When the Utah Jazz signed Rudy Gay this offseason, it felt like a smart, solid addition. Gay figured to improve the squad’s positional versatility while providing veteran leadership. Has the signing worked out in Utah’s favor so far?
The answer is yes, and no, but mostly yet. That’s a little bit complicated. We’ll dissect it for you.
Utah Jazz forward Rudy Gay having uneven season
On a nightly basis, Rudy Gay is either this team’s X-factor, or a total non-factor.
That’s to be expected for a veteran role player like Gay. Still, the trend is striking. Check out this 3-game stretch in November, for example:
November 18th vs Toronto Raptors: 20 points, 5 rebounds
November 20th vs Sacramento Kings: 3 points, 6 rebounds
November 22nd vs Memphis Grizzlies: 2 points, 3 rebounds
It’s been this way all season long. Here’s a similar sample that took place in December:
December 25th vs Dallas Mavericks: 4 points, 1 rebound
December 27th vs San Antonio Spurs: 7 points, 2 rebounds
December 29th vs Portland Trail Blazers: 21 points
All of which is perfectly fine. The Utah Jazz didn’t acquire Gay as a primary offensive option. The occasional outburst goes above and beyond his job description.
On that note: how’s he performing at his actual job?
Utah Jazz small ball experiments not working
The answer to that question is likely to vary by observer. If you thought the Jazz acquired Gay to give themselves a small ball center, you’re not happy with his performance to date.
Per CleaningtheGlass, the most used Gay-at-the-5 lineup this season has featured Gay, Bojan Bogdanovic, Royce O’Neale, Jordan Clarkson and Donovan Mitchell. That group is getting pummelled, with a -29.9 points differential over 78 possessions.
The best lineup featuring Gay at the 5 is unfortunately no longer an option. That’s because it swapped Joe Ingles in for Bojan Bogdanovic in that same lineup. That group was posting a +33.1 differential, albeit over just 27 possessions.
The jury is still out on the small-ball experiment, and it looks like Quin Snyder may keep it that way. The most frequently used lineup featuring Gay has him at his traditional 4 spot. That grouping has him alongside Rudy Gobert, Joe Ingles, Jordan Clarkson, and Mike Conley. They’ve posted a +18.4 differential (84th percentile) over 450 possessions (again, per CleaningtheGlass).
Aside from the data’s troubling suggestion that Gay played particularly well with Joe Ingles, it’s obvious that Quin Snyder prefers Gay at the 4 spot. It seems unfair to knock Gay’s grade for that, but we were looking forward to seeing the Jazz improve their versatility this year.
At least he’s performed well at the 4.
Utah Jazz should be happy with investment
All told, Gay has been a solid rotational player for the Jazz this season. He’s posting a Box Plus/Minus of -0.1, a perfectly acceptable number for a role player.
His occasional offensive outbursts come between stretches of solid, low maintenance basketball. He plays hard and selflessly, generally fitting into this Utah Jazz culture.
Had Gay been able to unlock small ball for the Jazzmen, he’d earn a higher grade. As it stands, he’s still receiving a good mark for essentially doing what has been asked of him.
Grade: B
In the playoffs, the Utah Jazz may have no choice but to deploy Gay at the 5 in certain situations. Hopefully, he can manage the role for brief stretches.