The Utah Jazz gave faced a lot of bad luck this season. Before tonight, they were victim of scoring explosions. First by Ty Jerome, and then by Luka Doncic. Their luck only got worse, as both Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. both went down with injuries, which typically would mean death for them, but the Jazz didn't have that in mind.
Utah showed a much better fight in their second go-round against Memphis. Last time, the Grizzlies handled their business against the Jazz, winning Opening Night by 20. This time, they had so much going against them with Markkanen and JJJ out that it seemed like a penciled in loss, but the team had other plans.
Led by the likes of Keyonte George, Ace Bailey, and Mo Bamba(?!), Utah made sure Memphis did not take a play off. Yes, they lost, but the Grizzlies had to earn that one. Not only did they fight to the end, but they made Jerome look human while also shutting off Cameron Boozer's water.
Add in the surprise contribution from the seemingly expendable Josh Green, and it's clear that this is the most encouraging 1-3 start the Jazz have had in quite some time.
The moral victories keep piling up for Utah
It's hard to take the L, but it's also easy to see the glass half full on nights like tonight. After the Jazz gave the Los Angeles Lakers everything they could handle yesterday, they showed yet again that they have the right culture on their hands.
Getting unlikely contributions from Bamba and Green is exactly what the Jazz want to see. No, they were not the most exciting offseason additions, but it is a spectacular sight to see them give problems to Jazz opponents when no one would have expected them to. It shows that Utah's depth is stronger than we thought.
When thinking about the long run, it's games like these that should boost the Jazz's confidence overall as a group. They are getting more and more proof that they can hang with tough competition. It may not lead to victories right away, but it is a step in the right direction.
Everyone should have known coming into this season that as talented as this team is, this season was going to be a work in progress. Yes, we would all love to see the Jazz rack up some wins, but the fashion in which they are losing is nothing to be discouraged about!
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