Downbeat #2017: 20 Amazing things about the Utah Jazz so far this season

Lots of Utah Jazz @ Charlotte Hornets stuff in this beat, and lots more today obviously. Also take a quick look at the point guard situation with George Hill and of course, icon John Stockton. And a list of 20 awesome things about the Jazz this season — SO FAR!

The Utah Jazz get back to business tonight on their five game road trip. The easiest games, New York and the Philadelphia 76ers, are in the rear view mirror. Tonight, against the surprising Charlotte Hornets, they will have their hands full (remember Kemba Walker last season?) — and then have to finish it off with a back-to-back against the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat. Two wins out of five is not good enough for me. A sweep seems impossible. And you absolutely can’t take any of these teams for granted.

The Hornets (5-1) are leading the South East division. They play very strong defense, and play at a very fast pace. In that way, it’s like that ancient (now) Jazz team that played in a similar fashion. Kemba is averaging 24.3 ppg, 5.5 apg, 2.8 rpg, 1.5 spg, and is shooting .490 from the filed while taking 16.0 shots a game. He’s a big deal.

Another big deal is their depth. Nicolas Batum, Cody Zeller, Frank Kaminsky, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Marvin Williams, Spencer Hawes, and Marco Belinelli all average between 13 and 8 ppg. That’s SEVEN guys who are a threat to get into double figures in scoring. Playing at a high pace is fun, ladies and gentlemen.

I was on #LockedOnHornets early this morning to talk about the Jazz. I had a fun time, we made fun of the Canadian armed forces. Also I found out that they have a name for Zeller that goes as Gob-zeller. That is great because a few of us refer to Gobert as Gob-zilla.

Also, I didn’t listen to this yet because I hate the sound of my voice.

George Hill is great. Everyone is seeing it. Of course, it helps that he won Western Conference player of the Week. But better late than never, right?

I hope we see him at least once more this road trip.

In other point guard notes, this guy was in the stands to watch his kid play.

I’m just happy he’s not in training camp with the Milwaukee Bucks anymore.

Anyway, yeah. Getting back to basketball is something I think we all enjoy and look forward to. I’m going to list 20 reasons why this Jazz season is special. Feel free to add your own in the comments section!

1. Gordon Hayward got injured, but got injured and missed only three six games. Total.
2. And he’s averaging 24.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg, and 2.5 apg. Ridiculous.
3. Right now Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert are averaging 19.5 ppg and 17.6 rpg right now. While we are seeing more of Rudy or Derrick instead of Rudy and Derrick I think that’s okay because . . .
4. . . . Hayward, Joe Johnson, Trey Lyles, and Joe Ingles are filling in well as wings playing power forward in the new “four out” offensive sets that Quin Snyder is running.
5. I don’t think we enjoyed other teams going small against the Jazz, as we are traditionalists when it comes to some things like that. But now the team can match-up against almost any configuration of five players. Seriously. That type of flexibility makes this team dangerous.
6. Rudy Gobert is locked up for the next four years AFTER this one. No opt out. No player’s option. He’s all in.
7. Joel Bolomboy is pretty remarkable. He’s playing 2.3 mpg, which is not a lot. If you give him 36.0 mpg that balloons up to 15.4 ppg, 20.6 rpg, 5.1 apg, 5.1 spg, and 10.3 bpg. Those numbers are insane.
8. Dante Exum is back, he’s healthy, he’s on the court, and he’s attacking the rim and hitting his threes. (3.5 FTA / 36 mins; and 42.9% from downtown) And his defense is already paying off against more experienced opponents.
9. As a team, the Jazz are shooting 40.2% from outside. And this is a team taking almost 25 threes a night. This is good, modern basketball.
10. Quin Snyder still looks menacing.
11. Shelvin Mack occasionally makes good decisions
12. Rodney Hood has taken his rebounding to another level, he’s active on the defensive glass and looks to finish this year with career numbers in that department.
13. Boris Diaw likes coffee, and that’s going to be an on-going storyline all season long.
14. The Salt Lake City Stars are going to be fun to watch, Marcus Paige is a super genius.
15. Raul Neto is super hawtt still.
16. Rudy, Derrick, Joel, Trey Lyles, Dante, and Jeff Withey are all averaging between 2.1 and 0.6 bpg. Those six guys account for 19.4 blocks we 36 minutes. Swat Lake City is back.
17. This team is going to make the playoffs
18. A lot of big market teams are not
19. George Hill wants to sign with the Jazz after this year is up
20. Quin Snyder needs to win six more games than he loses this season in order to be the first Jazz coach since Jerry Sloan to fight his way to a .500 record.

Go Jazz Go!