Utah Jazz fans would be well within their rights to worry about Donovan Mitchell’s ankle sprain. It kept him out of last night’s contest against the Atlanta Hawks, triggering deja vu for Jazz fans across the globe, and not the fun kind.
Luckily, the star shooting guard is employed by one of the deepest teams in the National Basketball Association. For that reason, the Jazz were able to pull out a comfortable 116-98 win over the talented Atlanta Hawks.
It’s a little cliche to say that a game was closer than the score suggests, but it’s entirely true in regards to this one. The Hawks trailed 75-74 heading into the fourth quarter. That was the precise moment that this Utah Jazz offense exploded.
The Jazz improved to 7-1 in a road game without their best offensive player. Provided that Mitchell’s ankle injury is as insignificant as he claims it is, there are nothing but positives to take from last night’s performance. Here are your 3 studs, and your single dud from this win against the Hawks.
Utah Jazz stud: Jordan Clarkson
Clarkson went viral before the 2021-22 season began for an exchange with a Salt Lake City reporter who didn’t recognize him. Who knew that was a harbinger of things to come: Clarkson has been unrecognizable throughout most of the season to-date.
That changed in a big way last night.
Clarkson finished with 30 points on 10/19 shooting from the field, and 4/10 shooting from three-point range. His confidence hasn’t wavered for an instant this season. Last night, he finally made good on it.
The Jazz needed a scorer to step up in Mitchell’s absence, and Clarkson was ready. He was the only Jazzman creating shots outside of the flow of the offense, converting several unassisted triples and cutting to the basket as a primary target for Mike Conley’s assists. ‘
The Utah Jazz needed this, and even moreso, Clarkson needed it. Here’s hoping he can establish a trend of shooting efficiently for when Donovan Mitchell returns to the lineup.
Utah Jazz stud: Joe Ingles
Speaking of efficiency.
Joe Ingles almost literally could not miss last night. He finished the contest with 19 points on 7/9 shooting from the field and 5/6 shooting from three-point range.
A major advantage that Ingles brings to this Utah Jazz club is his malleability. He’s a solid secondary ball-handler who doesn’t demand substantial touches due to his ability to function as a floor-spacer. Last night, he leaned on the latter component of his game, allowing Jordan Clarkson and Mike Conley to handle the bulk of the playmaking duty.
That decision paid off in a big way. The threat of Ingles’ hot three-point stroke necessitated defensive attention from the Hawks all evening, which created space for Conley and Clarkson to work. Ingles also bailed the Jazz out of a couple of otherwise-broken possessions with deep, unassisted, late-clock threes.
Ingles’ surname might as well be reliable. He’s not always going to shot 5/6 from three-point range, but he’s always a threat to, and that’s enough to keep the Jazz’s offense flowing.
Utah Jazz stud: Mike Conley
Unlike fellow studs Jordan Clarkson and Joe Ingles, Mike Conley did not shoot particularly efficiently in last night’s contest. He finished with 13 points on 5/13 shooting from the field and 3/9 shooting from three-point range.
That’s not horrific by any stretch, but nobody could claim that he was lighting it up, either. Luckily, his relative inefficiency only led the ever-heady floor general to lean on a different skill: his passing.
Conley dished out 11 dimes last night, and turned the ball over exactly once. Without Mitchell in the lineup, Conley was more frequently the primary ball-handler in Quin Snyder’s pick-and-spread offense, and he took advantage of his increased responsibilities.
If a Jazzman cut, Mike Conley found them. If an Atlanta Hawk dared to sag off of one of the Jazz’s plethora of shooters to pack the paint, that shooter received the ball on Conley’s watch. It was a masterclass in playing point guard, and a change of pace for a player averaging 4.4 assists per game on the year.
Between Jordan Clarkson and Mike Conley, Utah Jazz fans saw that in the event of Donovan Mitchell’s absence, the Jazz will still have varied, quality guard play to lean on.
Utah Jazz dud: Trent Forrest
We feel badly about picking on Trent Forrest. We really do. The Utah Jazz sophomore has had precious few opportunities to strut his stuff since being drafted by the team. It’s unfortunate that he blew the one he had last night.
We’re not here to protect feelings though. We’re here to identify a dud from last night’s win over the Hawks. Forrest may have personified the term in this contest.
In Donovan Mitchell’s absence, Forrest saw an uncharacteristic 19 minutes of playing time. In that ample window, he managed 0 points. He attempted one shot. He got a rebound, and an assist that was nullified by a single turnover. He committed two fouls.
He was virtually invisible.
Adding insult to injury, rookie Jared Butler actually outperformed the sophomore yesterday. Butler finished with 5 points on 2/2 shooting from the field. He played for 2 entire minutes.
Forrest frequently appeared lost in yesterday’s contest. He made a home on the weak side of the action. We’d hesitate to claim that he was avoiding the ball, but he didn’t look like he wanted it very badly either. On defense, Forrest was serviceable, but did little to distinguish himself.
19 minutes. Zero points on a single field attempt. That, Utah Jazz faithful, is the definition of a dud.
In the end, Utah Jazz fans should see the Forrest for the trees in this one (sorry). Their club was without their offensive engine in Donovan Mitchell, and they pulled out a road win vs a quality opponent. Hopefully, Mitchell is cleared to play against a much tougher Miami Heat squad tomorrow evening.