Three thoughts on the Utah Jazz’s 115-107 loss to the Orlando Magic from the Salt Lake Tribune Jazz beat writer Andy Larsen.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Jazz bench and fans hope for the best as Utah Jazz guard Collin Sexton (2) attempts a three-pointer to tie the game against the Goldens State Warriors, but falls 140-137 during an NBA basketball game on Thursday, February 15, 2024 in Salt Lake City.
1. Jazzs are so small
The Jazz have the worst defense in the league in February.
I think this game was a really good example of why. I actually thought the effort was there. They didn’t have a lot of turnovers (13), they didn’t allow a lot of fast break points (18), or a lot of second chance points (9). The Magic also didn’t shoot well from three overall: 10-30 for 33%, which is below the league average.
So why were the Jazz beaten offensively today? For me, it’s a personnel problem: the Jazz are too small.
It’s the end of the game, after a free throw, and it’s Collin Sexton who guards Franz Wagner. Sexton wasn’t the only kid guarding Wagner today; Kris Dunn also found himself facing the 6-10 forward for much of the match. Meanwhile, Sexton and Dunn are 6-3.
That means the Jazz need to send help, and lots of it. This is the first Keyonte George to stunt in the lane, leaving Jalen Suggs open. (Suggs was a poor 3-point shooter in his first two seasons, but shot 38% from deep in year three.)
This also means that the Jazz are very exploitable on switches. This video below was not the basic Jazz setup, but now Sexton guarding Paolo Banchero. Keyonte George sees the discrepancy and comes to help. (Will Hardy was frustrated after the match that George was freelancing like this.) Again, it’s a big, wide open three for Suggs.
Besides the mismatch issues, there are other significant downsides to being small:
• Their rim protector is either John Collins (too small) or Lauri Markkanen (not very skilled), so the Jazz have to send bodies to the rim and may have a penchant for fouling. (Walker Kessler’s presence really helps, but he was out with a foot strain against Orlando.)
• But being small also means their fences aren’t scary – Suggs easily captured George in the first video, for example.
• It is more difficult to win the rebound battle and more resources must be devoted to it. (The Jazz are actually good at this, 2nd in the league in rebounding percentage in February.)
• Referees often give advantages to larger players over smaller players when a clear advantage exists.
But the Jazz gave up their only playable winger, Simone Fontecchio, at the beginning of the month. Another, Otto Porter, is away from the team while it determines whether to pursue a buyout. As a result, the Jazz are so easy to exploit, and we’re seeing the consequences: They’ve lost seven of their last eight games.
2. Lauri Markkanen in trouble
It’s not a complete disaster, but Lauri Markkanen has struggled recently. He’s averaging just 18.8 points and 7.1 rebounds over the past three weeks with shooting times of 39/36/95. For the season, he is at 23.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per game, shooting 49/40/89.
I asked Will Hardy if there was anything he would like to see more or differently from Markkanen:
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