When speaking with the media earlier this week, head coach Will Hardy was adamant that the Jazz needed to get in better shape with the regular season two weeks away. He backed up those words as Utah went extremely hard on Thursday and Friday, going through brutal and physically demanding practices that lasted over two hours.
The tactic worked as the Jazz played their most complete game of the preseason on Saturday night, taking down Portland 138-133.
“Tonight in general, we played a style of basketball that we want to play. … I told the team that we got better because of the work they put in, and they should feel good about that,” Hardy said postgame. “Obviously, there’s no reason to overreact to good or bad things that happen in the preseason, but I do think that after our first two games, we were able to get a couple of good practices in and make a few adjustments as a team.”
Here are five things to know following the win.
1.) 10-Man Rotation
When asked about the ideal rotation size earlier in the week, Hardy said he prefers to play nine guys, but 10 is definitely doable. On Tuesday night, Hardy went with a strict 10-man rotation for the first three quarters before emptying his bench for the final 12 minutes.
Lauri Markkanen, Walker Kessler, and John Collins started in the frontcourt, while Talen Horton-Tucker and Jordan Clarkson (first start of the preseason) were the guards. Hardy then went with Kelly Olynyk and Collin Sexton as the first two players off the bench, followed by Kris Dunn, Ochai Agbaji, and rookie Keyonte George. All the starters played at least 17 minutes, while the reserves played at least 11.
With Hardy expressing his desire to narrow down the rotation over the following week, it appears he’s settled on ten players for now. There’s plenty of time to change between now and Oct. 25, but this is just another step in the right direction.
“We understand, as a staff, there’s give and take with every lineup,” Hardy said.
2.) Collins Settling In
Collins knew the transition to the Jazz wasn’t going to be easy, as evident by the lack of comfort he and his new teammates had in their first two preseason games. But after those grueling practices, Collins looked like a new player — and the one Utah envisioned getting when they traded for him this past summer.
“There have been some weird moments, but no one is panicking. … We’re just trying to sort it out and help John get more comfortable,” Hardy said. “John has really improved his shooting in terms of the ability to knock down catch-and-shoot threes, so people have to really respect him on the perimeter.”
Collins was much more involved than his first two preseason games, finishing with 15 points and three rebounds on 5-of-7 shooting (1-of-3 from three). He looked more comfortable on both ends of the court, reflected in his +8 rating in 24 minutes.
“You’re going to see a lot more layers to my game that you wouldn’t necessarily have expected. … I’m locked in on continuing to prove that I can contribute in any way I can,” he said.
3.) Jazz Rounding Into Form
As Hardy said, you never want to put too much stock into preseason games. But it’s hard not to be excited about the upcoming season, considering the amount of growth the Jazz showed from last Tuesday to Saturday night.
Returning home and getting in some intense practices certainly helped, but it was more than that. Utah looked like a team figuring out how to play with one another, pushing the tempo and filling the lanes. The cohesion was better when considering the alley-oop dunks, the rotations on defense, and the constant communication.
While the vibe is always better when a team is winning, there was a different level of camaraderie amongst the group as the rotation began to get ironed out and roles became more defined. Markkanen is still a star, Collins is becoming more comfortable, Horton-Tucker ran the offense well, and Sexton and George were a dangerous punch off the bench.
4.) Frontcourt Becoming A Problem
It’s the preseason, so expectations must be tempered, but Markkanen and Collins might become a problem. Their complementary games were on full display for fans at Delta Center Saturday night.
Markkanen (26 points, nine rebounds) is the rare star who doesn’t always need the ball in his hands to dominate. He does most of his work coming off screens, cutting, and just implementing himself in Utah’s system. While Collins may be able to do similar things, he does a lot of his work by setting screens, making that extra pass, and shooting the open three from deep.
When you add the length and athleticism of second-year center Kessler, it’s easy to see what the Jazz are trying to build with their new frontcourt. On any given night, Utah might have the longer and more athletic frontcourt, a recipe for success in the league.
Kessler’s ability to defend the rim allows Markkanen and Collins to be more aggressive than expected, knowing the second-year center is behind them. But this extra pressure should also lead to more turnovers and get the Jazz out in transition, a scary thought for opponents when you have Markkanen and Collins filling in on the wings.
“It’s taken us a minute to figure out exactly how to put them together and when to put them together, but I think they’re doing a good job,” Hardy said. “They’re both very understanding with each other and with us through this process. … There were some good moments tonight.”
5.) Four-Guard Lineup
While there were multiple takeaways from Saturday night, one of the more interesting developments was Utah’s use of a four-guard lineup for multiple stints in the second and third quarters.
With Kessler (and sometimes Olynyk) serving as the lone big man, Hardy implored a guard-heavy lineup of George, Sexton, Dunn, and Agabji. While there were highs and lows, the lineup could be used in the regular season.
“Nothing that we’ve thrown out is us just spinning the wheel to see what happens. … We think through it, and we think there’s positives and negatives to every group, and we want to see what they look like,” Hardy said. “That group, you know, we’ve messed around with it in practice some, and they’ve shown us the ability to really pressure the ball defensively and then offensively create advantages off the dribble, but we’re going to have to keep working defensively.”