Utah Jazz Big Men Show Defensive Potential in First Game Action

By Ryan Aston @mrmarykateolsen on October 8, 2014

The Utah Jazz finally have their first taste of live action against real competition in the books, and although fans and media alike would do well not to read too much into one game, the early returns are favorable. Last night, the team kicked off the 2014-15 NBA preseason with an impressive 92-73 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. The squad’s increased focus on defense was in full effect.

Again, it’s the preseason and one must keep in mind that Blazers coach Terry Stotts had made it known pre-game that his starters would only play about 20 minutes in the game (a credo he met almost to the second), but Utah’s defensive execution was impressive, specifically from the frontcourt. Even during the moments when the Jazz had to deal with the likes of LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard, centers Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors were deterrents at the rim and anchors to one of the team’s better defensive performances in recent memory.

Together, the duo combined for four blocked shots and 22 rebounds, and were perhaps the primary reason Portland connected on less than 35 percent of its shot attempts overall. Even Enes Kanter, the Jazz player perhaps most maligned for his lack of defensive presence, was clearly giving increased effort on that side of the floor, and doing his best to be a more mobile defender.

The effort wasn’t limited to just the big men. Trey Burke was doing his best to fight through screens and challenge shot attempts. The challenging of shots in particular is a large facet of coach Quin Snyder‘s defensive philosophy and really, the team as a whole was trying to get their hands in shooter’s faces, as well as on the basketball. To that end, Alec Burks finished the game with four steals.

The Blazers will have their chance at revenge tomorrow night in Portland, and it will be interesting to see if the Jazz can duplicate their defensive performance on the road, but for now, Jazz fans can find solace in the fact that the defensive effort looks to have improved and will be a continued focus throughout the season.

Ryan Aston covers the Utah Jazz for RantSports. Follow him on Twitter @MrMaryKateOlsen or add him to your network on Google.