The Utah Jazz haven't seen any post-season action since the 2012 NBA Playoffs. That team featured a starting lineup of Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap, Gordon Hayward, Raja Bell and Devin Harris. Some roster shuffling has been done in the three years since, with Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors, and Alec Burks being the only remaining players from that 2011-2012 team. However, it appears this year could be the one where the Jazz end that slump.
A large part of Utah's success last season was Rudy Gobert's emergence as a big-time rim protector. Standing at 7'1" with a 7'8.5" wingspan (as of the 2013 NBA Draft Combine) certainly makes Gobert a scary matchup for any team. He also haunts Enes Kanter as the reason for Kanter's shipment to Oklahoma City - not that Kanter would complain about a max contract or anything.
Gordon Hayward Has A Shot at Making the All-Star Team
As the current longest tenured player on the Utah Jazz roster, Gordon Hayward will be turned to for scoring and general leadership. Last season, Hayward was able to put his money where his mouth is as he put up career-highs in points per game at 19.3 and three-point shooting percentage at 36 percent.
If Hayward is going to make the All-Star team, the Jazz will need to get off to a hot start this season. Very rarely do players on bad teams get All-Star selections so their record could be the deciding factor. Aside from the politics of the ASG voting, Hayward will have to take on even more of a scoring load and show that he is a star in this league. Lucky for Jazz fans and the wingman from Butler, Hayward's fundamentals are always sound and he very rarely makes bad decisions, which is very important for leaders of winning teams. It may seem like a longshot, especially with how much talent is in the Western Conference, but he's only a few injuries to major superstars away from receiving his first selection.
A subtle clutch gene was also starting to shine through last season. Even if Hayward misses the ASG, that is a quality that a young team like the Jazz will need throughout the 82 games of the season.
The Additions
The biggest addition to this Jazz team was their first-round selection Trey Lyles. At Kentucky, Lyles was used as a small forward but the rookie can play either forward position and play them well. The learning curve will definitely be present, but Quinn Snyder can ease Lyles into a bigger role as the season progresses. In the Las Vegas Summer League, Lyles showed no reluctance to shoot the three-ball, taking 22 long bombs with six finding the bottom of the net. Those numbers aren't great but they show where he's headed as a player. Half of making three pointers is taking three pointers.
The only other additions that seem to have a chance of sticking past Training Camp are Raul Neto and Tibor Pleiss. Neto was selected in the second round of the 2013 NBA Draft as a draft-and-stash player. After two seasons playing for Gipuzkoa BC San Sebastian and UCAM Murcia in the Spanish League, Neto will play his rookie season for the Jazz. With Exum out for a large amount of the season, Neto will get a chance to prove himself as Trey Burke's backup. The Brazilian probably won't make a huge impact but he's a good pass-first point guard who can run the second unit. Tibor Pleiss' rights were acquired in the Enes Kanter trade and after some time in Spain with FC Barcelona. Standing 7'2" with four years of professional basketball experience, Pleiss projects to be Gobert's long-term backup. Trevor Booker will likely get a good chunk of the backup center minutes but Pleiss is too big and too gifted to remain a third-string center for too long.
The Subtractions
The Jazz have been fortunate enough to not see any of their rotation players walk away. It's likely that some end-of-the-bench guys from last season could be on their way out to make way for the rookies, but those moves won't be met with too many ripples. However, the Jazz did sustain a major loss this offseason when Dante Exum tore his ACL in Eurobasket play. Exum is only 18, but he is likely out for, at least, the first couple months of the season. This will give Trey Burke a chance to resurrect his less-than-stellar career (thus far). Exum played a decently large role in Utah's late success last season and this is a huge hit, but with so many more years left in his career, Exum making a full recovery is most important.
Player to Watch: Rudy Gobert
The reasons to watch Rudy Gobert can, pretty much, be summed up in this single four-minute video:
A full season of Gobert starting basketball games seems like too much to pass up on. For the analytics people, Gobert's PER nearly doubled from his rookie season - 12.9 to 21.6. Gobert started in just eight games prior to All-Star Break and averaged 6.9 points. After the All-Star Break, Gobert started all 29 games and increased his scoring numbers to 11.1 points.
Playing for France in Eurobasket play, Gobert demolished the smaller, slower European bigs, except for a Spaniard who goes by the name of Pau Gasol. 40 points in an overtime thriller was enough to sink the French National Team to the bronze medal. Gobert can use that experience as a springboard into the season with a newfound appreciation of NBA referees.
Sleeper Player Who Could Surprise: Joe Ingles
Most casual NBA fans have probably never heard of Joe Ingles. He isn't a feral athlete and he doesn't stuff stat sheets, but his basketball IQ is really high and that keeps him on the floor. While Dante Exum rehabs his knee, Ingles will be the Australian Wonder for this Jazz team. Here is just a taste of the slow, methodical genius of Joe Ingles:
Ingles is the "Spurs-type player" that every team needs. He maximizes his own talent and always seems to make the right pass and that's all you can ask for from a bench contributor.
Synopsis:
With a nice mix of talent and intelligence, the Jazz project to be one of the best young teams in the NBA. They're certainly a team on the rise and a team to watch on League Pass as often as possible. Rudy Gobert will never disappoint, and with Derrick Favors, Alec Burks, and Rodney Hood all making big contributions, Utah has the making of a playoff team that can make some noise. The only real competition for the eighth seed (assuming the first seven seeds are some order of the Warriors, Rockets, Spurs, Clippers, Grizzlies, Thunder and Pelicans) are the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns. Dallas is already injured and Phoenix has a disgruntled twin to deal with so the Jazz have to like their odds. This projects to be the beginning of the rise of Utah as a perennial playoff team. And if the East wasn't shaking in its boots before, the Western Conference is even deeper and scarier this year.