Talking all that Jazz

Fans love a spaced out floor, ball movement, 3-pointers, and above the rim action. Couple that with a formidable defense and you have a team that can not only fill the seats, but contend for a championship in any season.

This is the direction the Utah Jazz are trending in.

New look, new tune?

For the last three seasons the Jazz have been the 5th seed in the Western Conference playoffs. Over reliant on their defense (and rightfully so), they have lacked the floor spacing and 3-point shooting necessary for both viable credit as a contender, and for overall fan excitement. The gritty scrappiness the last three versions of the Jazz under Quin Snyder have exuded over the last few years (similar to the Grizzlies grit n' grind era) was solid, but there is a lower ceiling on that approach.

They have now, however, retooled in a thought-provoking manner. Their revamped roster, on paper, looks as formidable as any rendition of the Jazz since the Stockton and Malone era. This remains to be seen, and they have a tall task in showing that they are as good as the teams since the 90's. They do seem to be hellbent on ascending in the ever-competitive Western Conference.

Under head coach Quin Snyder they have been known for their staunch, stingy, and unrelenting defense. Top 3 in each of the last 3 years on the less glamorous end, the Jazz were not able to translate that same success to their offense due to personnel. Coach Snyder's system offensively is one that requires multiple players who can viably dribble, pass, and shoot. It is predicated on dribble drives, pick and roll play, catch and shoot specialists, and dribble handoffs. The Jazz front office, with players who thrive in these instances in mind, executed in filling the voids they had on their roster.

Transactions

Since the end of the regular season, the Jazz have been extremely busy. They struck out on the players they wanted at the deadline, but knocked the ball out of the park with their moves since then.

New General Manager

Justin Zanik was promoted to general manager from assistant general manager under well respected Dennis Lindsey, who was promoted from general manager to executive vice president of basketball operations. Zanik said they came into the summer with an emphasis on adding floor spacing and playmaking. Safe to say he and his team executed rather well on this goal.

Trades

Mike Conley

The Jazz traded Grayson Allen, Kyle Korver, Jae Crowder, their 2019 first round pick (23), and a future first round pick for Mike Conley Jr.

In Conley, they receive a much more fitting veteran point guard than they have had in prior seasons. A game changer on both ends of the floor, he has also been in countless meaningful games. Conley defends, runs pick and roll, and plays off the ball all at an above average to elite level. Look for him to put his fingerprint all over this team. Conley brings countless intangibles from his leadership, clutch play, and to even being a respected calming presence. Donovan Mitchell will undoubtedly benefit from Conleys presence both on the court and off. An excellent acquisition.

The Jazz also traded longtime forward Derrick Favors to the New Orleans Pelicans for 2 future second round picks. This trade was tough because Favors was a fan favorite, and part of the Jazz core. On his contract and with his skillset, they would not have been able to make the aforementioned changes new GM Justin Zanik made point of without cutting their ties with the 9 year veteran.

Notable Free Agent Signings

Bojan Bogdanovic

Potentially the most versatile stretch four in the NBA, Bogdanovic showed some previously untapped potential after his Pacers lost all-star guard Victor Oladipo last season.

Ed Davis

Davis sets strong screens, defends, rebounds at an elite level, and protects the basket. He is the ideal back-up rim protector for Rudy Gobert. Can replicate his efforts on the glass viably while being a presence in the paint as well while spelling Gobert. Combining to provide 48 minutes of above average to elite center play for the Jazz. His energy is never lacking, and neither is his presence on the floor.

Emmanuel Mudiay

The 23 year old point guard is coming off a career year where he shot his highest percentage from the field as well as finished at the basket very well. He showed plenty of growth on the offensive end as a whole.

Jeff Green

Lastly, they added this versatile swingman off the bench. He has found a way to remain a positive in boxscore +/- the last two seasons, proving to be a commodity when in the proper role.

Final Thoughts

PG

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C

The new and improved Utah Jazz have enjoyed one of the three most fruitful off seasons in the league. They have taken a risk in moving on from players that were key to their identity of defense first (Favors, Crowder, Rubio), but have replaced them with better/more versatile weapons in Ed Davis, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Mike Conley.

Now sporting a starting line up of Conley, Mitchell, Ingles, Bogdanovic, and Gobert, the Jazz will put up scoring marks regularly that they could only reach with anomaly like successes from players in previous seasons. As a result of their roster changes, they have sacrificed some of their defense for offensive prowess. The reward in this decision far outweighs the risk, as they will still remain top 10 on defense but should make leap into the top 10 on offense. They have surrounded their two best players (Mitchell and Gobert) with a surplus of supplementary talent.

As the team that took the most catch and shoot 3 point attempts last season, they were not equipped properly. Last season they had Ricky Rubio (33.7%) and Jae Crowder (33.6%) in their main rotation with subpar percentages in this scenario. They now have four top 50 catch and shoot players in the NBA (Bogdanovic - 45.0%, Mitchell - 40.1%, Ingles - 40.1%, Conley - 39.8%) which will make defending them far more tough. Bogdanovic (49.5%) and Ingles (44.4%) both are also more than proficient from the corners. An astronomical upgrade in this department. They also still have Royce O'Neal (40.1%) and Georges Niang (40.8) to bring firepower off the bench as they stagger their starters over the course of 48 minutes. Essentially, open shots that were once going to Ricky Rubio or Jae Crowder will now be leaving the hands of Mike Conley and Bojan Bogdanovic. That in itself is a significant upgrade in efficiency and reliability. Couple that dynamic with the other aforementioned skills that come with both Conley and Bogdanovic and you have to believe they will be at the very least the 5th seed (yet again).

Those new presences alone in the starting line up force any defense to adjust and gameplan for them in a different way. The questions for this team will come on the aforementioned defensive end but also in the rebounding department. Conley won't help much in that aspect and Bogdanovic has not had much of an impact on the glass in his career. The offense will be slightly different as well because now they will have only one screener on the floor at all times. Rudy Gobert used to flourish from the dunkers spot behind solid screens set by Favors, which allowed for dribble penetration and simple lobs over the help into Gobert's condor-like reach above the rim for easy finishes. That option won't be there too often as he will need to be the screener. He will have to expend more energy on the offensive end for them to reach their potential in being a top 10 offense.

Champions throughout the history of the league have handled their business to the tune of top 10 efficiency on both ends of the floor, and I expect for them to be there at the seasons end. Their ceiling as it stands is a top 3 seed with a Conference Finals appearance, and their floor is entering the playoffs as the 6th seed with a 1st round exit.

Their ultimate question lies in the growth of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. Mitchell was thrown into the fire his rookie season and proved his worth against the likes of Russell Westbrook and Paul George, but was quickly humbled with playoff exits to Chris Paul and James Harden in each of the last two postseasons. Now equipped with a complete roster, his growth will be tested more fairly when the lights shine brightest. How he responds will be a huge indicator to how high of a note the Jazz can hum at this season. His efforts coupled with those of his two-time defensive player of the year teammate, Gobert, will be the crutches of the team. Gobert will have to be dominant on both ends. To have the onus on your two best players to improve for the team to reach its true potential, is a great place to be in. Let's see if they are up for the challenge.

This will be one of the most entertaining seasons in NBA history, and the Jazz have cemented themselves with an opportunity at the Larry O'Brien trophy in 2019-2020.

*All stats come directly from basketballreference.com or nba.com/stats unless stated otherwise*