Utah Jazz Still Have Major Work To Do On Defense

By Ryan Aston @mrmarykateolsen on October 31, 2014

When the Utah Jazz introduced Quin Snyder as the franchise’s eighth head coach this past summer, defense was the order of the day. Sure, there was plenty of discussion about offensive pace, floor spacing and moving the basketball, but it was made clear that guarding the opposition would be the top priority in the new regime. Through two regular season games, it has become increasingly clear that the team still has a long way to go in that department.

Granted, their opponents in those contests — the Houston Rockets and the Dallas Mavericks — are among the best offensive teams in the NBA, each with a defined system and dynamic scorers to execute it, but the manner in which those points are coming has been troublesome. Despite Utah’s strong emphasis on transition defense throughout training camp and the preseason, James Harden and the Rockets burned the Jazz for 18 fast-break points. Against the Mavs, they fared slightly better in that department, but gave up 52 points in the paint, as well as several uncontested jumpers.

Of particular concern has been the performance of Enes Kanter, who was victimized by both Dwight Howard and Dirk Nowitzki. Those are tough matchups for anybody, but Kanter still needs to find a way to have a positive impact on that side of the floor. The team also needs to do a better job at rotating and helping each other out. Last night, the Mavericks were able to move the ball around until they beat the help to a spot and got an open shot on a seemingly countless number of occasions.

All of that being said, there’s still reason to be hopeful that the team can figure it out. During the preseason, the transition defense was great in most of the games and the Jazz were one of the top defensive teams in the league. Also, as stated before, Utah’s opening round of opponents comprise the NBA’s offensive cream of the crop. Once the schedule normalizes and the squad becomes more familiar with their team concepts on defense, we could ultimately see better returns. The defensive impact of centers Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors is also something the Jazz can find solace in.

Still, what matters in this game is results, and after two blowout losses, the results are saying that the Jazz still have work to do on defense.

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