I have no idea why I am doing this because there are so many more interesting things to look at this season, or write about . . . but the Utah Jazz player stats are fascinating. There are a few really good pieces to work around with Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors, Rudy Gobert, and Rodney Hood. We theorize utility going forward with healthy and more experience for pieces Dante Exum, Raul Neto, Alec Burks, and Trey Lyles. And right now there are some valuable players filling needed roles right now with Trey Burke and Trevor Booker. However, we've seen a lack of depth this year and a significant falling off from the best players to the players who are supposed to be supporting them.
Utah Jazz Players vs. NBA Rank:
This first boring thing, out of several boring things, is how the players stack up in Minutes per game (MPG), Points per game (PPG), Assists per game (APG), Rebounds per game (RPG), Steals per game (SPG), and Blocks per game (BPG). Only three times we see a Jazzman up in the Top 10 of any category. Nine are top 50, and 20 are in the Top 100. G-Time is getting minutes and producing on the court. Some other guys? Not so much.
Player | MPG | Rank | Player | PPG | Rank | Player | APG | Rank | |||||
1 | Gordon Hayward | 36.1 | 10 | 1 | Gordon Hayward | 19.9 | 24 | 1 | Gordon Hayward | 3.6 | 58 | ||
2 | Rudy Gobert | 33.1 | 44 | 2 | Derrick Favors | 16.6 | 46 | 2 | Rodney Hood | 2.6 | 97 | ||
3 | Derrick Favors | 32.1 | 59 | 3 | Rodney Hood | 14.9 | 63 | 3 | Trey Burke | 2.6 | 99 | ||
4 | Rodney Hood | 31.4 | 71 | 4 | Alec Burks | 14.3 | 70 | 4 | Raul Neto | 2.5 | 103 | ||
5 | Alec Burks | 27.1 | 112 | 5 | Trey Burke | 11.5 | 114 | 5 | Alec Burks | 2.1 | 126 | ||
6 | Trey Burke | 23.5 | 175 | 6 | Rudy Gobert | 10.5 | 131 | 6 | Rudy Gobert | 1.7 | 164 | ||
7 | Trevor Booker | 22.3 | 188 | 7 | Raul Neto | 6.3 | 245 | 7 | Derrick Favors | 1.6 | 172 | ||
8 | Raul Neto | 20.6 | 217 | 8 | Trevor Booker | 5.7 | 267 | 8 | Trevor Booker | 1.0 | 254 | ||
9 | Trey Lyles | 16.9 | 268 | 9 | Jeff Withey | 4.7 | 304 | 9 | Elijah Millsap | 1.0 | 272 | ||
10 | Joe Ingles | 14.3 | 307 | 10 | Trey Lyles | 4.6 | 305 | 10 | Joe Ingles | 1.0 | 274 | ||
11 | Jeff Withey | 14.2 | 309 | 11 | Joe Ingles | 3.9 | 325 | 11 | Chris Johnson | 0.8 | 311 | ||
12 | Chris Johnson | 12.3 | 328 | 12 | Chris Johnson | 3.1 | 361 | 12 | Trey Lyles | 0.7 | 323 | ||
13 | Elijah Millsap | 8.7 | 391 | 13 | Tibor Pleiss | 2.0 | 411 | 13 | Jeff Withey | 0.4 | 370 | ||
14 | Tibor Pleiss | 6.8 | 409 | 14 | Elijah Millsap | 1.8 | 413 | 14 | Erick Green | 0.3 | 411 | ||
15 | Erick Green | 4.7 | 428 | 15 | Erick Green | 1.4 | 422 | 15 | Tibor Pleiss | 0.2 | 424 | ||
16 | J.J. O'Brien | 3.0 | 446 | 16 | J.J. O'Brien | 0.0 | 453 | 16 | J.J. O'Brien | 0.0 | 451 |
Six players averaging double digits in points is a nice start, but I think we're all expecting Neto to get closer and closer to 10 ppg as the season continues. Assists? There's no one guy killing it, but there are a bunch of guys close to Top 100 in APG. That's a product of our ball sharing offense.
