Grading every player on the Utah Jazz at the midway point

Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson

15.4 points, 2.4 assists, 0.8 steals per game

Utah Jazz fans: don’t shoot the messenger. Unless you’re Jordan Clarkson, in which case, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll miss.

Clarkson’s early season shooting slump has held as a year-long trend. His 52.4 TS% is below league average, and bolstered significantly by his free throw percentage. He’s shooting 40.7% from the field and 31.9% from downtown.

We’re not going to fail Clarkson. The defensive pressure he draws still benefits the Utah Jazz to a degree.

Grade: D 

Utah Jazz forward Rudy Gay

8.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game 

Rudy Gay has been roughly what the Utah Jazz bargained for when they signed him this offseason. He provides serviceable floor spacing (34.2% on 4.1 threes per night) and passable defense (-0.2 DBPM).

He hasn’t been deployed as a small ball 5 as often as we’d hoped. That won’t count against his grade very much. It’s not his decision, and the Jazz seem to operate best with a conventional big man in the middle.

A positive DBPM would have helped him out a little bit.

Grade: B 

Utah Jazz center Hassan Whiteside

8.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.5 blocks per game 

Hassan Whiteside has been spectacular for the Utah Jazz.

When Rudy Gobert is unavailable, he gives them a starting caliber rim protector to lean on. When he’s backing Gobert up, he allows the Jazz to have one for 48 minutes of basketball. His per 75 possession averages of 17.1 points, 15.6 rebounds and 3 blocks per game tell you all you need to know.

As we mentioned, we’re grading relative to expectations. Hassan Whiteside has more than met his.

Grade: A+