Jae Crowder fitting right in with the Utah Jazz

Jae Crowder has been a busy man since becoming a member of the Utah Jazz, and not just on the basketball court. First off, it sounds like there is a good backstory to something that happened at the Jazz game against the Mavericks on Saturday.

The next day he heard about/saw a family in need and decided to take action.

I love seeing things like this from NBA players, but especially from guys on the Jazz. Thanks for reaching out and doing what you can to make Utah a better place! That includes the way he’s fit right in on the court in Quin Snyder’s system. Since the trade to Utah (not including last night) Jae has been averaging 14 points, 4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and has provided some really solid play off the bench.

Dan Devine from Yahoo Sports! recently put out a nice piece on the Utah Jazz and the season turnaround they have had:

The Utah Jazz — a team that seemed unlikely to compete after losing All-Star forward Gordon Hayward and starting point guard George Hill in free agency, and that bounced back from an injury to literal centerpiece Rudy Gobert with a hot streak only to lose 15 of their next 20 — have found their form again. Quin Snyder’s club entered the All-Star break having ripped off 11 in a row...

Your mileage may vary when it comes to advanced statistical projection systems. But by FiveThirtyEight’s reckoning, only the Rockets, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs have a higher likelihood than the Jazz of cracking the top eight among Western teams … despite the fact that Utah resumes play Friday in 10th place in the varsity conference. (For what it’s worth, Basketball-Reference.com’s playoff probability report pegs Utah’s odds of making the postseason at 64.8 percent, while ESPN’s Basketball Power Index puts it at 71.4 percent.)

It’s been awesome to see how well the team is playing right now, and I’m sure you are all like me in hoping for another playoff run. Either way, this team is so fun to watch and easy to cheer for!

There weren’t any Fan Posts this week. Sad face. That’s ok there wasn’t a ton of content after that long All-Star break. Here’s an extra piece on CBS Sport’s and how they ranked the NBA’s most valuable rookies:

1 Donovan Mitchell UTAH JAZZ SG

Stats: 19.6 points, 3.5 assists, 3.5 rebounds

Mitchell might not have had the right to the No. 1 spot a few weeks ago, but now that the Jazz have won 11 straight games and are right in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race, there’s really no doubt as to who has been the most valuable rookie this season. After the departure of Gordon Hayward and injuries to pretty much everyone else on the roster, the Jazz have relied on Mitchell to carry the team offensively like no other rookie. His 28.7 usage rate is tops among rookies, and puts him on par with players like Anthony Davis, Blake Griffin and Stephen Curry. Mitchell’s field-goal percentage is a bit low (43 percent), but his 35 percent 3-point shooting is a pleasant surprise. More than anything, Mitchell passes the eye test. If you’re in a close game in the fourth quarter, you trust Mitchell with the ball in his hands -- and that goes a long way.

Well deserved rook!

Speaking of rookie rankings, Oliver Maroney reached out to various NBA writers, players, analysts and more to gauge how everyone would rank the rookie of the year race. Go through and see who you can add to your “that guy doesn’t know what he’s talking about” list for anyone that doesn’t rank Donovan Mitchell 1st.

Ok just kidding. In all honesty, Mitchell and Ben Simmons are both incredible players and well-deserving of the title Rookie of the Year. I’d be totally fine them sharing the award as co-winners. Click on the link and read some of the comments. It’s always interesting to see what others are saying about our rookie sensation out of Louisville. Here’s a couple of the comments:

“Donovan Mitchell. Best player on their team. Doing what he’s doing in the West. Overall, he’s had a bigger impact on his team.”

“I’d pick Donovan Mitchell in a landslide. Mitchell has become the franchise player for the Jazz. He made Rodney Hood, who’s a baller, expendable. Simmons isn’t even the best on his own team.”

The Utah Jazz lost a close one last night at home against the Rockets and now stand at 31-30 on the season. Unfortunately that 11 game winning streak is in the rearview mirror and things haven’t gone as well as they had hoped coming out of the All Star break, with 2 losses in 3 games. The good guys get a few days off and hopefully get things going again on Friday. Here’s how things look the rest of the way:

• 3/2 vs. Timberwolves
• 3/3 @ Kings
• 3/5 vs. Magic
• 3/7 @ Pacers
• 3/9 @ Grizzlies
• 3/11 @ Pelicans
• 3/13 vs. Pistons
• 3/15 vs. Suns
• 3/17 vs. Kings
• 3/20 vs. Hawks
• 3/22 @ Mavericks
• 3/23 @ Spurs
• 3/25 @ Warriors
• 3/28 vs. Celtics
• 3/30 vs. Grizzlies
• 4/1 @ Timberwolves
• 4/3 vs. Lakers
• 4/5 vs. Clippers
• 4/8 @ Lakers
• 4/10 vs. Warriors
• 4/11 @ Blazers