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Jazz Notes: Offseason, Gobert, Mitchell, Oturu

September 10th, 2020 at 9:12am CST by Luke Adams

As the Jazz mull possible roster upgrades this offseason, they’ll be keeping an eye out for defensive-minded players, executive VP of basketball operations Dennis Lindsey said on Wednesday, per Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune.

“Anybody who has defensive integrity at their position, (who) can be an active, athletic defender will be someone that would be of interest to us,” Lindsey said. “Especially if they don’t compromise the spacing.”

While Utah’s roster features a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate in Rudy Gobert, the team only ranked in the middle of the pack this season in overall defensive rating, and struggled to slow down Jamal Murray and the Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs.

Here’s more on the Jazz:

Citing NBA rules, Lindsey declined to get into specifics on Wednesday when asked about possible offseason extensions for Gobert and Donovan Mitchell. However, as Sarah Todd of The Deseret News writes, he insinuated that the Jazz will look to lock up both Gobert and Mitchell long-term, stressing that the franchise is “extremely pleased” with the character of its two All-Stars. “As I’ve mentioned before, we’re working to add players of Rudy and Donovan’s physical talent and competitive makeup and so by definition we’re going to want to keep those type of players moving forward,” Lindsey said.
Former University of Minnesota center Daniel Oturu interviewed with the Jazz on Wednesday, according to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter link). Oturu, the No. 36 prospect on ESPN’s big board, may be an option for Utah at No. 23.
While it wasn’t specifically related to the Jazz, Lindsey made another notable comment during his end-of-season presser on Wednesday, contending that the lack of travel this summer improved the quality of NBA games and suggesting that the league should do what it can to reduce travel going forward. “If we ever get to a situation like baseball where you play a team more than one time in the market — obviously, there’s some business concerns there — but that reduced travel, I definitely think the product is more compelling because of that,” Lindsey said. A previous report indicated that the NBA is mulling this idea.

Decision On Gobert Looms For Jazz

September 9th, 2020 at 3:52pm CST by Luke Adams

John Hollinger of The Athletic examines the next big decisions and moves facing the four Western teams that were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, including whether the Thunder will trade Chris Paul and whether the Jazz should extend Rudy Gobert.

NBA Announces 2019/20 All-Defensive Teams

September 8th, 2020 at 6:26pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The NBA has officially announced its All-Defensive teams for the 2019/20 season. Unsurprisingly, Defensive Player of the Year (and possible repeat MVP) Giannis Antetokounmpo was the leading vote-getter with 195 total points. Players receive two points per First Team vote and one point per Second Team vote.

This is the Bucks forward’s second consecutive appearance on the All-NBA First Team. Antetokounmpo was listed on 98 of 100 ballots from the 100 broadcasters and writers who comprised this year’s voting panel. 97 of those voters awarded him a First Team vote.

Lakers forward Anthony Davis was featured on every ballot and received a total tally of 187 points (including 87 First Team votes). Sixers guard Ben Simmons tallied 185 points with the third-most votes this year. Jazz center Rudy Gobert, the 2018 and 2019 Defensive Player of the Year, was fourth with 95 total votes (85 First Team), for 180 total points. Celtics guard Marcus Smart rounded out the All-Defensive First Team with 152 points, including 57 First Team votes.

Gobert’s inclusion on the All-Defensive First Team has earned him a $500K bonus, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets. Antetokounmpo’s Bucks teammates Brook Lopez (67 points) and Eric Bledsoe (59 points) each made the All-Defensive Second Team.

Here are the full voting results for the All-Defensive First and Second Teams, with each player’s point total noted in parentheses:

First Team:

Giannis Antetokounmpo, F, Bucks (195)
Anthony Davis, F, Lakers (187)
Ben Simmons, G, Sixers (185)
Rudy Gobert, C, Jazz (180)
Marcus Smart, G, Celtics (152)

Second Team:

Kawhi Leonard, F, Clippers (128)
Brook Lopez, C, Bucks (67)
Bam Adebayo, F/C, Heat (61)
Patrick Beverley, G, Clippers (60)
Eric Bledsoe, G, Bucks (59)

You can find the full voting results right here.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Community Shootaround: Jazz’s Future

September 7th, 2020 at 8:54pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The playoff series between with the Jazz and Nuggets was arguably the most entertaining of the first round. It featured a brilliant guard duel between Donovan Mitchell and Jamal Murray and wasn’t decided until the final buzzer of Game 7.

