Tag Archives: Utah

Subtraction by Addition

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As I have mentioned many times before, the Utah Jazz made some major changes to their roster over the last few weeks. There have been so many additions that fans, current members of the team, and even analysts from the likes of ESPN and Fox Sports Network are talking about this team being in the top tier of teams that can compete for it all this season. The additions make everyone excited.

There have however, been a lot of subtraction that have given the team the freedom to get the new players. I’m going to take a look at the players that are gone and the impact their absence will have on the team. To view these players on an even field I am going to leave Derrick Favors off of this list because it is widely believed that his absence will be the one felt most by the team.

Thabo Sefolosha SF – Unsigned

A quintessential “3 and D” type of guy. The NBA is full of players like him, but it seems like every team will tell you that you can never have too many players that fit that mold on your roster. Thabo is 35 years old and may start ring-chasing for the last couple years of his career. He averaged less than 4 points per game last year. The impact that the team will feel with his departure though comes from his defensive prowess. He’s never shied away from defending whoever the team needs him to.  He’s a player that would get in the space of opponents and make his way into their heads. Sefolosha knew exactly what his role was, and he did it near perfectly every night.

Raul Neto PG – Philadelphia 76ers

The underappreciated sparkplug to the team last year. Raul averaged 5.3 points per game, 2.5 assists, and 1.7 rebounds while shooting 33 percent from behind the 3-point line. His numbers don’t seem all that impressive from a back up point guard, but he always did exactly what head coach Quin Schneider needed him to. That’s what will be missed. He’s always been a scrappy player. He’d give the team 100 percent hustle every night he stepped onto the court. His willingness to outwork his opponent led to many extra possessions from the Jazz and many missed shots or turnovers for whoever Neto was lined up against.

Ekpe Udoh – Beijing Ducks

On the surface, Udoh’s numbers won’t excite you, and they may even lead you to wondering why he was on this list. He was arguably one of Utah’s most important bench players last season. Udoh was a pro’s pro. His role carried over from the previous season and it was understood clearly by him. He played just over 6 minutes per game, and his per game averages were 2.3 points, 1.8 rebounds, and less than 2 assists. He also averages less than 1 block per game at 0.6. So what gives? Why is he on this list? Udoh’s importance last year was that he was always available to play a few minutes here or there, and that he was as professional of a person as they come. Udoh played in 62 percent of the team’s games and got really important minutes during the games when Gobert or Favors were injured.

Final Verdict:

I believe that Raul Neto will be missed the most from the team next season. His energy he brings along with his great attitude will be missed, but the biggest part of his game that will be missed will be his availability. I understand that he has had injury issues, and as a third string point guard, it wouldn’t normally be that big of a deal. Neto had an interesting situation. He played behind the oft-injured Dante Exum. As a Jazz fan all we’ve ever heard about is how great Dante can be when things click for him. He’s spent so much time rehabbing injuries though, that Neto has become the team’s backup point guard. With Mike Conley’s age, and the uncertainty of the other two point guards on the roster, Jazz fans can feel uneasy about the point guard situation moving forward. Neto was a rock you could for the most part rely on to bring it every night and outwork his opponents at every opportunity. He’ll be missed, but hopefully for the Jazz’s sake, not too much.

Rookies or Gems?

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When all was said and done with this off season’s NBA draft, the Utah Jazz selected 3 players with very late second round picks. The Jazz drafted Jarrell Brantley, Justin Wright-Foreman, and Miye Oni. These players may all turn out to be second round gems. They all took their opportunity in Summer League and really showcased their skillsets off. The Jazz also signed Nigel Williams-Goss, the team’s second round pick from 2017 this week. These four players all have legitimate potential to be on the roster for the first game of the 2019-2020 season. I’m going to take a look at them and state the case for each to make the final roster for the year.

  • Jarrell Brantley PF

This summer Brantley showed that he knows his way around the hoop. He wasn’t afraid to get into the paint and battle with everyone around him for the ball. In the Salt Lake Summer League, he averaged 13.5 points, 5 rebounds, while shooting 44 percent from the field. He was the Jazz’s second leading scorer behind Tony Bradley who was playing in his third summer league season. Brantley showed that he wasn’t going to let being undersized for his position stop him from showing that he belonged on the court. What he lacked in height he made up for in effort and toughness. Brantley used his muscle to fight through opposing player. If he can lean out his body and develop a little more touch from outside, he’ll make his way into the rotation and onto the court.

  • Justin Wright-Foreman PG

Comparing Wright-Foreman to players in the summer league at his same position isn’t fair to him. To put it bluntly, he’s short. Don’t let his size fool you though. He can flat out score. During his time at Hofstra, Wright-Foreman put on a show. He was the Colonial Athletic Conference’s player of the year in 2018 and 2019, as well as an honorable mention All-American. During the Salt Lake Summer League, he averaged a respectable 13 points and 3.5 assists while hitting 41 percent of his shots. He had moments where he was able to show off his above-average athleticism. The part of his play that really impressed me though was that he led the team in shots. The shortest guy on the roster showed that no matter what, he was going to take his share of the shots and not be intimidated. He shot the ball well too. He shot it with touch. He wasn’t just throwing up prayers and hoping they would drop. A scorer that’s willing to take shots, slash, and attack the defense is an extra weapon the Jazz will always welcome.

  • Miye Oni SG

The Jazz are a team that has spent the last five years with defense as their identity. Players like Rudy Gobert, Jae Crowder, and Joe Ingles have been the defensive backbone of the team. Oni could fit right into that same mold. He’s a player with length. His ability to irritate defender and jump passing lanes are exactly what the Jazz look for in a player. In the Salt Lake Summer League he was the best defender on the Jazz squad. Oni has a long wirey frame that he uses to his advantage. He averaged 2 steals, 1.5 blocks, and a respectable 9.5 points per game. Like Wright-Foreman, he shot the ball nicely from 3-point land. In a league that is shifting towards ‘positionless’ basketball, the type of player that every team is looking for is what Oni showed flashes of. If he can consistently be a “three-and-D” type of player, the Jazz will be forced to give him playing. He could take the exact same path with the Jazz as Royce O’Neal.

  • Nigel Williams-Goss PG

Williams-Goss has got one thing going for him that the other three players listed with him don’t have. Experience. He is older than the three. He was drafted two year ago in the 2017 NBA draft. He had a stint in the summer with the team participating in games just like the others. After the summer ended, Williams-Goss made the decision to leave the team and sign with a European team. He’s spent the last two years playing professionally oversees. He has fine tuned his game and is expected to have a legitimate shot at stealing someone else’s minutes. He was already a very smart player coming out of Gonzaga in 2017. Now, with the extra experience, the game has slowed down for him. He has a better feel and he won’t try to force things. There is a relatively wide-open race for the back up point guard position with the team. If things the things around him fall into place, don’t be surprised to see Williams-Goss getting minutes with the second unit for large stretches of the game. His ability to control the game is something that can’t be overstated in the required skillset of a successful NBA backup point guard.

Every one of these players has potential to be the next steal of the draft. They’ve all been overlooked for one reason or another, they all have a chip on their shoulder, and they all have the skills and abilities to play in the NBA.

If I had to pick which one of these guys that is most likely to make the cut and play spend get the most playing time, I’d choose Jarrett Brantley. That’s not an easy chose though. I honest think that all of them could make their way into the league. The thing that I believe puts Brantley on a higher tier than the others, is his physical gifts. He’s already built like an NBA player, and he know how to throw his weight around to get to where he needs to. Don’t be surprise though if you see more than one of these guys getting playing time this upcoming season. They’re all realistically one injury away from it happening.