The Jazz play the Lakers on Thursday night. The teams are tied 1-1 in their season series.
The roster of the Utah Jazz is lottery pick heaven. Derrick Favors and Gordon Hawyard were the 3rd and 9th picks in the 2010 draft. Trey Burke was the 9th pick in the 2013 draft. Dante Exum was the 5th pick in the 2014 draft.
But, the Jazz have been to the playoffs one time in five years, and then, in 2011, they were swept by the San Antonio Spurs. They currently reside in no-man’s land, not good enough for a top 5 pick and hovering in the mediocre swells of lower lottery level land, unable to make the playoffs, a young team without a proven star who can carry an organization night after night.
The Jazz have been in the lottery four of the past 5 years. They have lost a total of 167 games after snatching a lottery pick. They have won a total of 130 games. They do not have an All-Star.
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But, the Utah Jazz are the hottest team in the NBA, even if they are not going to the playoffs. Since late February, they have led the NBA in defensive rating, opponent points and opponent field goal percentage. They have won 8 out of their last 10 games.
The Jazz play a Lakers team that has won one game in the month of March (Detroit), but who have been close in 4th quarters, just unable to make the key plays at the end to win.
The Jazz have a big inside presence with shot blocker Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors. Trevor Booker is a hustle player who comes off the bench and grabs rebounds, plus he has a nice mid-range shot. Utah is 4th in the NBA in blocks while the Lakers are 9th in rebounds.
It’s safe to assume the Lakers learning curve is going to stay exactly where it is since they continue to make the same mistakes. It is the definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Their Golden State loss was the most deflating of the year. They did everything right except, when it was necessary, they couldn’t maintain their possessions without turnovers. The Warriors cranked up their defense and the Lakers wilted.
On February 25th, the Lakers beat the Jazz in Salt Lake on one of Jordan Clarkson’s finest games as a rookie. He shot 63%, had 22 points and 4 rebounds, out shining the lottery pick guards of Utah, Dante Exum and Trey Burke. Jordan Hill, Ed Davis and Carlos Boozer also had noteworthy performances in guiding the Lakers to a 3 point win over the Jazz.
The Lakers effort, on most nights is strong. They’ll need it to dent the confidence of the Jazz who are playing like a playoff team. The bad news for the Jazz is, it is too little, too late.
Next: Lakers Draft: Is a Top Pick Worth the Humiliation?