Denver advanced to play the Clippers, while Utah left Orlando facing an interesting and difficult off-season. Mitchell certainly solidified his status as the team’s star and most dynamic player.

The question hovering over the franchise is how can it go from a playoff team to a serious title contender? It’s hard to take that next step without multiple All-Stars.

Rudy Gobert is, of course, one of the league’s premier defenders but he’s limited offensively in a league where big man are now expected to expand their offensive games beyond the paint.

Mike Conley, who will almost assuredly opt in for the remaining $34.5MM on his contract, didn’t have as big an impact on the franchise as hoped when Utah traded for him last summer. His expiring contract, should he opt in, could be their best trade asset.

Royce O’Neale and Joe Ingles are solid, if unspectacular, role players with multiple years left on their contracts. The Jazz were missing a key piece in Orlando in Bojan Bogdanovic and they have expressed strong interest in re-signing free agent sixth man Jordan Clarkson, though other teams will be pursuing his services. Bogdanovic could have easily been the difference in the opening-round series, though it must be mentioned that the Nuggets advanced despite injuries to multiple rotation players.

That brings us to our question of the day: What should the Jazz do improve their roster and get to the next level?

Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.

Conley Should Be More Comfortable Next Season

September 7th, 2020 at 6:32pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Jazz hope that Mike Conley settles in after a choppy first season with the organization and that will result in a longer playoff run, according to Sarah Todd of the Deseret News. Conley is expected to opt into the final year of his contract, worth $34.5MM, for next season. The point guard will be more comfortable in his second year with the club after learning a new system and reworking his game to fit the Jazz’s style, Todd adds.

Jazz's Tough Loss Won't Shake Core Confidence

September 6th, 2020 at 6:45pm CST by JD Shaw

The Jazz‘s painful first-round defeat to the Nuggets won’t shake the team’s core confidence, Tony Jones of The Athletic details. Utah lost a hard-fought seven-game series to Denver, coming up short without one of their best scorers in Bojan Bogdanovic (20.2 PPG; season-ending wrist surgery). “We went from being an ‘unsalvageable’ team three months ago to this, and I don’t think anybody outside of us expected that,” Donovan Mitchell said. “I’m happy with the way we played, obviously not the result. Look man, like, we’ve got things that we know we can fix and like I said, we felt like we kind of gave (away) situations when we had control of the series and we let it get out of hand. … With Bojan coming back, not putting everything on Bojan, but with him coming back it’s another weapon. This won’t happen again.”

Competition For Clarkson Will Be Strong

September 4th, 2020 at 7:44pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jordan Clarkson enjoyed his stint with the Jazz this season, but it’s uncertain whether he’ll remain in Utah, Sarah Todd of the Deseret News notes. Clarkson will be an unrestricted free agent and multiple suitors will be after his services, Todd points out. Clarkson was a sparkplug off the bench for a playoff team, averaging 15.6 PPG, and the Jazz will be first in line to make him an offer, Todd adds.

Jazz Notes: Gobert, Clarkson, Game 7, Mitchell

September 2nd, 2020 at 1:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

We shared the news earlier today that the Jazz plan to offer a maximum extension to Donovan Mitchell, but the team is also facing an important decision on Rudy Gobert in what could become the most expensive offseason the franchise has ever seen, writes Bobby Marks of ESPN.

Gobert, whose contract expires after next season, is eligible for a five-year, $221MM super-max deal. Marks doesn’t expect Utah to give Gobert that kind of money, but he is in line for a substantial raise as one of the league’s top interior defenders. Marks notes that the Jazz can offer several other options, including a four-year, $133MM extension, a five-year, $189.9MM extension, or a full super-max for the first year with an 8% decrease every subsequent season, resulting in a five-year, $160MM package.

Marks adds that if Utah allows Gobert to hit the open market next summer and the salary cap remains at $109MM, at least 12 teams will have a minimum of $30MM in cap room to pursue him.

There’s more on the Jazz:

Another priority will be re-signing Jordan Clarkson, who will be unrestricted when free agency begins, Marks notes in the same piece. After being acquired from the Cavaliers in late December, Clarkson provided some scoring punch to a reserve unit that had been near the bottom of the league in producing points. The Jazz hold Bird rights on Clarkson and will face a weak market where only 10 teams have money to spend apart from their mid-level exceptions.
Utah overcame a lot of adversity just to reach Game 7, notes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Gobert’s positive coronavirus test in March led to the league shutdown and created a split with Mitchell. The Jazz also lost an important part of their offense when Bojan Bogdanovic underwent season-ending wrist injury. “Being here has been a challenge in a lot of ways, but I don’t think it’s dampened our enthusiasm for the game,” coach Quinn Snyder said before Tuesday’s game. “So to whatever extent that’s there, certainly you have to fight it, but there’s always things that creep in.”
Any lingering rift between Mitchell and Gobert was healed by the experience in Orlando, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic, who states that the team was galvanized by the restart. Mitchell also proved to the organization that he can take on the scoring load in the playoffs. “Donovan, that kid is tough,” Clarkson said. “He’s a scorer, makes plays. One of the best guards in the league, one of the best guards that I’ve played with.”

