Three thoughts on the Utah Jazz’s 129-103 loss to the Denver Nuggets from Salt Lake Tribune Jazz beat writer Andy Larsen.
1. If you can‘t shoot the ball, you’re going to have a bad time
Shooting is the NBA‘s uber-skill in the modern era. If you can‘t shoot well, you’re not going to be able to win.
Well, the Jazz are the worst shooting team in the league this season, by a lot. They‘re now averaging 28 percent from the 3-point line, significantly below the No. 29 team, the 1-4 Philadelphia 76ers (31.3%). They’re 29th in the league in 2-point shooting, too.
If that 3-point shooting didn’t improve throughout the season, it would be the worst 3-point shooting performance from an NBA team since the year 2000.
So, first of all: it’s not likely to be this bad moving forward. The Jazz are certainly a bad team. Are they worst team ever in the last two and a half decades? I’m a little bit skeptical, looking at the roster. Variance after this small sample size will probably swing back and the Jazz will probably just be regular bad.
But regular bad is obviously still a problem. That Keyonte George has started his season shooting 12-51 from three makes it less likely that he has made strides from the 33% he shot from three last season. It is discouraging how poorly Cody Williams has started with his shot; it makes it more likely that he will struggle to adjust his shot to the NBA.
This season is all about the draft pick they get in June and figuring out who will come along for the ride afterward — and let‘s be honest, it doesn‘t look like there are star-level players among this young core. So who can be an effective role player? Shooting is a prerequisite for that in today‘s league, and the players who don’t have it will struggle to find their NBA foothold in the long term.
In the meantime: it’s ugly. The Jazz have lost their last five games by a combined 110 points, the worst 5-game stretch in Jazz history.
2. Getting guys out of their shell
Walker Kessler had his first career technical tonight.
He was called for an offensive screening foul that he thought was not one, and as he walked to the bench (it was a timeout situation), Kessler shouted back at the ref with a phrase that included an expletive.
He said it was the first time he’s done that, and noted it was maybe a bit unfair he got whistled for his first time. But in general, his teammates and coaches were happy that he stood up for himself. Kessler’s known as a pretty easy-going, nice guy — so his team was proud that he showed an edge. Even if it cost him $2,000.
Cody Williams had somewhat of a homecoming game, playing in Colorado where he went to college for a season. (He grew up and went to high school in Arizona.) But perhaps that was on his mind as he took 11 shots in just 20 minutes on the court tonight, a far more prolific rate than he had shown in his first five games.
Yes, he made just two of them. But, like with Kessler, it was almost nice to see him break out of his safe shell. Hardy said Williams executes the Jazz‘s off-ball cutting and spacing “better than probably anybody on the team right now,” an impressive statement about a rookie.
Now, it‘s about taking the next steps: can Williams be more impactful on the glass (one rebound tonight), or with creating for teammates (zero assists), or on the defensive end? Can Kessler consistently display toughness on the floor — using his body to create room for his teammates in a way the referees don‘t call? We‘ll see, but I‘ll take even these failures as good signs, because they’re out of the ordinary.
3. Injury updates
Let‘s get you some updates on all of the Jazz’s various injury issues.
• Lauri Markkanen was downgraded from questionable to out for Saturday night’s game against the Nuggets, thanks to his back spasms — but told us he expects to be back to game action at some point on this road trip. He said it’s best for his back to avoid sitting as much as possible. At shootaround, he was rebounding for his teammates.
• Jordan Clarkson has dealt with some heel pain over the last week — he told me he first started feeling it against the Warriors. He said he‘s been diagnosed with plantar fasciitis; the Jazz say he‘ll be re-evaluated in one week. It can be a weird, lingering injury.
• I was just chatting with Collin Sexton in the locker room on Thursday when he showed me his left ring finger and how it was pretty bent — with approximately the same attitude as a teenager showing off a gross but cool injury. I think he expected me to say “Wicked!” after I saw it.
The finger is indeed broken, but Sexton is playing through it, by taping it to the finger next to it for the next eight weeks of games. There are a lot of players who probably would take this opportunity to sit in a tanking season, so give Sexton some credit for playing through the pain, even though it probably hurts his stats again. That being said:
“From all accounts, Collin doesn’t feel pain,” Hardy said.
• Isaiah Collier is still out with a hamstring strain, but does look like he‘s making progress in the workouts we get to see. I‘m not sure he’s day-to-day, but more week-to-week.
• Keyonte George sprained his ankle on Thursday, but only slightly … he returned to Thursday’s game and seemed uninhibited Saturday.
• Walker Kessler is currently playing through sickness.
• Micah Potter was on the table wearing ankle tape at SLC Stars practice on Friday. … I suspect that‘s why he’s not on this road trip and Oscar Tshiebwe is. There hasn’t been an official update on his status, though.
Editor’s note • This story is available to Salt Lake Tribune subscribers only. Thank you for supporting local journalism.