Utah Jazz add 3 and D
This is not the first time we’ve suggested the Jazz should add Frank Ntilikina. That’s no surprise: he’d be an ideal acquisition for this franchise.
Frankie Smokes has failed to live up to his 8th overall selection in the 2017 draft, but don’t mistake that fact to mean that he’s not a quality NBA rotation player. Concerns about his three-point stroke have long been alleviated. He’s sinking 35.9% of his 2.6 attempts per contest this season after connecting on 47.9% of his 1.5 attempts per game last year.
More importantly, Ntilikina is in the upper echelon of defensive guards in the NBA today. Last season, he posted an impressive Defensive Box Plus/Minus of 2.2. While he’s only at 0.2 this season, we’re willing to bet there’s some early season, small sample noise in that number.
Any guard the Jazz would acquire to bolster their rotation has to fit with Jordan Clarkson. Ntilikina seems tailor made for that task. He’s primarily an off-ball weapon on offense, and he packs the defensive punch to compensate for Clarkson’s ineffectiveness on the less glamorous end. With this addition, the Jazz could become arguably the most complete team in the NBA.
As for Dallas, Paschall diversifies what is currently a very limited frontcourt rotation. Maxi Kieber is a quality rotation piece, but he lacks the lateral mobility to play the 4 full time. Dwight Powell is a nice defensive center who provides no spacing. A pairing of Kristaps Porzingis and Eric Paschall offers enough offensive potency that head coach Jason Kidd may consider making it his starting formation.
This deal has major win/win potential for both sides.
Eric Paschall should have a bright future in the NBA. However, for a Utah Jazz team trying to win an NBA championship who rosters such a similar player in veteran Rudy Gay, he may have more value as a trade chip than a player.