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Coach Q is a breath of fresh air. Of course he's tired of the questions on Danté and Trey playing together, but he's also not afraid to answer a tough question (or he can't help himself). From our friend Jody Genessy:
Jazz have regressed defensively. In 2013-14, Utah ranked last in NBA in defensive efficiency (109.1 pts/100 possessions). This year: 110.4.
— Jody Genessy (@DJJazzyJody) November 7, 2014
Thought I'd ask Jazz coach Quin Snyder at shootaround about the team's low defensive ranking. This is how it went: pic.twitter.com/J2q9k967iU
— Jody Genessy (@DJJazzyJody) November 7, 2014
I followed up by asking if Quin Snyder is pleased with the progression of Utah’s second-ranked offense. His response: pic.twitter.com/M1UBCYUcn9
— Jody Genessy (@DJJazzyJody) November 7, 2014
It's too early to make any sort of judgment on this team's defensive prowess, as Coach Q stated, they've played some brutally efficient offensive teams. The average will improve as they play bad teams, but the important thing is that the question from Jody wasn't a softball, and though Snyder seemed to want to dodge it, he couldn't help himself and gave an honest assessment.
Thank you to Jody for asking the tough question
More things to appreciate from Coach Q.
The Jazz offense is a thing of beauty. Here are some stats to back up what you're seeing on the court:
- 58% of made field goals come from an assist
- They are 16th in the league in APG, at 21
- They are 14th in the league in AST ration (AST/100 possessions)
- 9th in the league in eFG%
- 7th in the league in TS%
- They have the 8th best offense, with an OffRtg of 107 (points per 100 possessions)
All that equals basketball that is fun to watch.
BONUS SHUMSBEAT!
Hello, class. Mr. LaMarr had to be excused. Mr. Shums will be your substitute for the rest of this Downbeat. Treat him with respect, or Principal Amar will be sending a note home to Coach Snyder. Or something.
(That was weird to write in third person. I don't know how Karl Malone does it.)
Anyway. Let's talk about Jingles!
Nope, wrong kind of Jingles.
There we go.
Honestly, though, did anyone expect the OTHER Aussie to step in and play this well? I admit that I didn't. Should've trusted his countrymen, I guess.
Joe Ingles might be limited in some capacities, but he is such a perfect fit for a Quin Snyder-coached team. Great ball movement so far.
— Angus Crawford (@arkcrawford) November 9, 2014
What do you folks think? Is Ingles a long-term good fit for the Jazz, even in role-player minutes?
The Jazz face the Pacers in Indiana tonight. That means we get to say hi to our old friend C.J. Miles. (Well, maybe.)
Red Player Name = out, Yellow = could miss #UTAatIND -- Jazz could face more despirate team tonight. pic.twitter.com/y7dU3Iy9tE
— SLC Dunk (@slcdunk) November 10, 2014
Through five games -- he's missed the last two -- C.J. is averaging 28.4 minutes per game in a starting role for the woeful Pacers. But he's shooting a miserable 25% from the floor, including 5-29 on three-pointers. C.J. was a streaky shooter at the best of times, but that ain't streaky. That's Mike McD losing to Teddy KGB at the start of Rounders.
(Whoa, I just channeled Bill Simmons there. Sorry about that.)
Anyway, he's possibly out for tonight's game as well, so we may not get to see him play. Funny how things work, though. Would you believe C.J. is only 27 years old? Alec Burks is 23, but he's only had three full years in the league. Miles has had nine. That's crazy.
I'm stealing this from myself, because I think it's funny. Caption this photo (mine is in the tweet):
"Look, Gordon. Everything the light touches is our kingdom." RT @utahjazz: pic.twitter.com/wTVzGu4Fuk
— Layton Shumway (@theshums) November 10, 2014