Every training camp is different.
Even if your roster is nearly unchanged.
“Hopefully things will come back quicker,” Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder said Monday, as his team wrapped up its first practice of the season. “We finished last year on a good note, the second half of the season, and you don’t want to try to make adjustments for the sake of adjustments. But at the same time, we’re not the same team. We need to be mindful of what we can do to help these guys get better.
“I’ve told the team there’s a lot of room for improvement. Sometimes we associate continuity with having a finished product. That doesn’t necessarily hold true in my mind. We can have continuity as a foundation and still look for upside.”
Here are a few notes from the first day of training camp:
Rudy Gobert’s trophy case now has the Defensive Player of the Year award he has long coveted. Asked Monday if he thought that would enhance his reputation around the league, Gobert said, “It’s a pretty big award, so I hope so.”
That’s not the only thing Gobert wants to be known for, though.
“I still feel like I have a lot to prove,” he said, “and as a team, we haven’t accomplished what we can accomplish.”
What is Gobert’s goal for himself?
“I definitely want to be one of the best players in the history of the game. That’s a good goal to have.”
Grayson Allen might be a work in progress.
“Any time you’re a rookie and it’s your first practice, you’re a little bit overwhelmed figuring out what’s going on,” Snyder said. “Grayson’s in the stage where there’s so much that he’s trying to absorb, and practice will help him improve that. But it’s going to be a while before those things become habitual.”
Still, Allen impressed his teammates on his first day.
“He was aggressive and he was having fun,” forward Jae Crowder said. “He’s sure more calm than I was my first training camp. He’s more calm and focused, which is good to see out of a rookie player.”
Former Jazz guard Raul Lopez is back in Salt Lake City and working with the coaching staff.
Lopez played for the Jazz from 2003–05 and has a close relationship with point guard Ricky Rubio. Snyder likened Lopez’s value to DeSagana Diop’s help with big men Derrick Favors and Ekpe Udoh.
“We’ve had situations where we’ve felt like, particularly a former player, a guy has a perspective that can benefit us,” Snyder said.
Lopez, who also has a relationship with new Jazz assistant coach Fotis Katsikaris, expressed an interest in joining the staff in Utah and Snyder said he quickly agreed.
“I think a lot of him as a person and I respect him,” Snyder said.