The one area the Utah Jazz must improve to compete for the NBA championship
The Utah Jazz are off to their first 4-0 start since 2008, and fans of the team are justifiably optimistic. The offense may have taken a few games to arrive, but it’s announced itself with the enthusiasm of a teenage boy with his first girlfriend. The Jazz’s 114.1 Offensive Rating now ranks second in the entire National Basketball Association, trailing only the Charlotte Hornets.
Meanwhile, the defense that the Jazzmen started the season with has yet to betray them, as their Defensive Rating of 96.0 is second to only the Miami Heat. Overall, the Jazz’s net rating of 18.1 is second to none.
All of which is tremendously encouraging. The Utah Jazz entered the NBA season with championship aspirations, and the first four games of the season have only fortified those hopes. Nonetheless, even an undefeated start leaves room for improvement. If the Jazz wish to make good on their near-limitless potential this season, they’ll have to improve in one area in particular.
Utah Jazz three-point efficiency
The Jazz have continued with last season’s trend of shooting the three-ball in mass volume. They’re pacing the NBA in three-point attempts per game again this season, at 43.5 per game.
That’s a positive. The strategy obviously yielded very positive results for the club en route to a league-best 52-20 record. Unfortunately, their efficiency on those attempts has cratered. The Jazz are shooting 33.3% from three-point range, the 19th best mark in the NBA.
In an NBA increasingly driven by numbers, volume is only half of the equation when it comes to three-point shooting. Last season, the Utah Jazz had it down to a science. Their 43.0 attempts per game led the NBA, and their 38.9% accuracy was fourth. That combination of volume and efficiency made the Jazz a near-impossible formula to solve for NBA teams on a nightly basis.
Utah Jazz shooting slumps
Realistically, this is an issue that is likely to resolve itself. Quin Snyder’s drive-and-kick, pick-and-spread offense hasn’t changed, and neither have the significant players within it. A number of Jazzmen are simply slumping, and they’re slumping hard.
Donovan Mitchell is shooting 31.6% on 9.5 three-point attempts per contest. Running mate Jordan Clarkson must be jealous: he’s shooting 26.3% on the exact same volume. With those two lead guards struggling mightily from deep, some key wings aren’t helping matters. Bojan Bogdanovic is at 31.8% on 5.5 attempts per game, and Royce O’Neale is hitting 28.6% of his 3.5 threes per night.
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Ultimately, it’s astonishing that the Utah Jazz are 4-0 in spite of such woeful three-point inefficiency. It’s a testament to their defense and luck in the same breath. However, when it comes time to compete on the NBA’s biggest stage, they’d better hope more of those three-balls are finding nylon.