The Utah Jazz fought valiantly in their fourth preseason game against the San Antonio Spurs but lost 126-120. The Jazz came into the game undermanned, but so did the Spurs, who were missing Victor Wembanyama.
It was a tight contest all the way through, but knowing where the Jazz stand, it's not a surprise that they wouldn't finish the preseason undefeated. That's not to say there wasn't anything to be encouraged about.
There was actually a lot of reasons to see the glass half-full tonight, but one needs to be fair especially when the team is on the losing side.
Studs
1. Collin Sexton was awesome
Sexton made a Top 100 NBA Player Rankings for a reason, so it makes sense that on a night when the Jazz are undermanned, he shows that it's his time to shine. Putting up 24 points and eight assists is a good reminder that until someone else proves otherwise, Sexton is the best guard on this roster.
His scoring was always efficient, but if his playmaking takes another leap, Sexton could take another step further into stardom, though that may not necessarily help the Jazz's plans.
2. Cody Williams looked like the 10th overall pick
Now, that's more like it from Williams. The Jazz's 2024 lottery pick hasn't been bad leading up to tonight, but he hasn't made himself stand out before tonight. Tonight, Williams looked more confident in himself as the Jazz took on the Spurs.
More importantly, putting him with the other starters may demonstrate that he's better in that role than off the bench. Williams came into the NBA as a jack-of-all-trades wing, and he could very well prove it
3. The Walker Kessler comeback train is humming
Kessler had himself a breakout game against the Mavericks, and he built on that against the Spurs. He yet again dominated on the boards, corraling 10 in total, as well as blocking three shots.
Again, that's the kind of game the Jazz want to see from Kessler on a nightly basis. He doesn't have to light up the scoreboard by any means. He just has to be the dominant presence that he should be when he takes the floor.
Duds
1. Isaiah Collier coughed it up a lot
Collier continues to show how NBA-ready he is, but he is still a rookie. Rookies come with warts no matter how promising they are. In Collier's case, the turnovers were a problem., as he coughed up the ball four times in less than ten minutes of action.
We won't dump too much on Collier since he had to leave the game early , but still, while he definitely has shown that he could be ready to go right away, the turnovers could prove to be an option.
2. The turnovers in general were a problem
Collier was only a symptom of the problem for the Jazz tonight. The Jazz surrendered 22 turnovers, with the turnovers being spread out over multiple players.
The turnovers led to 26 fastbreak points for the Spurs compared to the Jazz's 14. Knowing the 12-point differential, it's statistics like those that prove to make all the difference in annoying losses. Even if ones like tonight don't count for anything.
3. Points in the paint. Wow
Speaking of differentials that make a huge difference, the Spurs scored 70 points in the paint compared to the Jazz's 38. Jiminy Cricket. It's not like the Jazz will be a top-notch defense this season, but numbers like those are alarming.
What's funny is that if Wembanyama had played, that differential would make all the sense, but he didn't.