Utah Jazz: Scouting out major weaknesses of the team
By Caleb Manser
The Utah Jazz are one of the top teams in the association this year, but what are some of their weaknesses opponents try to expose on Quin Snyder’s club?
The Utah Jazz have one of their most talented and stacked teams in years. Sitting at a 36-20 record, they have a legitimate chance to earn home court advantage for the first time in 18 years.
They boasted two All-Stars for the first time since 2007 last Sunday, and entered the All-Star break with the most wins in franchise history. They have two players clearing 20 points per game for the first time in 26 years.
But as we saw the past two nights against the Spurs and Rockets, the Jazz have some major weaknesses they need to patch up as soon as possible.
Here’s what Rudy Gobert said after the loss to the Spurs, via Sarah Todd of the Deseret News:
"“It’s on us to be more physical and come out with an edge that we used to have. If you want to be a champion, if you want to be one of the best teams in the league it’s got to be who we are and we’ve got to come out every night with that chip on our shoulder. It’s on us to come out with the mindset of killers, don’t give them anything. Don’t let them get confidence early in the game. “"
The Jazz fell behind by 19 at halftime against the Spurs, which ultimately did them in despite the strong comeback effort led by Emmanuel Mudiay. And last night against the Rockets, Utah allowed Houston to have a 38 point third quarter from which they never recovered.
What exactly are these weaknesses that keep coming back to haunt the Utah Jazz?