The Utah Jazz acquired a former Defensive Player of the Year with Jaren Jackson Jr. who is about to enter his prime. There's a lot to like about what JJJ brings to the table, from shot-blocking to perimeter defense. There are some legitimate concerns, like he's not the best at staying out of foul trouble, and oh boy, the rebounding.
But let's not be a buzzkill about such an awesome addition when he really hasn't played serious basketball as a Jazzman yet, and the positives definitely outweigh the negatives. Especially when he has made it clear that from the jump, he intends to win titles in Utah.
The issue about to be brought up about JJJ is not about him, but more about the questionably defensive personnel surrounding him on the Jazz. That could especially stand out like a sore thumb in the wake of Walker Kessler's departure.
This has been mentioned before, so without repeating what's already on the record, Utah made this grievous error with Rudy Gobert. As one of the best defenders the NBA has ever seen, Gobert covered a lot more ground than just about anyone in the NBA during his peak days as a Jazzman. The only problem was that the team didn't consistently surround him with good defenders.
They did in the earlier days back when they had players like Derrick Favors, Joe Ingles, Dante Exum, and Jae Crowder. The problem was that it was clear they needed more offensive creation outside of Donovan Mitchell. Unfortunately, getting just that - Mike Conley Jr., Bojan Bogdanovic, Jordan Clarkson - more or less compromised their defense.
Gobert did his thing as best he could, but he stretched far too thin because the Jazz simply didn't have enough reinforcements around him.
No one's saying it's the same case with JJJ, but because Utah has seen this before, they should not act like this couldn't become an issue.
The Jazz's overall defense breeds questions
JJJ is an elite defender who will have a chip on his shoulder this season. However, like Gobert, he can only do so much. With him alone, the Jazz's defense should finally not be lousy, but that should definitely not be the goal with him on the team.
Outside of him, the rest of the roster isn't necessarily hopeless, but they have no sure things on the defensive side of the court outside of Jackson. Offensively, the team is more than set, and that's why this season will be super exciting to watch unfold.
Defensively, their best personnel are Josh Okogie (underrated get), Jaxson Hayes (perfectly solid rim protection), Cody Williams (has the body for it but is still offensively raw), Ace Bailey (same thing though offensively he's quite promising), and Darryn Peterson (hasn't played one NBA minute yet).
Utah will mean business next season, but their defense will set the tone for how much they mean business. Jackson will be the quarterback of their D, but he'll need contributions from everyone to avoid the same problems Gobert had.
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