Whereas Utah Jazz fell to the underside of the NBA rating this 12 months, it made me suppose quite a bit about how they might use their three two -lane spots, now and sooner or later.
When a crew is admittedly good and tries to maximise the chance for his or her greatest gamers so as to elevate the rating and, lastly, there’s not a ton of minutes to present to potential gamers who have been in any other case uncared for by the world of basketball.
However within the place of jazz, there are alternatives for these sorts of gamers.
This 12 months, jazz had Micah Potter, Oscar Tshiebwe and Elijah Harkless in double-direction agreements on the finish of the 2024-25 season. When evaluating these gamers, you will need to consider how they labored in relation to expectations, how they might combine into the NBA and if jazz ought to give them one other blow sooner or later.
Micah Potter – B
There are numerous causes to understand what Potter has delivered to jazz in addition to to the celebrities of Salt Lake Metropolis. It has been a veteran presence for the celebrities crew previously three years and has all the time and with out complaining about every part requested by the group of jazz.
It’s also very revered within the championship circles, rented by its teammates and coaches and has a set of abilities which appears to have definitely returned to the panorama of the NBA at this time.
It’s a huge one that may house the bottom, and it’s one thing that groups are nonetheless in search of.
Typically, when individuals describe Potter’s recreation, he’s a giant strong man who does not likely depart the web page. It might be as a result of he didn’t have too many professional alternatives, however when he was within the chosen crew of the USA crew, enjoying in opposition to a number of the most adorned NBA gamers that the sport noticed, he held up and opened his eyes.
Potter’s taking pictures numbers have dropped with a disaster on the finish of the season, however his work physique signifies that that is only a disaster slightly than an actual decline. There are a number of NBA groups who may do worse than a robust and bodily shot, but when an NBA crew decides to gather Potter stays to be seen.
It’s unlikely that jazz is utilizing an inventory place subsequent season with Potter since they’ve by no means transformed it into an ordinary settlement and that it has no eligibility for a bidirectional contract. Acquiring a minimal provide from an NBA crew is what Potter will search.
Oscar Tshiebwe – B
When you had to take a look at solely the statistics of the Tshiebwe League G league, you’d in all probability suppose that I’m loopy to present it nothing lower than a ++++++++, and I would be the first particular person to report the insane figures that he may make with the celebrities and inform you that he is among the nicest, essentially the most nice and nice gamers that I’ve ever coated.
However Tshiebwe serves as a brutal reminder of the distinction between League G and the NBA. It’s not solely a spot, it’s a crater the scale of the Grand Canyon.
Whereas Tshiebwe was ready on common 17 factors and 19 rebounds in the course of the common gague season (over the nights for 37 factors and 26 rebounds), this manufacturing didn’t translate its NBA alternatives.
Though Tshiebwe has no drawback dominating the competitors on the decrease degree, he has hassle defending, shifting with ease and seemingly anchored in a NBA match.
He might be value one other 12 months of improvement on a double -meaning case to see if he can put together his NBA recreation, however that may not shock me if the jazz tried to punch elsewhere.
Elijah Harkless – A-
It might be an extreme response to notice an participant who solely appeared in 10 NBA video games, however there’s a good cause to react this manner with regards to Harkless.
Virtually each time Harkless was on the sphere with jazz this season, he confirmed that his defensive prowess dominated these of his friends on the sphere.
Now this might say extra in regards to the defenders of the perimeter on the jazz checklist than on Harkless, however it’s value noting it.
Harkless is 25 years previous after his first NBA season, so he’s not as younger as different double -meaning prospects might be, however he’s nonetheless younger within the NBA, which implies giving him one other blow on a double will likely be a simple determination.
If it isn’t the jazz that offers him this blow, I might count on one other NBA crew to do it.
I feel that jazz coach Will Hardy would have used extra with out Harkless on the finish of the season if he had not been injured (groin pressure), and I feel Jazz Brass wish to see if they may probably rework him right into a professional NBA participant.
Though Harkless’s figures didn’t present up a lot throughout his 10 video games with jazz, he shone with the celebrities. The distinction between Harkless and Tshiebwe is that even in its restricted NBA alternatives, Harkless has had an actual influence on the sport, particularly on the defensive.
If he may additionally deliver his Ligue G taking pictures numbers (41.3% of three) to the NBA, jazz may have a bit of diamond in crude.
