Jazz Small Forward Depth Chart

                              via flickr user: CindianaJones

Five different Jazzmen play the small forward position, but none of them are pure small forwards. Hayward and Miles are the closest things to classic SFs, but they sit one-two on the Jazz’s depth chart at shooting guard. Kirilenko, Millsap, and Evans are all undersized PFs who inhabit the SF spot whenever the team needs them there. Let’s take a look at who the Jazz have been throwing out at small forward and what we should expect from the position going forward. I already said my piece about Gordon and C.J. in my post about shooting guards and I’ll save Millsap until the power forward discussion, so here we’ll proceed directly to…

Jeremy Evans

I don’t know if anyone else has noticed this, but it turns out that Jeremy is an explosive leaper. As we all recall from the Keon Clark experiment, however, it takes a lot more than raw athleticism to be an effective NBA player. At this point, Jeremy remains a giant puddle of potential, so let’s look at what it will take to go from project to product.

First and foremost, Evans needs to work on his strength. If the Jazz want him to move full time to the small forward position, this will entail focusing on core strength; if the Jazz want him to be able to defend power forwards, then he will need to focus more on building bulk and upper body strength. Given his leaping ability, Jeremy is a natural shot blocker- especially from a help position. With more experience against NBA competition, he will likely get better at anticipating opponents’ decisions and getting into position. This would be a welcomed improvement over his unfortunate tendency to wait until the offensive player makes his move, and then use his athletic ability to react quickly and close down the opportunity that was just created.

On offense, Evans can basically do three things: sneak backdoor for alley-oops, crash the boards for highlight-reel put-backs, and shoot uncontested jumpshots out to 16 feet. These are all nice things to do (and fun to watch), but they essentially rely on catching the defense napping because they haven’t bothered to keep track of you; this means that between zero and one defensive players are paying heed to Jeremy at any given time. If he could add something else to his repertoire such as the ability to drive the basketball or a couple low post moves, then he would force at least his defender (and ideally at least one other player on the other team) to look in his direction. And any attention drawn to him will be taken away from his teammates, which should lead to better offensive outcomes.

Whether he will prove able to transform himself from a pogo stick to complete player is very much an open question. Regardless of his long term prospects, he can keep contributing in short doses by being a disruptive weakside defender and by infusing the team with hustle and enthusiasm.

Andrei Kirilenko

What more could be said about Andrei that hasn’t already been said many times on this site? Here’s a guy who has given his heart and soul to the Jazz team ever since the Stockton and Malone administration, with wildly variable results. There have been highs and lows, laughter and tears, fond memories over what was and disappointment over what could have been.

At his best, Andrei is one of the best defensive players of his generation- able to lock down his man or to come from nowhere to pick up steals and blocks. He is also an exceptional passer for a forward, even if he can get carried away and turn down a simple and obvious pass in favor of something risky but clever. In a league-wide one-on-one competition, he’d be a dark horse candidate to win it all because he can defend all five positions in spurts and can score both inside and out.

Sadly for basketball lovers, Andrei is not always on top of his game. Partly because he is built like a ballerina, he has missed at least ten games to injury in each of the last seven years- and his fragility isn’t exclusively physical. Even when he is on the court, he isn’t necessarily engaged and playing at the peak of his powers. In fairness, it must be confusing and disheartening to be one of the most effective and highest paid basketball players in the world and yet not to have an obvious position, a consistent role with your team, or (for that matter) the recognition you expected from the basketball community. I certainly believe Andrei when he says that what he really cares about is winning, but like the Jazz front office I don’t have a clear and settled idea of how best to harness his considerable abilities and translate them into team success.

For the last ten years, Andrei has been under contract with the Jazz- and has been handsomely remunerated, even by the standards of professional athletes. Entering the first free agency of his NBA career, he is sure to draw interest from multiple other teams- most notably the New Jersey Nets, where he could reunite with former CSKA Moscow owner Mikhail Prokhorov and with the team’s point guard who apparently also used to play for the Jazz. Utah has certainly been encouraged by his statements that his preference would be to return to the Jazz and that the decision will be about more than just money. On the other hand, which contender wouldn’t want to add a versatile defender and willing passer? Plus, we can count on the Trailblazers to offer him all the money they have available- more out of habit than genuine interest.

                              via flickr user: Dinur

Like many SLC Dunkers, I think three years for $22 million to be approximately the upper reaches of what the Jazz would and could shell out for Kirilenko. Then again, nobody knows what the new collective bargaining agreement willmean for salaries and roster building. So, rather than focus on numbers, let me focus on what those numbers are meant to signify. Namely, Andrei is still an effective player with a valuable contribution to make to the team effort. However, his age and the need to develop new talent are working against him at this stage. Except for cases of career-altering injury, almost all the toxic contracts in the NBA belong to players over the age of thirty who are being paid as though they could still produce like they did in their primes. Andrei probably has a couple more good years left in the tank, and playing one’s entire career for the same team is a noble endeavor. Whether those considerations are enough to keep him in Utah in the next phase of his career remains to be seen.

The Jazz have three two draft choices in the 2011 amateur draft. At least one of these is almost certain to be spent on a perimeter player. Therefore, the future of the position depends not only on whether the team re-signs AK but also on what type of player(s) the Jazz pick in this draft. If the new guy(s) fits more naturally at the shooting guard spot, expect Gordon Hayward and C.J. Miles to see increased time at small forward (and vice versa if the new wing(s) is a natural SF).

As stated above, the Jazz are blessed with a lot of different possibilities at the small forward position, with options ranging in skill set from Miles to Millsap. Their hope, I suppose, is that one particular player or combination of players emerges as a dominant option. It’s nice to have the ability to go in a lot of different directions, but it’s much better to have a direction you really want to take.