Utah Jazz Trade Deadline Goal #3: Improve perimeter defense
The Utah Jazz need more perimeter defenders. In other news, water is wet, and that Captain Obvious ad campaign isn’t funny anymore.
It’s telling that the Jazz have the league’s 14th ranked Defensive Rating (111.02) despite rostering Rudy Gobert. Anyone who would like to point blame in the Stifle Tower’s direction is woefully misguided. This team needs more perimeter stopping power.
That’s especially true in the wake of Joe Ingles’ ACL tear. Ingles wasn’t the most athletic player in the NBA, but he was a willing, high IQ defender. Now, he’s gone.
Bojan Bogdanovic isn’t up to the task of replacing him. He’s been a marginally negative defender for most of his NBA career now. At 31, that’s unlikely to change.
Royce O’Neale is a great perimeter defender. The Jazz just need to get him some help. Guys like Robert Covington and Torrey Craig need to be on their radar. Jerami Grant should be to, although the team should be preparing for the (highly likely) outcome that they can’t land him.
There will be other options across the league. Wherever the Jazz land, it’d better be somewhere that enables them to upgrade their perimeter defense.
This season was always about title contention for the Utah Jazz. They do not appear ready for that challenge. If they can accomplish at least two of these three goals, they may get there.