2 studs and 1 dud from Utah Jazz win over Knicks

It may be a bold proclamation, but we’re making it anyway: the Utah Jazz are back.

It feels like a particularly brazen claim coming off the back of a win against the New York Knicks. Losing is nothing new for that team this year. They’ve done it in 9 or their last 10 contests.

The Jazz have to take wins where they get them at this point in the year. This is a team that suffered undermanned losses to teams like the Pistons, Rockets and Pacers during a recent rough stretch.

The Jazz’s offense has resembled its early season form in consecutive games now. Granted, they didn’t explode in this 113-104 victory, but the principles were there. More to the matter, Donovan Mitchell was there.

Here are 2 studs and 1 dud from this contest.

Utah Jazz stud: Udoka Azubuike

With the trade deadline just 2 days away, Danny Ainge has to be thinking about Azubuike’s recent stretch of strong play. It has become apparent that the Jazz roster 3 rotation caliber conventional big men.

One of them probably has to go, and at 22, it’s probably Azubuike. Utah Jazz fans may be sad to see that if it does happen, however.

Last night, the native Nigerian finished with 7 points on 3/5 shooting, 14 rebounds and 3 blocks. Azubuike played the same effective, low maintenance brand of basketball the Jazz would have expected from Hassan Whiteside. The role is simple: protect the rim, collect the ball, and on the other end, dunk it.

Just because it’s simple doesn’t mean it isn’t critical. Quin Snyder’s offensive design requires a rim running big man to create gravity under the basket. Azubuike does exactly that. At 7’0 and 270 pounds with an elite vertical leap, there’s probably never been a human being in history who could stop the man from dunking a basketball if he wanted to.

Inevitably, some rebuilding club will put a premium on that skill.