ORLANDO — Thursday night, with just over a minute left against the Orlando Magic, the Utah Jazz trailed by just four points.
But one defensive play was not only a defining moment late in the game, but also highlighted an area the Jazz are trying to emphasize as a place they need to grow.
Here is the part in question:
Paolo Banchero gets the ball on the left side and as Jalen Suggs drifts to the weak side, Keyonte George decides to stay on the strong side and help Banchero.
“It’s the only possession in the game where I feel like it shows an area of growth that we need to hit,” Hardy said. “It’s a four-point game with (1:09) to play, and Banchero gets the ball in the post and we’re disorganized.”
You can hear the Orlando broadcast team mention that not only is a double team coming for Banchero, but Jazz coach Will Hardy was not going to be happy with the result, which was a wide-open 3-pointer for Suggs.
Here’s the thing, Suggs was having a great fourth quarter and had just made a 3 on the previous play. And even more so, the Jazz players were not instructed to double or assist Banchero in this situation.
“Keyonte kind of waits for the baseline and will help on the baseline side, which is not something we talked about tonight at all,” Hardy said. “I understand that Keyonte is trying to make a play… But I think at this point, as a team, we need to do a better job of recognizing that being down four with (1:09) to go is a very winnable game . We just have to stay focused on this moment and execute what we want to do.
George was out of position and trying to get a save that would help save the game, but this decision was unnecessary and actually left the hot hand to Suggs, open to punishing the decision.
It might be very easy to be angry just at George for this, but Hardy’s larger point is that the Jazz are not where they should be in terms of thinking as a unit and communicating information important.
His teammates should have yelled at him to follow Suggs to the weak side and stay with his man. There should have been more recognition of the situation from the entire group on the ground.
“I think one possession for me is a demonstration of like, we’re close in terms of being in a place where we think as a group,” Hardy said. “But I felt like the possession, just a little disorganized, Suggs makes a 3, now you’re down seven, and it’s a totally different story.”
If everyone on the court had understood the game plan better, this moment could have been corrected and maybe with George contesting the shot, maybe they would have a chance to reduce it to a one possession game with just under a minute to play.
Of course, Hardy wishes George would make a better decision at that point, but the most important thing is for the team to recognize the situation, the score and the time elapsed – and help focus the defense as a group.
