The Utah Jazz guard line is getting all the attention in training camp and how they are going to play together and who is going to play with whom. Jordan Clarkson, Talen Horton-Tucker, Collin Sexton and Kris Dunn all have their unique skills and how they approach the game.
David Locke, radio voice of the Utah Jazz and Jazz NBA Insider takes a look at these 4 and how they compliment each other and how they could best work together.
So far we have seen Jordan Clarkson play with Kris Dunn and Collin Sexton and Talen Horton-Tucker play together. Do these make sense on paper and in reality.
Locke also look at the playing groupings in the western conference
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8 Comments
Good morning everyone
Before you get into the numbers, I'm gonna say the problem is…we have a half-dozen guards at or very slightly above league average , none of whom offer any spikes in defense or playmaking that elevate them much above that level, or above the other Jazz guards. Don't think there's any massaging of stats that's gonna change the situation dramatically.
Now let's hear the tale of the uh…not tape.
The clippers biggest strength is competent to elite defense everywhere but short stints of hyland and moments that westbrook might lose engagement mentally. If we dont let them iso a sexton or clarkson every play i think we win handily.
Yea its bad when you have 6 guards but the dude from Jay and Silent Bob is the best passer on the team😂(Olynyk).
So I have a new plan, hear me out The Ultimate Wasatch Front……just put KO at the point and be done with it😂. Why start three seven-footers when you could start FOUR!😂
I really hope he gives Dunn high usage just to see how that goes, Dunn just balances any line-up we have always when he is on the floor as his defense puts pressure on opponents and he isn't a ball hogging player who aims to only look for his own solo scoring.
Solutions? Band-Aids?
1) Move Ochai to 3. He's strong enough to handle wings a little taller than he is. Slightly reduces the log jam. Does THT's legendary wingspan make him a candidate for similar, or not?
2) INCREASE the logjam by including Keyonte in the calculation, because he might be the best, offensively. Prioritize his development.
3) Trade any two of them for a slightly better player? Add a draft pick? Looking at the list of "better" guards, there's at least 30 better than any of ours and I can't see a trade working. But I may be underestimating Ainge there.
4) I think you finally hit on the key, the overriding criteria: Whoever can become a +defender…that's the guy(s) we play, and ruthlessly sit the ones who can't? Sounds mean. These are all good guys, but the hard choices are gonna have to be made eventually.
I called the starting guards for both games so far. The reason they are starting Sexton and THT is they need to see if either of these guys has a future with the team. They are going to continue to do that for a while. And they should. Both players are on the cusp of being serviceable guards and they are costing a lot of money. The Jazz want to give them a good run to see if they can work out. They don't need to test Clarkson, he is a known quantity, and he is comfortable coming off the bench. They don't need to test Keyonte, he will be around for years and needs to develop as a rookie. Same with Ochiai. Dunn is on a short-term contract and is expendable. They do want to test him to see if his offensive improvement is consistent, but the Jazz have less invested in him as a player due to his contract, age, and history.
Sexton at the 2. Dunn at the 1. Enough individual sample size from previous years to be confident with that. Clarkson plays 30 minutes a night at the 6th man role. George takes the remaining back up minutes.