Player | RPG | Rank | Player | SPG | Rank | Player | BPG | Rank | |||||
1 | Rudy Gobert | 10.6 | 8 | 1 | Derrick Favors | 1.2 | 58 | 1 | Rudy Gobert | 2.4 | 2 | ||
2 | Derrick Favors | 8.4 | 25 | 2 | Gordon Hayward | 1.1 | 63 | 2 | Derrick Favors | 1.4 | 22 | ||
3 | Trevor Booker | 6.4 | 64 | 3 | Rodney Hood | 0.9 | 111 | 3 | Jeff Withey | 1.2 | 34 | ||
4 | Gordon Hayward | 5.1 | 96 | 4 | Raul Neto | 0.9 | 113 | 4 | Trevor Booker | 0.5 | 125 | ||
5 | Trey Lyles | 3.9 | 164 | 5 | Rudy Gobert | 0.9 | 123 | 5 | Gordon Hayward | 0.3 | 191 | ||
6 | Jeff Withey | 3.7 | 176 | 6 | Trevor Booker | 0.9 | 128 | 6 | Rodney Hood | 0.2 | 270 | ||
7 | Alec Burks | 3.6 | 181 | 7 | Trey Burke | 0.6 | 192 | 7 | Chris Johnson | 0.2 | 282 | ||
8 | Rodney Hood | 3.3 | 198 | 8 | Alec Burks | 0.6 | 194 | 8 | Elijah Millsap | 0.2 | 293 | ||
9 | Chris Johnson | 2.1 | 314 | 9 | Joe Ingles | 0.6 | 212 | 9 | Trey Lyles | 0.2 | 309 | ||
10 | Trey Burke | 2.0 | 316 | 10 | Chris Johnson | 0.6 | 219 | 10 | Tibor Pleiss | 0.2 | 316 | ||
11 | Elijah Millsap | 1.8 | 344 | 11 | Jeff Withey | 0.5 | 258 | 11 | Trey Burke | 0.1 | 341 | ||
12 | Joe Ingles | 1.6 | 356 | 12 | J.J. O'Brien | 0.5 | 265 | 12 | Alec Burks | 0.1 | 342 | ||
13 | Raul Neto | 1.5 | 361 | 13 | Elijah Millsap | 0.4 | 293 | 13 | Joe Ingles | 0.1 | 346 | ||
14 | Tibor Pleiss | 1.3 | 373 | 14 | Trey Lyles | 0.2 | 388 | 14 | Raul Neto | 0.0 | 394 | ||
15 | Erick Green | 0.7 | 430 | 15 | Erick Green | 0.1 | 422 | 15 | J.J. O'Brien | 0.0 | 403 | ||
16 | J.J. O'Brien | 0.5 | 442 | 16 | Tibor Pleiss | 0.1 | 426 | 16 | Erick Green | 0.0 | 436 |
Gobert and Favors shot up here with their blocks, steals, and blocks. Personally, I'm surprised we've never seen Burks become an average shot blocker on defense with his length and athleticism. The Jazz do have some solid shot blockers on the team.
Utah Jazz players from highest to lowest average NBA Rank:
This is the second most meaningless thing you're going to read today. When you average the ranks you find out that our top players are . . . wait for it . . . the same best players that we already knew without going into the on-court stats.
