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NBA Summer League 2016: Las Vegas update, Trey Lyles is good, and where did the offense go? - Downbeat #1954

Your Las Vegas update . . . the NBA says they don't like "super teams". The players say they don't care. What do you think?

By AllThatAmar
Neat.
Neat.
Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

Let's take a look at the last 25 years of Utah Jazz basketball. Where did the offense go? Will they ever at least equal where the defense is today? Hopefully. We also get a look at the Vegas Summer League, an recap of the last game, and what's did we learn so far? Beyond "Trey Lyles is an NBA player," not a lot else. Also we have to touch on the "Super Teams" question. We have an actual rebuttal today.

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The Utah Jazz got blasted away by the Denver Nuggets in the second round of the Las Vegas Summer League last night, 80-60. It really was the third quarter that decided this game, as the Nuggets picked up the pace and dropped 27 points, while holding the Jazz to just 12. Aside from that quarter the margin was only five points between the two squads. (2 in the first, 2 in the second, and 1 in the fourth) Denver were running without Emmanuel Mudiay or Gary Harris (or Malik Beasley), and Utah was without Trey Lyles.

Who stepped up? 2016 Lotto pick Jamal Murray and 2011 Lotto pick Jimmer Fredette did their thing, finishing with a combined 32 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists. Jimmer shot 3/11 and went 0/4 from deep, but got to the line. Murray shot 7/13, 3/6, and 3/4 though. For Utah, Joel Bolomboy, Tibor Pleiss, and bench big Mike Tobey had their moments, but there just were not enough of them.

Utah will not tip off against the Los Angeles Lakers in the losers bracket. I'm not upset that the team didn't beat Denver. I didn't think there were enough NBA players on this Summer League roster. Aaron Craft and Spencer Butterfield looked nice, but I don't think they are NBA level defenders just yet. The Jazz went 0-3 in Utah, and are 2-3 in Vegas. The Lakers are 3-1.

I'm not expecting a win tonight either. The main goals of this summer weren't meant for wins. They were to see if any of these guys were actual NBA players. And we found a lot of answers. Lyles? Clearly ready to take the next step from a bench player to a rotation player.

via the Marvelous Monilogue!

Everyone else? Not quite.

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Super teams are bad, right? The NBA's commissioner Adam Silver seems to think so.

The NBA players disagree. Here's what Los Angeles Clippers guard J.J. Redick has to say on the main talking point:

Which side of this debate do you fall on? The one where NBA Players should be allowed to pick where they work? Or on the side of the non-huge market owners where the franchises that draft players should get a greater than normal chance to keep them?

Regardless, I think the money counters win here. Super teams means more people invested in the product. More money is made on TV Games. And the league increases in popularity and gets richer.

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Let's take a look at how the Utah Jazz USED to get things done, and what they are doing now. When you put their Offensive rating (ORTG) and rank up against their Defensive rating (DRTG) and rank you get this:

Season ORTG NBA RANK DRTG NBA RANK NET RTG
1 1991 1992 112.2 4 105.6 7 6.6
2 1992 1993 109.6 7 107.4 13 2.2
3 1993 1994 108.6 7 104.1 7 4.5
4 1994 1995 114.3 4 105.7 8 8.6
5 1995 1996 113.3 2 106.1 8 7.2
6 1996 1997 113.6 2 104.0 9 9.6
7 1997 1998 112.7 1 105.4 17 7.3
8 1998 1999 105.8 3 98.4 7 7.4
9 1999 2000 107.3 6 102.3 11 5.0
10 2000 2001 107.6 3 102.4 12 5.2
11 2001 2002 105.6 10 104.6 14 1.0
12 2002 2003 105.5 9 102.8 15 2.7
13 2003 2004 101.9 19 103.3 14 -1.4
14 2004 2005 104.7 22 109.5 26 -4.8
15 2005 2006 104.1 22 107.0 21 -2.9
16 2006 2007 110.1 3 107.0 18 3.1
17 2007 2008 113.8 1 106.5 12 7.3
18 2008 2009 110.1 8 107.3 10 2.8
19 2009 2010 110.7 8 105.0 10 5.7
20 2010 2011 108.1 13 110.1 23 -2.0
21 2011 2012 106.8 6 106.1 19 0.7
22 2012 2013 106.7 10 106.8 21 -0.1
23 2013 2014 103.5 25 111.3 29 -7.8
24 2014 2015 105.1 17 104.9 14 0.2
25 2015 2016 105.9 16 103.9 7 2.0
Average 108.3 9.1 105.5 14.1 2.8

The Jazz used to be GREAT on offense and above average on defense. The end result was a huge net rating and lots and lots of wins. Right now the Jazz defense is on the mend, but the offense still needs a lot of work. But that's what I think.

Hopefully this year the addition of an NBA Playoffs starting level caliber point guard (George Hill) and more depth all around will produce fewer minutes of pathetic basketball this year. Last season the team spent minutes going scoreless. I hope that never happens again. The team is very far from the days of absolute offensive assassination (beyond execution). But I believe that if they stay together they'll get there. One day.

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I don't even know how to categorize this event, but apparently former Jazzman, and all-time name team member, Truck Robinson changed jerseys during a ga,e (not remarkable by itself), but the Jerseys had different fonts?

Man, the NBA was almost at 100% #strugglemode during the 1970s.

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So, caption contest? (Man, I remember and miss #FesenkoFriday ) What are they talking about? Just how passive-aggressive is Canadian Trey Lyles about to get?

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