Utah Jazz: UPS and DOWNS

In a night where C.J. scorched a Raptor team on 5 of 6 from behind the arc, I thought it was fitting to do a “3” up, “3” down post on the Jazz. I’ll take 3 positives and 3 negatives visible so far with this Utah team.


So here we go; let’s make it rain!

1UP: Milsap’s 17 footer!

Paul Milsap has always been a registered card holding member of the overachievers club. He is looking to become the president this year. His 17 footer is looking to be the weapon to make that push. He has shown in the last two games that he has officially added that 17 footer to his regular rotation. As I have said before, if that continues to fall at a reasonably high percentage let the All-Star buzz start!

1DOWN: Hayward seems to be a rookie version of Ron Brewer… with a lot less defensive skills.
Let me start by saying, I actually like this kid. I still think he will be a good producer in the future. But right now He is missing a lot of skills. Some of the skills that he is missing are the direct reason he was drafted. He can’t get any worse in his 3 point shooting (0 for 5) and his overall FG% of .375 is bad enough to get him a spot in Locke’s bottom 15 offensive players in the league! Ouch!
1UP: Hayward is doing everything else well above expectations.
O.K., so after killing “The R.M.” in the above “1DOWN”, I feel like I need to point out that he is doing everything else pretty well. He has already been yelled at by D-Will (Like a coach, I’m sure Williams only yells at guys he knows can do better), and he seems to be in the right place at the right time a lot of the time.
The other thing I like about him is how he seems like a radically fast learner. From what he was doing in his first scrimmage to his last two games is a DRAMATIC improvement. One specific skill that I like watching him really excel in is his movement without the ball. This reiterates what I said about Deron barking at him; he expects a lot more out of the kid and knows he is better. Watch his movement without the ball. *It also puts him in position for rebounds.
1DOWN: Raja has been a bit of a let-down… thus far.
When Portland did their annual shopping trip down the Jazz roster, we looked to replace the fresh produce (Mathews) they took by bringing in an aging bunch of bananas (Raja) to make banana bread. Well right now the bananas are just sitting there, and no one remembers how to make banana bread.
Raja is still getting used to shooting at a high % after not even playing for a year. His D has dropped off a tiny bit and his place on this team has not been defined yet. I think once the shots start to fall, and he gets his “sea legs” back he will be a great addition to this team. And his D WILL BE THERE when he matches up with Kobe!

We have the recipe and ingredients to make the bread; hopefully Raja just has to have a little time to whip it up!

1UP: The seeming surprises!

I like this one, because it involves pieces that maybe we weren’t expecting.

Fesenko has lightened his load and shown he at least wants to fight to stay in this league. He had a few big games in the Pre, and has hit on some touch style shots and a few power moves the in the first four games of the season. He is not a game changer or anything, but no one was really expecting him to take it to the level he SEEMINGLY has. I’m a Fes fan and hope to see more.

There are a few other surprises, but the one that I think is drawing some of the most looks is the play of Jeremy Evens. “The rope” has shown not only to have a very raw yet remarkable set of skills, he has shown that he can stick to them and use them and not try to be something he’s not. His leaping ability, both speed and height, puts him in a class with a very select group. He seems to have good hands both in receiving a pass and in pulling down boards.

I’m not really sure what he does for you other that hustling, rebounding, bringing energy, and playing well inside his realm of skills…. Hold on a second…. doesn’t that sound like the first year of another 2nd rounder who is now the Jazz’s starting PF sniffing at an All-Star position?

1DOWN: We have seen 2 great games in which the Jazz looked like they can go 7 games with anyone, but we have also seen 2 that show when they are off, they are WAY OFF!

I hope and feel pretty strongly that the “off” games were just that; off games, and not a sign of how roller coaster this team could be.

The offense can score big time. The D is good enough. The team seems to have chemistry.

If it doesn’t stay that way it could be a long season.