Utah Jazz: 3 crazy stats from the 2021-22 season so far

3. Utah Jazz unassisted three-pointers

When one imagines a three-point dominant offense, one may imagine the ball whizzing around the perimeter until it finds a break in the opposing team’s offense, resulting in an open three-point attempt.

That is not how the Utah Jazz operate in the slightest.

In fact, Quin Snyder’s attack ranks last in the NBA in passes made per Second Spectrum’s data, at 200.0. That’s consistent with the Jazzmen’s second-last ranking in Assists Per Game at 19.5. This team doesn’t rely on ball movement: instead, it relies on optimal floor spacing. The only non-shooting player on the floor at any time for the Utah Jazz is their 5, whether it’s Rudy Gobert or Hassan Whiteside. Their big is constantly surrounded by four shooters who are lethal enough that any defender in the NBA is forced to account for them.

With all of those factors in mind, it only makes sense that the Jazz have the second lowest percentage of three-point makes assisted on in the league, at 65.5%. It’s not that this team is selfish: more so, having four elite spacers on the floor at all times creates a number of easy, unassisted three-point attempts.

Whether it’s traditional or not, it’s undeniably working.

The Utah Jazz are the only remaining undefeated team in the National Basketball Association. Their fans could be forgiven for being indifferent to how that sausage is being made. Nonetheless, it’s interesting to dive into some numbers and investigate their success.