The Utah Jazz likely won't be as good as the Houston Rockets. There's a solid chance neither will make the playoffs, but when one team wants to, and the other wants to play "Capture the Flagg," there may be a difference, but tonight proved it may not be that stark.
After the Jazz started the same preseason lineup they did against the Breakers, the Rockets gave them a good punch, but the Jazz punched back, and they did not let up when they did.
Will Hardy will try his best with his group, and why not? There's a reason why he's considered among the best coaches in the NBA. Nights like tonight proved it, even if this game won't count.
Studs
1. What a comeback!
It really looked like it was going to be one of *those nights* when the Rockets were up 19 on the Jazz at one point. However, a 29-point swing gave the Jazz the game back and then some. From the second half onward, they truly had control of the game.
Even when the Jazz weren't exactly great, the Rockets weren't lighting the world on fire, and once they were hitting all their shots, the Jazz's swtich flipped, and they never looked back.
2. Lauri Markkanen & Isaiah Collier can draw fouls like nobody's business
Markkanen did not have a great performance - more on this later - but man Markkanen knew how to get himself to the line. It's what makes him such a unique star as a stretch big who can create his own shot. If the shot is off, he can just exploit size mismatches to shoot from the charity stripe.
His free throw attempts (13) kept the Jazz at bay, and Isaiah Colliers seven free throw attempts helped them stay in the game against the Rockets. That's how you win games even when the shot isn't falling.
3. The Johnny Juzang hype train keeps humming!
Man it's difficult not to get too excited about Juzang. It's always exciting to see the Jazz have more shooting with size - we see you, Kyle Filipowski! - but Juzang has easily been one of the most exciting players two games into the preseason.
Juzang can stretch the floor and has touch around the rim. While it might be too early to say whether he'll factor into their season at all, it's fair to believe he'll get his shot.
Duds
1. That first quarter offense... Yikes
Oh my lanta, what a disaster. 12 points is as bad as it gets, but what makes it worse is the fact that the Jazz didn't get their second field goal until John Collins hit a three-pointer with three minutes to go in the quarter more or less.
Sure, they missed makeable shots, but the careless turnovers and stagnant movement made Hardy have to take a frustration timeout super early. It didn't get much better with the second unit.
It's not like the Rockets took much advantage, but that was about as awful as it gets.
2. Lauri Markkanen couldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat
As the designated best player on the Jazz, it is sad to see Markkanen unable to hit too many shots. Granted, the free throws he drew were a good way to salvage a bad performance, which is what franchise players do, but it was pretty glaring to see him miss the shots he typically makes.
On the night, Markkanen shot three-for-11 from the field, and a few of those shots were open dunks. Everyone knows it fits the mold of an off-night, and of course Markkanen isn't immune to that. The sad part is, when you're at the top of the pecking order, off-nights will stick out like a sore thumb.
3. Overall play from the guards was subpar
Even though its preseason, it's fair to believe that Keyonte George and Collin Sexton will be their starting backcourt on opening night. On nights like this, they left a lot to be desired, even if they weren't as bad as Markkanen was shooting-wise.
Combined the two of them were six-for-16 from the field and coughed up five combined turnovers. Collier and Jordan Clarkson were noticeably better (though Collier was not efficient from the field), but the Jazz will need more from them.