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Utah Jazz Roster Examination: A look at who on the roster has "experience"

By AllThatAmar
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Experience seems to continuously live at odds against potential. Eventually the two meet in the middle and you are in your peak physical and seasoned years. I think we have an interesting team, with guys all over the place upon the continuum of potential vs. experience. This is something we need to keep track of, particularly when you want to look at which guys to keep and which guys to get rid of in all of our off-season arm-chair GMing.

Here's the list (sorted by total minutes from high to low)

Career Reg. Seas Career Playoffs Tot. Mins
Player Pos. Age Ex G Min MPG G Min MPG / Season
1 Raja Bell SG 25 12 . 706 19,813 28.1 . 68 1,763 25.9 . 1,798
2 Earl Watson PG 32 11 . 806 18,504 23.0 . 8 136 17.0 . 1,695
3 Al Jefferson PF C 27 8 . 550 16,665 30.3 . 11 277 25.2 . 2,118
4 Devin Harris PG 29 8 . 543 15,261 28.1 . 42 921 21.9 . 2,023
5 Josh Howard SF 32 9 . 496 15,143 30.5 . 66 2,115 32.0 . 1,918
6 Jamaal Tinsley PG 34 9 . 473 13,112 27.7 . 41 1,014 24.7 . 1,570
7 Paul Millsap PF SF 27 6 . 462 12,446 26.9 . 48 1,090 22.7 . 2,256
8 C.J. Miles SG SF 25 7 . 389 7,499 19.3 . 23 424 18.4 . 1,132
9 Gordon Hayward SF SG 22 2 . 138 3,233 23.4 . 4 123 30.8 . 1,678
10 Derrick Favors PF C 20 2 . 143 2,911 20.4 . 4 116 29.0 . 1,514
11 DeMarre Carroll SF 25 3 . 107 1,193 11.1 . 4 71 17.8 . 421
12 Alec Burks SG PG 20 1 . 59 939 15.9 . 4 63 15.8 . 1,002
13 Enes Kanter PF C 20 1 . 66 874 13.2 . 4 43 10.8 . 917
14 Jeremy Evans PF SF 24 2 . 78 680 8.7 . 2 7 3.5 . 344
15 Blake Ahearn PG SG 27 3 . 19 226 11.9 . 3 8 2.7 . 78
Average 26 6 336 8566.6 25.5 . 22 545 24.6 1,364

If I had my way we'd be losing a lot of experience this off-season . . . but seeing how much that would hurt the Utah Jazz - it makes me pause.

Anyway, for the isolated breakdowns for each position click on below!

Point Guards:

Career Reg. Seas Career Playoffs Tot. Mins
Player Pos. Age Ex G Min MPG G Min MPG / Season
1 Earl Watson PG 32 11 . 806 18,504 23.0 . 8 136 17.0 . 1,695
2 Devin Harris PG 29 8 . 543 15,261 28.1 . 42 921 21.9 . 2,023
3 Jamaal Tinsley PG 34 9 . 473 13,112 27.7 . 41 1,014 24.7 . 1,570
4 Blake Ahearn PG SG 27 3 . 19 226 11.9 . 3 8 2.7 . 78

We have a lot of experience in three of our four PGs. I don't know if the Jazz will go with 4 PGs on the roster next year (some of this is better understood if the Jazz get 1 really good backup, instead of 1 good backup spread out into 3 guys). But as it stands right now, a lot of their experience is still valuable. Their value only increases exponentially if the Jazz bring in (via FA, or Trade, or draft) a young PG with a high learning ability.

Devin is the man, and he needs to come back next year and continue finding his place here in this offense. Right now he should be the only one out of the four who should be a lock to return. Earl has the most experience but he is a limited player, as is Jamaal -- but I think Tinsley is a better outside thread and individual who can break down defenses one on one. Looking at what the Spurs PGs did to us may be coloring my opinion of things though.

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Shooting guards and Small forwards:

Career Reg. Seas Career Playoffs Tot. Mins
Player Pos. Age Ex G Min MPG G Min MPG / Season
1 Raja Bell SG 25 12 . 706 19,813 28.1 . 68 1,763 25.9 . 1,798
2 Josh Howard SF 32 9 . 496 15,143 30.5 . 66 2,115 32.0 . 1,918
3 C.J. Miles SG SF 25 7 . 389 7,499 19.3 . 23 424 18.4 . 1,132
4 Gordon Hayward SF SG 22 2 . 138 3,233 23.4 . 4 123 30.8 . 1,678
5 DeMarre Carroll SF 25 3 . 107 1,193 11.1 . 4 71 17.8 . 421
6 Alec Burks SG PG 20 1 . 59 939 15.9 . 4 63 15.8 . 1,002

Raja has to go, so say goodbye to his 20k career minutes -- and their ZERO playoff games in a Jazz uniform. Josh is also a guy I'd kick off the team, but that would mean we don't have any experience on the wings. Then again, OKC didn't have any experience on the wings either and they seemed to do fine (minutes >>> "meaningful" minutes in some cases).

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Power Forwards and Centers:

Career Reg. Seas Career Playoffs Tot. Mins
Player Pos. Age Ex G Min MPG G Min MPG / Season
1 Al Jefferson PF C 27 8 . 550 16,665 30.3 . 11 277 25.2 . 2,118
2 Paul Millsap PF SF 27 6 . 462 12,446 26.9 . 48 1,090 22.7 . 2,256
3 Derrick Favors PF C 20 2 . 143 2,911 20.4 . 4 116 29.0 . 1,514
4 Enes Kanter PF C 20 1 . 66 874 13.2 . 4 43 10.8 . 917
5 Jeremy Evans PF SF 24 2 . 78 680 8.7 . 2 7 3.5 . 344

I think it is fair to say that we have a ton of guys who have a natural position as a PF. Each of these guys would be a PF if they played with a 7' footer -- and frankly not pairing them up with a seven footer is on the GM, not on the players themselves. Big Al's defensive struggles would be partly mitigated if he had Noah/Asik watching his back, for example. Instead we start him at center, lose all the tip-offs, and our last line of defense shies away from contact all game long. He doesn't even box out.

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Ideas:

You can't just go with a full youth movement. Ever. And never ever here. The Jazz need to be selective in who they keep and who they let go. We had a number of experienced guys -- but they all seemed to be concentrated at the PG spot. It would have been nice to see a veteran 5th big who was a legit 7' guy who has a lot of experience and knew all the tricks -- a mentor type for our younger bigs.

He doesn't have to be a former world champion, or a former all-star -- but a guy who was always a professional who has been in playoff battles before. Essentially a 7' Obi Wan Kenobi who doesn't want minutes and is okay to play his days out here before he retires. Anyone have Greg Ostertag's number? Ha, sorry, he doesn't fit the bill for being a professionally minded guy.

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