Jazz rotation will pay dividends at end of season

by BigBenSportsGuy on Jan 10, 2012 1:13 PM MST

I had a scary experience a few years ago.

I was driving home from work. As I turned to get on the onramp, I heard a strange noise and felt a strange movement from my car. I was alert, but didn't think too much of it. Later, my car started slowing down and I had to pull over. My tire had blown out, blown completely out.

Fortunately, I was able to stay calm and get my car off the road safely. I got it fixed and made it home. I was lucky.

This was in March, just as the weather was warming up. My tire had not been properly maintained throughout the winter months and had lost a lot of its tread. It finally just gave out.

I thought of that experience as I read Jody Genessy's recent article about the Jazz rotation. I liked his numbers and wanted to do a little more digging.

I don't know how to post charts from Excel onto here, but I made one that shows our players minutes per game thus far against their minutes played in past seasons. I like the overall trend I see. Our young players (Hayward and Favors) are getting more minutes this year than they did last year. Our veterans minutes have been cut. As Jody pointed out, no Jazz player except Al Jefferson is playing more than 30 minutes per game.

What are the benefits of this? Two fold.....

First, the young guys. The "Big Four" are getting minutes and developing. They are also learning how to contribute and the tricks of the trade. This will pay dividends when they are handed the reins of the franchise. For now, they are progressing and working toward that day.

For the veterans, they are not being forced to carry the full load. They are getting the majority of the minutes, but as a whole, they are getting less than they have in recent seasons. This will allow for more fresh legs later on in he season.

Looking at the schedule, we know that the home stretch will be difficult. When that time comes, our team should be fresh and in good shape. Because we will have taken care of our tires during the winter months, they will be there for us when we need them in the spring.

All comments are the opinion of the commenter and not necessarily that of SLC Dunk or SB Nation.

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Comments

I agree, well done

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by Evans Almighty on Jan 10, 2012 3:11 PM MST reply actions

Also agree. If this allows us to stay healthy, it will be well worth it.

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by clarkpojo on Jan 10, 2012 3:20 PM MST reply actions

thing that is often misses is that the jazz, for the most part, have young veterans

to me, millsap and jefferson are young and not even in their prime yet.

so the preseason angst of them taking minutes from the real young players was misplaced. millsap and jefferson are better and have more upside than kanter and favors, and i really like favors a lot. favors will be a defensive force in this league, but doubt he will ever be much of an offensive player. kanter, assuming he stays healthy, will likely have a decent career but won’t be a star.

the most interesting addition has been howard on many fronts. he is hard nosed, and plays with an edge. most importantly, he really brings it in the last quarter. he plays defense, and he has a varied offense with both outside and inside games. he is a willing passer off of his slashes to the hoop.

for me, the weak spot of the rotation is point guard. just don’t see harris as the starter on a good team. hell, i would start watson over him. harris’ game more suited to a 6th man role.

bell the other weak spot in the rotation. he still has moments when he can be a defensive stopper, but he really needs to play with a quality point guard to get the most out of what he still has left. its no coincidence that bell had his best seasons playing with nash. i would start burks in his slot, as he may be the best of the young players. it seems like his upside is way out there somewhere.

hayward is the puzzle for me in many ways. just not sure he can be a starter on a good team. he really doesn’t finish very well, and he isnt a great shooter though many seem to think he is. that said, he has good basketball instincts overall. he can pass well. he gives yeoman effort on defense, even though he is too slow to play against a lot of wings. he basically a dunleavy type with a better handle, but less able shooter.

jazz really need one thing and that is a point guard. the roster has a lot of talent otherwise.

by utahcoyote on Jan 11, 2012 9:09 AM MST reply actions