The Utah Jazz brought in some new faces before their season resumed. They may not be the biggest names, but they are players to whom the Jazz should feel good giving a flyer: KJ Martin and Jaden Springer.
Both are young, have shown their potential, and can give the Jazz an infusion of something they definitely lacked: defense. Of course, any time their names are mentioned, there's always the elephant in the room for both of them.
Martin's contract is non-guaranteed for $8 million next season, while Springer is on a 10-day contract, meaning there's a scenario where neither will be Jazzmen for too long.
However, the Jazz gave both legitimate minutes in their debut when they faced the Oklahoma City Thunder. Springer had the team's highest plus/minus of plus-two in nearly 11 minutes of action. Martin wasn't as fortunate there, but he played nearly 16 minutes.
It may only be one game, but playing that many minutes out of the gate indicates that the Jazz really will take a good hard look at Martin and Springer. Will Hardy's comments on them after the Jazz lost to the Thunder may have major implications for the Jazz's two newest players.
Will Hardy hinted that both may stay for some time
Hardy told reporters what value he sees in the Jazz's two new additions and why what they bring will be good for the Jazz as a unit.
“I want those two guys to be good individual defenders and also sort of model what being a competitive defensive player looks like,” Hardy told reporters, per Deseret News' Sarah Todd. “I think both those guys have some very natural ability on that side of the ball. That’s good for our group.”
The Jazz are tied for the league's worst defensive rating in the NBA, allowing 118.5 points per 100 possessions. Despite Walker Kessler's return to form this season, it's clear that the Jazz will need more than just him to have a formidable defense.
The additions of Martin and Springer could further help the Jazz's defense become elite again. They may not necessarily be vital cogs in their rebuild, but, as Hardy alluded to, they could be the example that the Jazz need to become an effective team on both sides of the floor.
Now, if they also manage to develop into offensively impactful players while setting the tone on defense, that could do wonders for the Jazz, but that's setting the bar high when, really, at this point, all these two have to do is play well enough to be on the Jazz next season.