Jazz Will Give Maximum Extension To Donovan Mitchell

September 2nd, 2020 at 10:52am CST by Arthur Hill

Donovan Mitchell, one of the stars of this year’s playoffs despite Utah’s first-round loss, will receive a maximum extension when free agency begins, sources tell Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.

The total value of the five-year deal, which would go into effect in 2021/22, is projected to be about $170MM. The actual value will depend on where the salary cap lands for the ’21/22 season and whether Mitchell meets the Rose rule criteria.

Mitchell, 23, averaged 36.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game in the series against the Nuggets and shot 52% from 3-point range. He set a playoff record by making 33 three-pointers in a series.

Haynes notes that Mitchell was among several young stars who were reluctant to participate in the restart because of the risk of an injury that might affect future earnings. Mitchell explained his position on a Zoom call with other players set up by Kyrie Irving in June, but said talking to his teammates convinced him to play.

“Once my teammates told me they wanted to play, then I was all in. I couldn’t make it all about myself,” Mitchell said. “There are younger guys who aren’t established in this league and needed this time to show their value. It would have been selfish of me to stand in the way of that. I couldn’t let my contract get in the way of the bigger picture. I had to rely on God. If I got hurt, it was God’s will. But I put my trust in Him and didn’t worry about potentially getting injured. That allowed me to go out there and play. My faith was in God.”

Mitchell took Tuesday’s loss especially hard, Haynes adds. He collapsed to the court when Mike Conley‘s potential game-winning shot at the buzzer bounced out, then fought back tears in a post-game session with the media. Afterward, he fell into the arms of assistant coach Johnnie Bryant – who is headed to the Knicks to join Tom Thibodeau’s coaching staff – and sobbed uncontrollably.

“I’m going to get right back to work,” Mitchell told reporters. “I’m not done. The Utah Jazz aren’t done.”

Poll: Who Will Win Jazz/Nuggets Game 7?

August 31st, 2020 at 3:21pm CST by Luke Adams

Depending on the outcome of Monday’s Rockets/Thunder showdown, it’s possible we’ll still get one more Game 7 in the first round of the NBA’s 2020 postseason. For now though, Jazz/Nuggets is the only series guaranteed to go the full seven, with the deciding contest scheduled to take place on Tuesday.

The series between two Northwest rivals has been a back-and-forth affair, with Denver taking a 1-0 lead, Utah winning three consecutive games, and Denver clawing back to make it 3-3.

The first-round matchup has also served as a coming-out party for two of the NBA’s most promising young guards. Donovan Mitchell, a first-time All-Star earlier this year, has taken his game to another level this postseason as he has assumed an even greater share of the Jazz’s offensive responsibilities, averaging an eye-popping 38.7 PPG to go along with 5.5 APG on .548/.554/.946 shooting in six games vs. Denver.

However, Jamal Murray has matched him nearly every step of the way, proving that the Nuggets weren’t wrong to sign him to a five-year, maximum-salary extension a year ago. After pouring in 50 points on Sunday for the second time in three games, Murray is now averaging 34.0 PPG and 6.7 APG on .585/.574/.913 shooting for the series.

The Nuggets and Jazz will do all they can in Game 7 to slow down the opposing team’s top scorer, but the outcome may ultimately come down to which club’s other stars and role players step up. In Game 6, Nikola Jokic and Jerami Grant came up big for Denver. The Nuggets also got a boost from Gary Harris‘ return following a lengthy absence due to a hip injury.

Mike Conley (22.8 PPG on .569/.607/.889 shooting) has had a strong series and Rudy Gobert has been solid, but the Jazz may need contributions from complementary players like Joe Ingles, Jordan Clarkson, and Royce O’Neale to slow the Nuggets’ momentum in Game 7.

What do you think? Are you taking either the Nuggets or the Jazz in Game 7? And which team do you think would match up better in the second round against the Clippers?

Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!

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