Utah Jazz Breakdown: Jazz Haven't Corrected Past Weaknessed

[Erick Blasco]

 

 

Despite importing Al Jefferson and Raja Bell last offseason, the Utah Jazz remain a talented, yet still-flawed team that is perhaps worse than their previous incarnations. These flaws were on full display during a 112-105 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Let’s analyze the game to pinpoint exactly why the music has stopped playing.

 

Utah began the game trying to execute its various UCLA cuts, cross-screens, flex-screens, down screens, with all the various continuity that evolves from each specific play. While Utah generated some open looks, and the continuity created good spacing for Utah’s frontcourt to post or isolate one-on-one, the Jazz spent much of the first half turning the ball over on poor passing and forcing execution that wasn’t there.

 

In the second half, Utah changed its approach, relying more and more on early assaults in transition and one-on-one moves involving Deron Williams to exclusively generate offense, a tactic that worked thanks to Williams’ prolific talents.

 

Discounting transition and broken plays, the Jazz had 84 offensive possessions. Of those 84 possessions, offense was run through Williams on a whopping 42 times. On isolations (a term I use to describe one-on-one, or one-on-more attacks, not strictly clearouts), Williams’ offense generated 8-11 Utah shooting for 24 points on 17 possessions, a spectacularly efficient number that looks even better when you subtract two end-of game desperation heaves.

 

Williams was simply too strong for Tony Parker (and is too strong for most other players) to handle, and too fast for San Antonio’s mediocre help defense to cut him off. It's this combination of strength and speed that makes Williams a premier player at getting penetration and attacking the paint.

 

Williams also posted up nine times, usually after completing his UCLA cut to the box, leading to 4-7 shooting (with one of the misses coming from Andrei Kirilenko when the Spurs fronted Williams and had Kirilenko’s man drop down to provide help even before an entry pass was made) for 11 points. Williams was, again, too strong for the Spurs to handle without sending extreme help, even against a respectable post defender in Tony Parker.

 

http://cdn1.sbnation.com/images/blog/star-divide.v5e9d7f1.jpg

 

 

 

Williams also ran 11 screen/rolls or fake screen/rolls, which turned into 15 Jazz points as Williams made excellent decisions when confronted with every screen. He’s a master of the pocket bounce pass, and is a reliable mid-range shooter off the bounce.

 

Also, where most teams set up a strong side triangle and have a strong side player in the corner drag to the wing to take advantage of a strong-side perimeter defender rotating to pick up the roll man, Utah does things a little differently. The Jazz usually clear a side on their screen/rolls and have Williams attack towards the baseline as opposed to the middle. To take advantage of help defenders rotating, they sneak a weak-side corner along the baseline behind the help defender as a release valve. This is where cutters like Ronnie Brewer used to feast in Utah’s system, with Kirilenko and Paul Millsap doing most of the baseline work this year.

 

On plays designed to get Williams attacking towards the basket, Williams generated 50 points for Utah on 37 possessions, an exceptional ratio highlighting Williams’ supreme ability to create offense when not matched up with an exceptional defensive counterpart, or well-coordinated help defense.

 

However, Williams is rather ordinary as a shooter. On four catch and shoot plays run for Williams, he only connected on one shot. He also curled around a screen and fed Al Jefferson for a layup, rounding out his possessions used.

 

Williams is also in complete control of Utah’s offense. He completed nine assists against four turnovers. Of those turnovers, one came when he attacked multiple Spurs in transition and had the ball slapped off his knee, and one came when he slipped on a drive. His other two came on a lazy read on an entry pass to Kirlenko when he was swarmed in the post, and his final came on a misread on a C.J. Miles cut. In truth, Williams forces a pass or makes a careless play a couple of times per game.

 

Williams also sets sturdy screens, can be used off-the-ball, and plays terrific defense—but not against guards that operate at warp speed like Tony Parker.

 

On 16 possessions where Williams was the primary defender, the Spurs scored 19 points, a respectable defensive number. However Williams was often eating Parker’s dust on screens and isolations and needed a number of missed Parker layups to make his numbers respectable. Worst was on one third quarter sequence where Williams chased Parker, ran into a screen, and died. Parker was cut off by Utah's help, but because Williams stood around and didn’t get back into the play, Antonio McDyess was able to walk in and dunk.

 

Williams’ best attribute, his size and strength, wasn’t needed against Parker’s rocket speed. However, Williams’ moxie was on display when Richard Jefferson tried to post him and D-Will fronted him destroying any passing angle. The over-the-top lob pass was broken up for a turnover.

 

Williams’ value over other elite point guards is in his ability to excel in many different areas. Rajon Rondo has nowhere near the scoring arsenal, while Derrick Rose is still learning how to run an offense, how to negotiate being a scorer and a playmaker, and how to make good decisions close to the basket. Steve Nash is a vastly inferior defender, while Chris Paul coasts too often, can’t play without the ball in his hands, and is totally gamble-oriented on defense.

 

Only Tony Parker can approximate Williams ability to excel near the basket and in the mid-range while playing solid defense, making good decisions, and understanding five-man principals---but the degree of Parker’s defense, passing, vision, and range shooting is less than Williams, and he doesn’t have a post game. Parker also has less offensive responsibility.

 

However, while Williams is one of the NBA’s jewels, his teammates aren’t up to snuff.

 

http://www.slcdunk.com/2011/1/31/1966494/utah-jazz-breakdown-jazz-havent-corrected-past-weaknesses