The Utah Jazz got the win on Friday night against the Los Angeles Clippers and three players saw their stocks go down.
The Utah Jazz nearly lost a very winnable game on Friday against the Los Angeles Clippers. With a solid lead in the third quarter, and the Jazz’s collective foot on the throttle, the team looked like it was about to pull away. But a bad rotation came in, one that lacked defense, and the Clippers used the advantage to get back into the game and take the lead.
The lack of efficient defense was what it took for the Clippers to retake the lead, combined with poor shot selection from some of the more usual suspects and because of that collapse of sorts in the third, we can see for sure that these three men saw their stocks decline.
Talen Horton-Tucker
If you weren’t watching, you would think Talen Horton-Tucker had a solid night. He finished his night with 10 points, eight assists, 3 rebounds, 3 steals, a block, and only two turnovers. But when Horton-Tucker came into the game late in the third, the entire course of the game changed. The Jazz fell apart on defense, and the Clippers took advantage of it. Horton-Tucker had his moments, but he was getting roasted by the Clippers perimeter shooting.
Collin Sexton
It might be time to ask ourselves if Collin Sexton’s offense negates his poor defense. Is he worth keeping on the court if he gives up six points for every two he scores? That was on display against the Clippers, who attacked him all night. While Horton-Tucker was a problem in the late third, Sexton’s defense was non-existent at any point. We know he’s a defensive liability, and it’s only become more and more obvious without better defenders around him.
John Collins
John Collins had a solid night, nothing to worry about long-term like Sexton and Horton-Tucker but there were a few plays where he was lost on defense. He came up late in the game and tried to double on Kawhi Leonard, and in doing so allowed Norman Powell to have a wide-open shot at the goal. There were a few other instances where Collins would rotate off a guy or a spot, and no one would fill in for him. Maybe that’s on the guy who didn’t slide over, maybe it’s on him for being over-aggressive. It’s likely a scenario where he just needs more time to acclimate with his teammates, so we’re not going to worry just yet.