Player | Per Game | Rank | Player | Per Game | Rank | Player | Per Game | Rank | Player | Per Game | Rank | |||||||
D.Favors | MPG | 32.1 | 59 | G.Hayward | MPG | 36.1 | 10 | R.Gobert | MPG | 33.1 | 44 | R.Hood | MPG | 31.4 | 71 | |||
D.Favors | PPG | 16.6 | 46 | G.Hayward | PPG | 19.9 | 24 | R.Gobert | PPG | 10.5 | 131 | R.Hood | PPG | 14.9 | 63 | |||
D.Favors | APG | 1.6 | 172 | G.Hayward | APG | 3.6 | 58 | R.Gobert | APG | 1.7 | 164 | R.Hood | APG | 2.6 | 97 | |||
D.Favors | RPG | 8.4 | 25 | G.Hayward | RPG | 5.1 | 96 | R.Gobert | RPG | 10.6 | 8 | R.Hood | RPG | 3.3 | 198 | |||
D.Favors | SPG | 1.2 | 58 | G.Hayward | SPG | 1.1 | 63 | R.Gobert | SPG | 0.9 | 123 | R.Hood | SPG | 0.9 | 111 | |||
D.Favors | BPG | 1.4 | 22 | G.Hayward | BPG | 0.3 | 191 | R.Gobert | BPG | 2.4 | 2 | R.Hood | BPG | 0.2 | 270 | |||
PRASB (/min) | 29.2 | 0.91 | PRASB (/min) | 30.0 | 0.83 | PRASB (/min) | 26.1 | 0.79 | PRASB (/min) | 21.9 | 0.70 | |||||||
NBA Rank AVG | 63.7 | NBA Rank AVG | 73.7 | NBA Rank AVG | 78.7 | NBA Rank AVG | 135.0 |
Favors have a lower NBA Rank average than Hayward, though Hayward produces more per game. Those two along with Gobert are great building blocks. Behind them is Hood who scores well, and dishes the ball nicely for a 2nd year player.
Player | Per Game | Rank | Player | Per Game | Rank | Player | Per Game | Rank | Player | Per Game | Rank | |||||||
A.Burks | MPG | 27.1 | 112 | T.Booker | MPG | 22.3 | 188 | T.Burke | MPG | 23.5 | 175 | R.Neto | MPG | 20.6 | 217 | |||
A.Burks | PPG | 14.3 | 70 | T.Booker | PPG | 5.7 | 267 | T.Burke | PPG | 11.5 | 114 | R.Neto | PPG | 6.3 | 245 | |||
A.Burks | APG | 2.1 | 126 | T.Booker | APG | 1.0 | 254 | T.Burke | APG | 2.6 | 99 | R.Neto | APG | 2.5 | 103 | |||
A.Burks | RPG | 3.6 | 181 | T.Booker | RPG | 6.4 | 64 | T.Burke | RPG | 2.0 | 316 | R.Neto | RPG | 1.5 | 361 | |||
A.Burks | SPG | 0.6 | 194 | T.Booker | SPG | 0.9 | 128 | T.Burke | SPG | 0.6 | 192 | R.Neto | SPG | 0.9 | 113 | |||
A.Burks | BPG | 0.1 | 342 | T.Booker | BPG | 0.5 | 125 | T.Burke | BPG | 0.1 | 341 | R.Neto | BPG | 0.0 | 394 | |||
PRASB (/min) | 20.7 | 0.76 | PRASB (/min) | 14.5 | 0.65 | PRASB (/min) | 16.8 | 0.71 | PRASB (/min) | 11.2 | 0.54 | |||||||
NBA Rank AVG | 170.8 | NBA Rank AVG | 171.0 | NBA Rank AVG | 206.2 | NBA Rank AVG | 238.8 |
The next four players are less impressive. Burks scores well, but you'd want to see more from a 5th year player. Booker, in his 6th year, brings the energy on the glass and is active on defense. I do think he's better suited as the 4th big, and not the 3rd big. Burke scores and is Top 100 in APG this season, which makes him one of the best bench point guards in the league. He is posting better numbers than the guy starting ahead of him, but Neto's defense is what puts him ahead of Burke, and his three point percentage keeps him there.
