Utah

5 observations from Utah Jazz lineup duos

Published

1 year ago

December 30, 2023

5 observations from Utah Jazz lineup duos

The Utah Jazz host the Miami Heat tonight which marks the final game before the new year. Such turning of the page prompts reflection about the season thus far.

The Jazz are at 13-19 on the season with nearly 40% of games “in the books”. At his point, we may also derive some fair insights from the data as most popular lineups will have played hundreds of possessions.

Per Cleaning The Glass, the Jazz boast the league’s 26th worst point differential (-6.4 per 100 possessions). This figure comprises many lineup combinations. Were we to disentangle the individual threads, we may discover specific trends worthy of further investigation.

5-player lineup combinations yield some of the most interpretable insights. Very few, however, have logged sufficient minutes to be noteworthy. Single player point differential naturally lacks the presence of teammates; not our interest.

Two- and three-player lineups are the best choice to balance these and other considerations. For simplicity of visualization, a two-dimension visual is best. Exploring the results using this lineup heatmap (screenshot below) will expedite insights from observations.

Utah Jazz two-player lineup combos interactive tool

For the purposes of this investigation, we’ll restrict lineup combos to 300 possessions or more through last night’s action.

THT and…a handful of players

The Utah Jazz are outscoring opponents this year when Talen takes the floor in lineups with one of Ochai Agaji, Walker Kessler, Lauri Markkanen, or Kelly Olynyk. Contrary to some popular beliefs, Talen has contributed to winning minutes with such players.

But that may speak more to the competent players surrounding him than strictly Talen’s on court contributions. Talen successfully commands competent units. This may point to why Will Hardy (who’s been unapologetic in his intentions to win every game) has regularly found opportunities for THT.

Keyonte and Walker

Ideally speaking, Keyonte would be commanding the team well in competent lineups…but that’s not the case, yet.

Take George and Kessler. In 389 possessions (191 minutes) the Jazz are being outscored by 21.8 points per 100 possessions. That is abysmal from a duo we’d like to see as anchors of the back- and frontcourt respectively.

And the bad news doesn’t end there. Keyonte has performed very poor with just about every two-player lineup combo possible, with the exception of Lauri Markkanen (still -3.69 in 609 possessions). He’s got to do his part, however, starting with efficient scoring.

Utah Jazz v Dallas Mavericks — Walker Kessler and John Collins work to defend in tandem against the Dallas Mavericks

John and Walker

When the Jazz traded for John Collins, they did so first and foremost because the price was right. Rudy Gay and a protected 2nd for Collins’ long term deal was a good price for a Jazz team seemingly without any significant aspirations in free agency.

But part of the bet was John Collins getting his shot back and competently spacing offensively. Well the former has been true but not the latter. When Collins and Kessler share the floor, the Jazz are being outscored by 16.1 points per 100 in 441 possessions.

Certainly part of that was a poor starting stretch from Walker to begin the year as he dealt with a hyperextended elbow. However, much of that is in John’s inability to create gravity on offense and play a cohesive defensive role.

Lauri and Kris

It’s not all doom and gloom, I promise. The best duo is Markkanen and Dunn, interestingly. In 339 possessions, Utah is outscoring opponents by 9.14 per 100.

It’s not readily understood why this is. Many other duos struggle with Markkanen and Dunn’s only other pairing worth noting is with Ochai Agbaji. More investigation is needed into what is contributing to its success (could just be shooting luck or opponent strength).

At minimum there’s some good yin-yang between defensive positioning, activity, passing, shooting, initiative, etc.

Utah Jazz v Detroit Pistons — Collin Sexton is all smiles against the Detroit Pistons

Collin and anyone but Kris

Sexton has been really improving of late after a start to the season that had many, including myself, really disappointed after what appeared to be a great offseason of training and getting healthy.

Outside of time shared on the court with Kris, Collin is near even with everyone he plays with. It almost mirrors his time with the Jazz. Some high peaks and low valleys across many situations all translate to being even.

Perhaps that is about what you want from a primary bench player.

There’s plenty more investigation to be done for each of these two-player lineup combos to fully evaluate why they are successful when the team is not (at least in the aggregate). We’ve discussed some hypotheses that may be the basis for future pieces here at SLC Dunk.

At minimum we have a tool that facilitates quick identification of functioning two-player combinations to then direct the next analysis. Consider return to the lineup heatmap at your leisure to check-in on combinations going forward.

In the meantime, however, take mental note when George and Kessler share the floor, or THT and Olynyk, etc. Translate what you see into additional hypotheses for why things are or are not working. Such insights could indicate where Utah may steer the team as the trade deadline approaches.

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Utah

Utah State Running Back Transfer Commits To South Carolina Over Florida State

Published

5 hours ago

January 7, 2025

Press Room

Utah State Running Back Transfer Commits To South Carolina Over Florida State

Florida State came up short in its pursuit of a top running back transfer.

On Tuesday, Utah State running back transfer Rahsul Faison announced he was committing to South Carolina. Faison chose the Gamecocks over FSU, Alabama, North Carolina, UCLA, and UCF.

The Seminoles hosted Faison for a visit last weekend but he continued to take trips elsewhere. Florida State could very well kick the tires on another transfer during the spring window.

