Early into this 2021-22 NBA season, Utah Jazz fans are mostly concerned with one stat: win/loss totals. Their Jazzmen are 4-0, and if you love the team, you probably aren’t concerned with how they’ve gotten there.
That’s entirely fair, however, there have been some statistical markers from the Jazz’s undefeated start that are quite interesting. As the three-point revolution’s new vanguard, the Utah Jazz are bound to set some historic precedents. This club’s fans are truly witnessing history.
Here are 3 statistics from the 2021-22 season to date that reinforce that fact.
1. Utah Jazz True Shooting % (TS%)
As we’ve discussed recently at the J-Notes, the Jazz haven’t actually been shooting the three ball very efficiently in spite of the team’s tremendous volume. Several key members of the team have been enduring shooting slumps to begin the 2021-22 NBA season.
Those slumps are reflected in the Jazz’s 19th ranked 33.3% accuracy from three-point range. For contrast’s sake, the Chicago Bulls are leading the Association in three-point accuracy at 40.4%.
The shots may not be falling, but the Utah Jazz are hoisting them without reservation. Their 43.5 attempts per contest are the most in the NBA. Intuitively, one may question the validity of this strategy. If the Jazz are hitting their threes with the 19th best conversion rate in the NBA, could it be advisable to shoot the most threes?
As it turns out, it is very much so.
In spite of the Jazzmen’s shooting woes, they’ve got the second best TS% in the NBA at 58.6%, trailing only the Philadelphia 76ers (59.5%). For those who don’t know, TS% is a shooting percentage that aggregates field goal percentage, three-point percentage and free throw percentage.
The fact that the Utah Jazz could routinely miss so many triples and still rank second in the NBA in TS% validates the entire three-point revolution. It demonstrates that shooting more three-pointers makes an offense more efficient, even if those attempts aren’t consistently dropping.
The Utah Jazz are already undefeated: once those threes start finding nylon more consistently, they’ll pose a major problem to any team in the NBA. As it stands, they still boast one of the most efficient offenses in the NBA in spite of rostering several slumping three-point threats.
2. Utah Jazz Free Throw Attempt Rate (FTr)
The fact that the Utah Jazz are leading the NBA in three-point attempts is probably not a surprise to anybody who has been following this team for the past couple of years. The fact that they’re pacing the Association in FTr at 27.6% is an outcome that would have been harder to predict heading into the season.
FTr simply measures the number of free throw attempts a team takes per field goal attempt. It is surprising that the NBA’s most three-point dependent team is also drawing enough fouls to lead the NBA in FTr. Frankly, it defies any explanation that this particular J-Notes writer is able to provide.
This stat is particularly puzzling in light of this season’s rule changes, which were designed to inhibit players from seeking fouls on jump shots (including, obviously, three-point attempts).
A partial explanation is centered around Utah Jazz star Rudy Gobert. Individually, he’s leading the entire NBA in free throw attempts per game at 10.0. Still, the Jazz’s three-point dominant offensive strategy should not generally lend itself to such a high volume of free throw attempts.
This may be an oddity that we can expect to normalize as the season progresses. For the time being, it’s safe to assume that the Utah Jazz pacing the NBA in FTr is offsetting some of their three-point inefficiency. After all, they’re leading the entire NBA in Offensive Rating, at 114.8. Those points have to be coming from somewhere.
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.