Player | Per Game | Rank | Player | Per Game | Rank | Player | Per Game | Rank | Player | Per Game | Rank | |||||||
J.Withey | MPG | 14.2 | 309 | T.Lyles | MPG | 16.9 | 268 | C.Johnson | MPG | 12.3 | 328 | J.Ingles | MPG | 14.3 | 307 | |||
J.Withey | PPG | 4.7 | 304 | T.Lyles | PPG | 4.6 | 305 | C.Johnson | PPG | 3.1 | 361 | J.Ingles | PPG | 3.9 | 325 | |||
J.Withey | APG | 0.4 | 370 | T.Lyles | APG | 0.7 | 323 | C.Johnson | APG | 0.8 | 311 | J.Ingles | APG | 1.0 | 274 | |||
J.Withey | RPG | 3.7 | 176 | T.Lyles | RPG | 3.9 | 164 | C.Johnson | RPG | 2.1 | 314 | J.Ingles | RPG | 1.6 | 356 | |||
J.Withey | SPG | 0.5 | 258 | T.Lyles | SPG | 0.2 | 388 | C.Johnson | SPG | 0.6 | 219 | J.Ingles | SPG | 0.6 | 212 | |||
J.Withey | BPG | 1.2 | 34 | T.Lyles | BPG | 0.2 | 309 | C.Johnson | BPG | 0.2 | 282 | J.Ingles | BPG | 0.1 | 346 | |||
PRASB (/min) | 10.5 | 0.74 | PRASB (/min) | 9.6 | 0.57 | PRASB (/min) | 6.8 | 0.55 | PRASB (/min) | 7.2 | 0.50 | |||||||
NBA Rank AVG | 241.8 | NBA Rank AVG | 292.8 | NBA Rank AVG | 302.5 | NBA Rank AVG | 303.3 |
This is where the wheels fall off. Jeff Withey gets his blocks and rebounds, but not the minutes. Lyles is learning this game still. Chris Johnson is really not someone who should be playing a quarter of the game at the NBA level. And Joe Ingles has not been as impressive as he was last year. And I don't know who to blame. At his best, he can be a starter in a pinch. We haven't seen him at his best this season.
Player | Per Game | Rank | Player | Per Game | Rank | Player | Per Game | Rank | Player | Per Game | Rank | |||||||
E.Millsap | MPG | 8.7 | 391 | T.Pleiss | MPG | 6.8 | 409 | J.O'Brien | MPG | 3.0 | 446 | E.Green | MPG | 4.7 | 428 | |||
E.Millsap | PPG | 1.8 | 413 | T.Pleiss | PPG | 2.0 | 411 | J.O'Brien | PPG | 0.0 | 453 | E.Green | PPG | 1.4 | 422 | |||
E.Millsap | APG | 1.0 | 272 | T.Pleiss | APG | 0.2 | 424 | J.O'Brien | APG | 0.0 | 451 | E.Green | APG | 0.3 | 411 | |||
E.Millsap | RPG | 1.8 | 344 | T.Pleiss | RPG | 1.3 | 373 | J.O'Brien | RPG | 0.5 | 442 | E.Green | RPG | 0.7 | 430 | |||
E.Millsap | SPG | 0.4 | 293 | T.Pleiss | SPG | 0.1 | 426 | J.O'Brien | SPG | 0.5 | 265 | E.Green | SPG | 0.1 | 422 | |||
E.Millsap | BPG | 0.2 | 293 | T.Pleiss | BPG | 0.2 | 316 | J.O'Brien | BPG | 0.0 | 403 | E.Green | BPG | 0.0 | 436 | |||
PRASB (/min) | 5.2 | 0.60 | PRASB (/min) | 3.8 | 0.56 | PRASB (/min) | 1.0 | 0.33 | PRASB (/min) | 2.5 | 0.53 | |||||||
NBA Rank AVG | 334.3 | NBA Rank AVG | 393.2 | NBA Rank AVG | 410.0 | NBA Rank AVG | 424.8 |
Elijah Millsap isn't with the team anymore. Tibor Pleiss spends more of his time in Idaho than Utah. J.J. O'Brien is in the NBADL as well. And Erick Green is in the same boat.
So, who cares?
I think the numbers validate our own opinions on the roster this season. This team is shallow, less so when healthy, but we've already spent the entire season without the starting point guard, and much of it without two other starters as well. When looking at just the bench players, many of them are less than impressive compared to every other single bench player in the NBA this season. Being healthy helps. I hope the team can remain healthy the rest of the way.
If Dennis Lindsey is looking at this in terms of what work he needs to do in the off-season then I think there's some really good data here. But for us rabid fans, I think we all know that there's no need for data beyond the eye-ball test for some of these guys.
The sad news is that the numbers do show that while we do have some good building blocks, they just aren't All-Stars yet either. It's going to be an interesting off-season for this team, playoffs or not.