Should the Utah Jazz target John Wall if he’s bought out?

The case for the Utah Jazz pursuing John Wall

The case for trading for Wall is relatively simple: the guy can flat out play. The Rockets’ decision to keep him in street clothes has nothing to do with his on-court ability. This is a case of a young, rebuilding team opting to develop a player befitting their timeline at his position. The talented but raw 21-year-old Kevin Porter Jr has been manning the point for the Rockets in Wall’s absence.

Which makes it easy to forget that last season, Wall averaged 20.6 points and 6.9 assists as a starter in Space City. While he may not be currently earning his massive contract, it’s worth remembering that there was a time when such a price tag was widely regarded as fitting for a player of Wall’s caliber.

Some Utah Jazz fans may protest that the 31.7% Wall shot from three-point range last season makes him ill-fitted in Quin Snyder’s three-point heavy attack. That’s fair, but counterpoints nonetheless exist. This Jazz team’s 21.7 assists per game rank 25th in the NBA. Relevantly, Wall’s 6.9 helpers per game from last season were actually the lowest figure of his entire career.

It seems likely that Wall would boost his assist per 36 minutes when surrounded by the talent he would be in Salt Lake City. The Rockets didn’t exactly arm him with a wealth of targets last season. His ability to force defenses to collapse and kick the ball to open shooters may improve Utah’s inconsistent three-point efficiency.

In fact, the Utah Jazz don’t currently roster a drive-and-dish option of Wall’s caliber. His presence may add a wrinkle to this offense that makes it even more devastating.

Of course, we’ve just pointed to the counterargument: this offense is already devastating. With a league-leading 114.82 Offensive Rating, do the Utah Jazz need John Wall?