Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Just some thoughts....

As a Jazz Fan....

  Over the last couple of weeks I have been asking myself a number of questions as a Jazz fan.  Somethings that left me a bit perplexed and others that down right frustrated me.  It left me wondering if I am the only one seeing and feeling these things.  So I am going to put it out there, what are your thoughts?

  Offensive concepts....the Jazz run the FLEX as much if not more than the pick and roll.  They seem to run the FLEX to exhaustion.  They don't seem to take advantage of the first good shot available.  We know how the Jazz suffer with pace of play and this could help alleviate some of that.  Versus the Warriors, there were a number of opportunities for Kanter, Favors and Evans to shoot that 17 footer, the Warriors just packed it in.  The Jazz never eve looked at the shot as an option.  You have to take it to make it and even if you don't make it the team has to honor that shot as an option and will then open up the floor.

  I think the casual fan could tell that Alec Burks is ELITE with the ball in his hands attacking the basket. Really has been since he has come in to the league. Granted there has been some development in that process, but why has it taken 2 1/2 years for this staff to put him in position to succeed or be a force?

  I think the same can be said with all of our bigs. Favors and Kanter demand double teams simply because of their size, but the Jazz are content to let guys CHUCK JUMPERS! It is the staffs responsibility to teach these young players and make the game easier for them. If you want to chuck jumpers fine, but at least make it easier for those shooting the jumpers. That starts inside out. Make teams double the bigs, teach the bigs to kick it out for the OPEN jumper.  While all of this sounds nice, I am not so sure the Jazz have the shot makers to make this happen?

  I have been watching Trey really closely in the P & R not sure why his first instinct isn't to attack the basket! WHY? If Trey attacks it puts pressure on the D, rotations need to be made, players are caught out of position and our offense gets easier. I have been so obsessed with this that I have been trying to chase down Trey's college shot chart to see where the majority of his offense came from in college. I was surprised to find out that Trey's 2pt attempts to 3 pt attempts was better than 2/1. I also found that on average Trey went to the free-throw line 4.3 times a game. If you look at these #'s (and they are an inexact science) Trey has regressed in this offense. He shoots primarily 3's (what the offense seems to give him) and he never, and I mean NEVER goes to the line! This is disconcerting.

If the Jazz continue on this path for the next X amount of time, they will be the Atlanta hawks, "always the bridesmaid, never the bride" mired in mediocrity for years to come and playoff fodder.....

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