Utah Jazz: 4 stats that explain their utter greatness this season
By Matt Giles
Stats that sum up Utah Jazz eminence: 3-point defense
There are many advantages to having the single-handed shot-blocking prowess down low from a two-time All-Star and two-time Defensive Player of the Year in center Rudy Gobert, who appears in his prime averaging a career-high 2.7 blocks per game in what is his eighth NBA season. One key advantage to the extreme radius of his presence is found in the Utah Jazz’s 3-point defense.
That’s because whichever four other Utah Jazz players are on the floor with Gobert are simply more often able to zoom in on and persistently pester opposing sharpshooters on the perimeter.
Via such a simple defensive formula, Utah ranks No. 1 in the league in opponents’ average 3-point makes at 10.9 per game.
At the same time, pointing to the often smothering D around the arc, foes in Jazz matchups are wisely launching only a league-low 30.7 attempts per game from long distance. Plus, they are knocking down only 35.4 percent, which gives Utah the NBA’s sixth-best 3-point percentage defense.