The Utah Jazz's youngsters who have been getting the most in recent weeks have been Isaiah Collier and Keyonte George. As the Jazz have put them in roles they're most comfortable in, it looks like both have turned the corner.
So it's no surprise that when both of them stink, the Jazz are much less likely to win. They combined for eight-for-30 shooting from the field to go with eight turnovers, so it's not a surprise that the Jazz lost against the Trail Blazers.
However, they fought tooth and nail against one of the hottest teams in the NBA. It came down to pretty much the last shot. On nights like tonight, Collier and George would of course hold the Jazz back, but what makes it even harder is that Lauri Markkanen, Walker Kessler, Collin Sexton, John Collins, and Jordan Clarkson also didn't play.
So, how did they keep this game within their grasp until the very last second? Because of the efforts of some of their other youngsters who haven't received much shine lately, like Brice Sensabaugh and Kyle Filipowski.
Brice Sensabaugh just had his best game in a while
On the same day Sensabaugh's long-term role with the Jazz came into question following George's recent surge, the second-year Jazzman proved that his bucket-getting ways from not too long ago were no fluke.
Sensabaugh put up 23 points on an eight-for-13 shooting night, which included four threes. The last time he crossed the 20-point mark was January 5. Don't look now, but that's three straight games where he's scored in double figures. Maybe the Jazz are seeing the start of another good scoring stretch from him.
Filipowski had his fourth double-double of the season. More speciically, he had his second 20/10 night of the season. Fans have been begging the Jazz to give him a bigger role, and nights like tonight reward their faith in what he can do.
It wasn't just them who kept the Jazz in it. Raw rookie Cody Williams looked more confident in himself. Not only did he have eight points, eight rebounds, and five assists, but he had the team's highest plus-minus at plus-20. He's starting to look more confident in himself, which could answer one of the Jazz's more pivotal questions this season coming down the homestretch.
It was a fantastic night, all things considered, for some of these Jazz youth. Sensabaugh, in particular, looked fantastic in a game where George was awful outside of his red-hot shooting in the clutch, but is it too much to ask for Sensabaugh and George to play well at the same time?