Salt Lake City’s Not So Little Secret

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The Utah Jazz are nestled in Salt Lake City which is one of the NBA’s smallest media markets. And with that the Jazz organization has always struggled in bringing in some of the NBA’s talented free agents. But that hasn’t prevented the Jazz from competing as from 1984-2003, they made the playoffs in each year. After losing in the first round of the 2012 NBA Playoffs, the Jazz fell on hard times which included them losing 57 games during the 2013-2014 season for their worst mark in franchise history.

Quin Snyder

When Quin Snyder became the head coach of the Jazz in 2014, the bar of expectations for him wasn’t that high. Snyder didn’t have any previous experience as a head coach in the NBA, but he had succeeded at every level that he coached at which included leading the Missouri Tigers to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament in each of his first four years there, and being the NBA’s Developmental League Coach of the Year in 2009 when he was the head coach of the Austin Toros.

But in Snyder’s first season with the Jazz, the team won 38 games after they were expected to once again hover around the 25-win mark. And last season, the Jazz won 40 games to miss out on a playoff berth by just one victory. However after small forward Kevin Durant decided to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder last summer in order to join the Golden State Warriors, it opened things up in the Northwest Division. And with the Thunder still trying to figure things out without Durant, along with the Portland Trail Blazers struggling, guess who has decided to take control of the Northwest Division?

At the NBA’s All-Star break, the Jazz are sitting atop the standings in the Northwest Division. The Thunder are in second place as they are three games behind Utah, while the Blazers are languishing in fourth place as they’re 11.5 games out. Utah’s 35-22 record is good enough for fifth overall in the Western Conference as this is a team that could be ready to make some noise when the NBA Playoffs roll around this spring.

Dennis Lindsey

The key to the success of the Jazz begins with their general manager Dennis Lindsey and their executive vice president of basketball operation Kevin O’Connor. Lindsey has been Utah’s general manager since 2012 when O’Connor assumed his new role within the organization and together these two men have embraced the fact that the Jazz are a small-market team. The Jazz have focused on getting their core key players through the NBA Draft which is paying off in a big way.

Gordon Hayward, Rudy Gobert

In 2010, the Jazz selected small forward Gordon Hayward ninth overall in the NBA Draft. In each of Hayward’s seven NBA seasons his numbers have improved which includes him averaging 22.2 points per game this season as that has resulted in his first All-Star Game selection. Center Rudy Gobert was the 27th overall selection by the Jazz in 2013. And like Hayward, Gobert’s production has increased in each season with the Jazz as he is fifth in the NBA this season in rebounds at 12.6 per game, while he’s also leading the league in blocks at 2.5 per contest. Hayward along with Gobert are two big reasons for the success of the Jazz this season, and once you factor in the contributions of veterans such as point guard George Hill and veteran swingman Joe Johnson, Utah can no longer fly under the radar as they are a very formidable team.

Prior to joining the Jazz, Lindsey was the assistant general manager of the San Antonio Spurs. And during Snyder’s time in the D-League, the Toros were operated by the Spurs. The Spurs have become the pinnacle for success in the NBA as they’ve made the playoffs in each of the last 19 seasons while claiming five championships over that stretch. One key for the Spurs that Lindsey has brought to the Jazz is unselfishness and ball movement. And if you watch the Jazz play under Snyder, their offensive system mimics what the Spurs do as the basketball and players alike are constantly moving. This unselfishness by the Jazz has led to victories this season over the Spurs, Memphis Grizzlies, and Cleveland Cavaliers who are the defending NBA Champions as more quality wins could be coming down the pike for them.

The second half of the season for the Jazz will get going this Friday as they’ll begin a three-game road trip which starts against the Milwaukee Bucks and includes meetings against the Washington Wizards and Thunder. Next month the Jazz will have a stretch of seven games where six of those contests will be on the road, including games against the Houston Rockets, Thunder, and Cavaliers. But the Jazz should be able to continue to hang with the big boys of the NBA due to what they bring to the table.

Aside from the unselfishness of the Jazz on offense, they are leading in the NBA in fewest points allowed per game this season at 95.7 as it doesn’t hurt to have a rim protector like Gobert, another big body in power forward Derrick Favors who can also plug up the paint, and Hayward who is one of the better perimeter defenders in the Western Conference which gives Utah a puncher’s chance to do some damage during the NBA Playoffs.

Things are only going to get better for the Jazz as shooting guard Rodney Hood should return to the team soon after suffering a hyperextended knee last month. Hood is Utah’s third leading scorer at 13.7 points per game which is only going to make this team that much more difficult to deal with.

Unlike the Thunder and Trail Blazers who have had their issues, the Jazz continue to take care of their business which includes regularly beating up on the also-rans of the NBA. And with the current success that the Jazz are having, it could sway Hayward to remain in Salt Lake City as he is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. But winning cures everything, and a deep run this spring by the Jazz could keep Hayward there for years to come.

Source: Basketball-reference.com

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