Faison spent two seasons with the Aggies and had a career year in 2024 where he rushed 198 times for 1,109 yards and eight touchdowns while catching 22 passes for 99 yards. He had five games of 100+ rushing yards, including a season-high 20 carries for 191 yards and a touchdown in a 55-10 victory against Hawaii on November 16. He was named second-team All-Mountain West for his performance last fall.

During his first season at Utah State, Faison rushed 118 times for 736 yards and five touchdowns. In total, he appeared in 25 games, making 13 starts, and totaled 316 carries for 1,845 yards and 13 touchdowns. Faison also caught 33 passes for 151 yards.

The Pennsylvania native signed with Marshall as a two-star prospect in 2019. He ultimately spent that season at the junior college level at Lackawanna College and was with the Thundering Herd in 2020. Faison didn’t appear in a game with either program and elected to go back to the JUCO level with Snow College. He rushed 88 times for 355 yards and six touchdowns prior to transferring to Utah State.

The 5-foot-11, 200-pound running back has at least one season of eligibility remaining due to the new junior college ruling.

READ MORE: Elite FSU Quarterback Commitment Gets First Chance To Meet New OC Gus Malzahn

Florida State has six scholarship running backs eligible to return in 2025; redshirt senior Roydell Williams, redshirt senior Caziah Holmes, redshirt junior Jaylin Lucas, redshirt sophomore Samuel Singleton Jr., sophomore Kam Davis, and redshirt freshman Micahi Danzy.

The Seminoles signed four-star Ousmane Kromah during the Early Signing Period.

READ MORE: Standout Utah State Running Back Transfer Lists Florida State In Top-Six

Stick with NoleGameday for more FREE coverage of Florida State Football throughout the offseason

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• Florida State Adds FCS Quarterbacks Coach To Off-Field Staff

• Florida State Lands Explosive Tennessee Wide Receiver Transfer Squirrel White

• Florida State Secures Veteran Memphis Linebacker Transfer Elijah Herring

• Former FSU Defensive End, Seminole Legacy Transferring To Third School In Three Years

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Utah junior high teacher arrested for alleged possession of child porn

Published

12 hours ago

January 7, 2025

Press Room

Utah junior high teacher arrested for alleged possession of child porn

PROVO, Utah — A teacher within the Alpine School District is facing charges of sexual exploitation of a minor after allegedly uploading child porn to the internet. Travis Adamson, 49, is currently being held without bail.

According to court documents obtained by FOX 13 News, investigators were first notified of the potential crime at the end of April 2023. Adobe Inc. reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children via CyberTip that a user had uploaded files containing depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct on their account.

The CyberTip also included account information regarding the suspect user, including an IP address and email address that belonged to a teacher within the Alpine School District. Detectives used geo-location to trace the suspect’s IP address and found it was located within or near the city limits of Provo.

The school district confirmed to investigators that Adamson was still an employee within the district.

On Monday, detectives interviewed Adamson at the school where he confirmed that he was the sole user of the Adobe account and admitted to viewing child sexual abuse material.

Adamson also told detectives that he had downloaded several thousand images and videos onto his hard drive which is located at his home. He denied ever photographing or doing anything sexual or inappropriate with his students or other kids.

Detectives are now working to get access to Adamson’s hard drive and more charges could be coming.

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Utah cracks AP Top 25 Women’s Basketball poll before key matchups

Published

20 hours ago

January 7, 2025

Press Room

Utah cracks AP Top 25 Women’s Basketball poll before key matchups

The Utah Utes have made headlines by cracking the AP Top 25 at No. 22 for the first time this season, following a hard-fought 75-67 win over Iowa State. This marks Utah’s third consecutive season being ranked, despite an unexpected coaching change early in the season. Head coach Lynne Roberts departed for the WNBA, leaving longtime assistant Gavin Petersen to step in. Under Petersen’s leadership, Utah has thrived, demonstrating resilience and cohesion.

Petersen credited the team’s ability to stay focused and overcome adversity. “Our resilient crew has stepped up and faced the adversity that’s in front of them,” Petersen said. Utah’s win over Notre Dame during a Thanksgiving tournament was a pivotal moment that signaled their strength and potential.

Utah has ‘big money’ problem with a billionaire calling NIL shots for rival

The competition for dominance in women’s college basketball continues to intensify as the Big Ten and SEC assert themselves as the sport’s premier leagues. This week’s Associated Press Top 25 women’s basketball poll highlights the strength of both conferences, with each boasting seven ranked teams, including four in the top 10.

The Big Ten’s recent expansion with the addition of No. 1 UCLA and No. 4 USC has bolstered its claim as the top league. UCLA’s consistent performances, including a victory over South Carolina, solidify their place at the top of the rankings, earning 30 of 32 first-place votes. Meanwhile, the SEC has also grown stronger with No. 5 Texas and No. 10 Oklahoma joining the conference. South Carolina, a perennial powerhouse, remains No. 2 and will face Texas in a highly anticipated showdown.

This week, the Utes prepare for a marquee matchup, hosting No. 12 Kansas State at the Huntsman Center. This game not only pits two top-25 teams against each other but also serves as a litmus test for Utah’s aspirations in the Big 12.

As Utah continues its unbeaten run in conference play, upcoming matchups against No. 11 TCU and No. 17 West Virginia will provide further opportunities to climb the rankings and solidify their standing among the nation’s elite.

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