What separates the Utah Jazz from most opponents

The Utah Jazz’s 2-0 start has highlighted their most noticeable advantages.

Continuity and communication typically go hand in hand on the basketball floor. That’s the case nowadays for the Utah Jazz. They returned their top seven scorers from last season, and all seven were on the 2019-20 team as well. Plus, they added a few new guys who now appear to be buying into eighth-year head coach Quin Snyder’s talkative approach to winning.

Together, as one might expect, the continuity and communication constitute the most noticeable strength of the Jazz in the early going this season — sheer talent aside, of course. As they look to repeat as NBA regular-season champs after posting a 52-20 record last go-round, these intangible advantages have stood out against two relatively young opponents.

Utah Jazz edge on full display again

On Friday night, the consistent on-court conversations and extreme familiarity among the Utah Jazz proved crucial in the squad overcoming adversity against the physical Sacramento Kings (1-1), whose head coach, Luke Walton, at times looked to be begging his players to talk more. And the result was the Jazz’s impressive 110-101 road victory despite trailing by six at halftime.

Granted, following the ejection of Jazz veteran and renowned chatterbox Joe Ingles in the first quarter, the group needed a few minutes to recover. At the time, Utah suffered through a 15-0 Sacramento run to fall behind, 33-24.

But most of these Jazzmen have faced these types of setbacks many times before as a unit. So their eventual bounceback, which seemed to begin once the team’s remaining weapons started talking again during the game, should have come as no surprise to their fans. It certainly encouraged Donovan Mitchell, as the two-time All-Star noted to the media afterward:

“For us to correct ourselves throughout the game — mid-game on the floor and not during a timeout, not during halftime, but like in the moment — that’s one thing that really stood out to me. Really, it’s our communication…We were able to speak to each other, we were able to listen to each other, and we were able to go out there and fix it.”

Mitchell suggested that what he and his teammates exhibited against the Kings is something they should hang their hat on going forward:

“Throughout the years, this might go down as, I don’t want to say one of our best, but one of our biggest [wins] because of our perseverance.”

Hassan Whiteside has been the most productive Utah Jazz newcomer by averaging 7.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks in 17.0 minutes per game. The 32-year-old center, who opted in free agency for a reserve role over potential starting jobs elsewhere, seems to subscribe to what this bunch is selling while crediting its cohesiveness for much of his success:

“I think these guys are very experienced, and it’s a smart and savvy team…They made the game [against the Kings] easier for me.”

Now, Utah’s enviable leadership and camaraderie may not be such a significant advantage against the more veteran-laden foes to come on the schedule, beginning with the home bout against the Denver Nuggets (2-0) at 8 p.m. MT Tuesday. Furthermore, younger teams may catch up in this regard as the season progresses.

Nevertheless, this Utah Jazz team appears fully ready to capitalize on its upper hand while it can in gobbling up many more early wins.