Steady As She Goes? | Podcast

Today we detail how the Jazz appear to be coasting, specifically how recent and upcoming play keeps them stradling the line of competitiveness.
2023-24
season
trades
draft
Author

Adam Bushman

Published

January 31, 2023

Intro

Welcome to Jabber Jazz | Fan-driven, Ad-free content on Utah Jazz basketball

Adam Bushman Twitter | @adam_bushman

Today:

  • We recap the recent play and the upcoming schedule
  • Discuss recent trade buzz
  • The intriguing group of draft prospects I’m watching

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Recent Play

  • Past 10 games
    • Jazz beat Luka-less Mavs at home
    • Fall to the Blazers in Dame’s 60 point game on the road
    • Beat short-handed Hornets at home
    • Fall to the Nets w/o KD, beat the Clippers’ skeleton crew, beat Wolves, lost to Philly, beat Magic, beat Cavs, lost to Memphis
  • The stats
    • Record: 6-4
    • 13th in point diff (+2.8)
    • 9th offense, 14th defense
    • A little lucky on offensive shooting; even on defensive shooting luck
  • Jazz are largely beating the bad teams and losing to the good teams; pretty close to the definition of a 0.500 team
  • Upcoming schedule
    • TOR, ATL, DAL, MIN all at home; all within 2.5 games of UTA
    • TRADE DEADLINE
    • TOR, NYK, IND, MEM all on the road; 2 teams within 2.5 games
    • ALL-STAR BREAK
  • You’re talking 2-4 wins, or 2-6 to 4-4 based on FiveThirtyEight

Discuss recent trade buzz

  • Marc Stein reports Agbaji has been added to the group of Markkanen and Kessler as “untouchable”
    • This basically means the Jazz are higher on them than the league
  • Jake Fischer reports Jazz are calling and engaging with teams on trades
    • Specifically mentions Conley -> LAC as “unrealistic”
  • Shams Charania reports Jazz are still after John Collins
    • Also mentions kicking the tires on Jalen McDaniels (CHA) and Dorien Finney-Smith
    • More value plays? More roster construction tests? Punting on wings in the draft?
  • Marc Stein, “there’s a half-joking (but also half-serious) policy when it comes to Jazz CEO Danny Ainge that goes something like this: If Ainge is calling about a trade . let it go to voicemail.”
    • Rival execs will do whatever they believe furthers their agenda
    • But this perspective means they aren’t going to engage if they aren’t already on board
  • If you had to bet if a deal gets done, the smart money is on no; too much has to go right for everyone to be on board
    • With that said, I think Jazz swing a trade; wrote an article about it
      • First opportunity to craft “their” team
      • Seller’s market
      • Markkanen & Kessler’s emergence

The intriguing group of draft prospects I’m watching

  • 5 player group I want 2 of:
    • Cam Whitmore, GG Jackson, Cason Wallace, Anthony Black, Jarace Walker
  • Where are these guys going?
  • Why?
    • Any of these I think you can land on this team regardless of deadline moves
    • I like Brice Sensabaugh, Gradey Dick, Jett Howard, Maxwell Lewis; I just think they don’t land as naturally on this team if everyone remains
  • What has to happen?
    • Pretty universally, we need one of the MIN-UTA picks to be top 10 and the other to be borderline lottery
    • Not too difficult
      • Jazz 1 game out of top 10, 2 games out of top 6
      • Wolves 1.5 games out of top 10, 2.5 games out of top 6
    • 538 projects
      • Jazz 3 games out of top 10, 4 games out of top 6
      • Wolves 2 games out of top 10, 3 games out of top 6
  • Jazz can control their destiny
    • You move 2 of Conley, Clarkson, Beasley, Olynyk you’re likely doing enough to bridge the gap to that #6 area
    • Even if MIN stays on the border of the lottery, one of those above could find their way there

Close

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