jazzman is placed on him and there’s no way that Bradley is holding any of them in check. That’s not a recipe for success if the Jazz and Lakers meet in the postseason.

Not to mention, the Lakers aren’t the only ones with this kind of size that can make life difficult for the Jazz. Nikola Jokic, Paul Millsap and Mason Plumlee of the Denver Nuggets can be a handful as can the various bigs of the Dallas Mavericks, to name a few.

In other words, in order for the Jazz to be as competent and versatile as possible no matter who they end up facing come playoff time, it will be vital for them to get someone a little more seasoned and competent than the young Tony Bradley. Bradley may be Utah’s answer at some point in the future, but for now they need to capitalize on their small championship window and think bigger.

The Jazz essentially have two ways of accomplishing this goal, both of which I’ve already touched on in some detail here on The J-Notes. Utah can either attempt to trade Ed Davis for another big, or they can scour the scrap heap and attempt to find a bargain free agent that may fulfill their largest need.

If the trade route is taken, Utah could potentially go after someone like Alex Len or Jakob Poeltl to fill the void. In the free agent market, names like Trevor Booker, Joakim Noah and Kenneth Faried are somewhat intriguing, or perhaps the Jazz go the unconventional route and find a complete diamond in the rough without the same acclaim as those three guys.

But the method the Jazz use is far less important than the final result. Simply put, if Utah wants its best shot at a title in 2020, then they need to upgrade Tony Bradley’s position in some fashion. Whether they do so via trade or free agent signing isn’t really that important. All that matters is that they get it done in order to give themselves their best shot once the rigors of the postseason get underway.

If the Jazz go the trade route, they’re short on time to do so as the NBA Trade Deadline is on February 6th. They’ll have more time to add a veteran or up-and-comer via free agency, so even if they can’t pull off a fitting deal, they could very well turn and look elsewhere at that point. No matter what they decide, it will be riveting to see how the Jazz further shore up their second unit in preparation for the 2020 NBA Playoffs.