Player of the Week: Preseason Week 2

The Jazz looked good this last week, but its preseason, so it’s hard to get that excited. That being said, this Jazz team definitely looks different than last year, and in a very good way.

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Paul Millsap

Weekly Line: 11 PPG (50%), 8 RPG, 1 APG (1.3 TOs), 1 BPG, 2 SPG, +11 +/- (24.3 MINS)

Millsap was Millsap last week. He went out and did his job. Paul led the team in both rebounding and steals (How many PFs lead their teams in steals?) and looked solid overall. I know it’s talked about all the time, but Millsap finds a way to improve his game each year. Where does he improve this season?

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Gordon Hayward

Weekly Line: 12.3 PPG (50%), 2.3 RPG, 2.7 APG (2.7 TOs), 0 BPG, .7 SPG, -1 +/- (23 MINS)

After struggling to get going in his first week of play, it was good to see Gordo to come back and rebound in his second. Hayward led the team in scoring (yes, with just 12.3 points). We all know he can go through his "passive" phases, and we’ve obviously seen that this preseason. But one thing I have noticed (and many others on twitter) is that Hayward is looking to get to the line more, and stats back it up. Last season Hayward made it to the line 3.5 times a game in 30 minutes, so far this preseason he is making it to the line 5 times a game and doing it in less than 22 minutes.

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Marvin Williams

Weekly Line: 12 PPG (50%), 5 RPG, 1.3 APG (2 TOs), .3 BPG, 1.3 SPG, +3 +/- (24.7 MINS)

Marvin has continued to give us fans a good impression. He was second on the team in scoring and shot a sweet 6/10 from deep. It’s amazing what adding legit three point shooters to your team can do to your offense. His last game was his best as he put up a near double-double with 18 and 8. Yes it’s preseason, but Marvin is already starting to exceed expectations. We’ll just have to wait and see if he can keep it up.

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Derrick Favors

Weekly Line: 8 PPG (44%), 6 RPG, 2 APG (1 TOs), 1 BPG, 1 SPG, +13 +/- (20.5 MINS)

Another rough week for Favs. The defense and hustle has been there for the most part, but he really is struggling to find a groove in this offense. Can he snap out of it in the final two games? On a positive note, Derrick had a 2:1 assist to turnover ratio. He also made 8/11 free throws (73%).

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Al Jefferson

Weekly Line: 10 PPG (43%), 5.7 RPG, 1.3 APG (.7 TOs), 1.3 BPG, .3 SPG, +.7 +/- (25.3 MINS)

Big Al continued his "meh" preseason play. The lower points and rebounds are expected with the lower minutes obviously, but it’s the 43% shooting that worries me. Jefferson obviously isn’t a three point shooter, so to remain efficient while shooting at that clip he needs to get to free throw line. He did 6 times in three games, not enough. But like I’ve said about 100 times already, it is the preseason. And while player performances can and do matter, I think they are less significant with the veterans.

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Jamaal Tinsley

Weekly Line: 8 PPG (27%), 3 RPG, 4.5 APG (1.5 TOs), .5 BPG, .5 SPG, -3 +/- (22 MINS)

Nothing amazing from Tinsley last week, but you can’t expect a ton from him at this point in his career. His shooting percentage is a bit ugly, but he’s been far from a good shooter throughout his career, never topping 41.8%. His 40.4% last season was the fourth highest in his career. But Tinsley isn’t a scorer for us, he’s a distributer. And I’m not complaining about that 3:1 assist:turnover ratio.

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Alec Burks

Weekly Line: 10.3 (48%), 4.7 RPG, 1.7 APG (1.7 TOs), 0 BPG, .3 SPG, +13.7 +/- (21.7 MINS)

Alan Bronx looked great this past week. We are seeing a more controlled, smoother player. Not to mention that jumper. His rebounding is really the only stat that jumped out (he had 8 in his last game, 7 is his career high), Burks averaged nearly 6 boards a game in college and maybe we start to see that start to translate over this year.

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Enes Kanter

Weekly Line: 9.3 PPG (53%), 6.7 RPG, 1.3 APG (.7 TOs), .7 BPG, .7 SPG, +13.7 +/- (20 MINS)

Kanter’s play may have dropped off a little from last week, but it was far from bad. Enes had the best FG% on the team (excluding Evans and Murphy, who only shot 6 and 5 times) and if you adjust his numbers per 36 minutes, he is putting up 16.7 and 12.1, not bad at all.

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DeMarre Carroll

Weekly Line: 8 PPG (45%), 3.7 RPG, 3.3 APG (.3 TOs), .3 BPG, 1 SPG, +11.3 +/- (19.3 MINS)

Carroll had an alright week. He’s never going to be a top scorer for the Jazz, so it is nice to see him fill up other parts of the stat sheet. One thing that specifically surprised me was that excluding point guards, he led the Jazz in assists, and did it with very few turnovers.

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Randy Foye

Weekly Line: 10.7 (38%), 1.7 RPG, 2.3 APG (2.7 TOs), .3 BPG, 1 SPG, +15 +/- (21.7 MINS)

Foye played MUCH better last week. He actually shot better from downtown (44%) then he did from the field (38%) and I feel we might see that pattern throughout the season. Foye even led the team in +/- and proved he can heat up quick in his 17 point game vs the Clips. But where does he fit on this team? He is far from being a top wing, will he become more of just a threat from deep, or does he see time as a backup for Mo?

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Jeremy Evans

Weekly Line: 2.7 PPG (80%), 2 RPG, .3 APG (.3 TOs), 1.7 BPG, 0 SPG, +2.7 +/- (10.2 MINS)

Evans didn’t get much burn this past week, but I couldn't exactly not write about him after what he did to Ronny Turiaf. Seriously, is this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueEYhkWNRVI even legal? Jeremy continued to prove that if he gets time he will make plays (he had 4 blocks in the same game). Problem is, whether we play him at the 3 or the 4, he’s way back on the depth chart. I love Evans, but it’s hard to see him get any bigger of a role at this point.

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Players who didn’t play (very much): Earl Watson, Mo Williams, Kevin Murphy

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A fun week of ball and a very hard decision on my part.

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Player of the Week: Preseason Week 2

Marvin Williams: 12 PPG (50%), 5 RPG, 1.3 APG (2 TOs), .3 BPG, 1.3 SPG, +3 +/- (24.7 MINS)

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Runner up: Gordon Hayward

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Special Mentions: Alec Burks, Enes Kanter, Paul Millsap