Category: Utah Jazz Blog

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Rudy Gobert calls for Utah Jazz to step up

The Jazz lost 113-104 to the Spurs Friday. And despite playing at home, they started slowly, trailing by six points after one quarter, and were outscored by 13 in the second. Center Rudy Gobert wasn’t pleased after the game. Here’s the Deseret News reporting:

“It’s on us to be more physical and come out with an edge that we used to have,” Gobert said after the 113-104 loss. “If you want to be a champion, if you want to be one of the best teams in the league it’s got to be who we are and we’ve got to come out every night with that chip on our shoulder. No matter who we play we’ve got to come out with something to prove. That’s what teams are doing to us and they’re having fun.

“They don’t really respect us, They come out, push us around, deny us, we don’t react, take us out of what we want to do, and then offensively they’re just playing free. Dejounte Murray, all these guys they’re playing like they get out of the cage and they can do whatever they want because it’s easy.”

Gobert did his part last night, putting up 18 points and 14 rebounds on nearly-perfect 7-of-8 shooting. But the four other Jazz starters each shot below 36% from the field. And Jazz perimeter defenders allowed 10-of-20 three-point shooting from San Antonio.

Still, the Jazz are 36-19 for the season. A very solid record.

Jazz center Rudy Gobert did big things in the All-Star game

Defensive-minded Jazz center Rudy Gobert did big things in a very offensive-minded event, the All-Star game. He was fantastic on both ends of the floor, though. Here’s the Deseret News reporting:

If ever there was a doubt that Rudy Gobert belonged on an NBA All-Star team, that doubt was dashed away and forgotten on Sunday night.

Amid the big names and plethora of talent jammed onto the All-Star team rosters, the Utah Jazz center shined like a diamond in the rough in his All-Star debut, scoring 21 points on 10-of-11 shooting to go with 11 rebounds, two assists and a block as a reserve for Team Giannis.
“He hears all the negative and all that stuff and he enjoys and embraces it and wears it like a cape,” his fellow Jazz and Team Giannis teammate Donovan Mitchell said. “He just goes out there and hoops. He didn’t get too much out of his comfort zone. He just went out there and did what he does and I really respect that about him.”

The Jazz are currently 8th in the league in both offense and defense, and at 36-18 they’re 4th in the West.

Utah Jazz sign guard Rayjon Tucker

The Utah Jazz signed guard Rayjon Tucker today.

Tucker (6-3, 209, Arkansas-Little Rock) has played in 16 games (all starts) for the Wisconsin Herd of the NBA G League this season where he’s averaged 23.8 points on 49.4 percent from the field, 4.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 33.8 minutes per contest.

The 22-year-old finished his collegiate career at Arkansas-Little Rock, owning averages of 20.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.1 steals in 36.6 minutes per game during the 2018-19 season. The Charlotte, N.C. native was named to the 2018-19 All-Sun Belt Second Team following his final college season. He played for Florida Gulf Coast for two seasons (2015-17) prior to Arkansas-Little Rock.

Tucker will wear no. 6 for the Jazz.

Utah Jazz sign guard Rayjon Tucker

Cavs trade Jordan Clarkson to Jazz for Dante Exum

The Utah Jazz in a trade today acquired guard Jordan Clarkson from Cleveland in exchange for guard Danté Exum and two future second round picks, pending the outcome of physicals.

The two draft picks Cleveland will receive are a 2022 second-round pick via San Antonio and a 2023 second-round pick via Golden State.

Exum (6-5, 214) has appeared in 11 games for Utah this season. In five seasons with the Jazz, he averaged 5.7 points and 2.2 assists in 18.7 minutes over 215 career contests (68 starts), and appeared in 17 career playoff games in 2017 and 2018. The Melbourne, Australia native was originally drafted by Utah with the fifth overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.

According to the Salt Lake Tribune, “Exum, 24, had struggled to find time in coach Quin Snyder’s playing rotation after recovering from knee surgery. While the Jazz had allocated all of their developmental resources toward Exum, the Australian disappointed during the course of his Jazz career.”

Clarkson (6-4, 192, Missouri) is in his sixth NBA season, currently averaging 14.6 points on 44.2 percent from the field, 2.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 23.0 minutes per game. Among qualified players, the 27-year-old ranks seventh in scoring average off the bench in 2019-20, also having knocked down the fourth most three-point field goals (59) among reserves this season.

Drafted in the second round (46th overall) of the 2014 NBA Draft by Washington (traded to Lakers on draft night), the San Antonio, Texas native has appeared in 411 career games (138 starts) with the Los Angeles Lakers and Cavaliers with career averages of 14.7 points on 44.4 percent shooting, 3.2 boards and 2.7 assists in 27.2 minutes per contest. Following his first season, he was named to the 2014-15 All-Rookie First Team.

Per the Tribune, “Clarkson, known as a slasher along the lines of former Utah guard Alec Burks, spent most of his career with the Los Angeles Lakers before being traded to the Cavs in 2018.”

And one more Tribune note: “Exum will make $9.6 million for this season and next. Clarkson’s deal, on the other hand, expires this summer and will make him $13.4 million this season.”

 

 

 

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Cavs and Jazz reportedly set to trade Jordan Clarkson, Dante Exum

The Cleveland Cavaliers are reportedly set to trade guard Jordan Clarkson to the Utah Jazz for guard Dante Exum.

According to ESPN.com, “the Jazz will send Cleveland a 2022 (via San Antonio) and 2023 (via Golden State) second-round picks, sources said. This was the NBA’s first trade since the Houston-Oklahoma City deal centered on Russell Westbrook and Chris Paul on July 11. Clarkson arrives with a $13.4 million expiring contract. Exum has two years, $19.2 million left on his contract. The Cavaliers will create a $3.83 million trade exception, which it has one year to use, ESPN front office insider Bobby Marks reports.”

The Cavs are 8-21 this season. Clarkson has come off the bench for all 29 games and is averaging 14.6 points in 23.0 minutes per game. Their focus this season should be on rebuilding for the future.

The Jazz are 18-11 and currently on a five-game winning streak. They’re a playoff competitor. And got little out of Exum during his time on the team due to major injury issues. As for this season, Exum is averaging just 2.2 points in 7.5 minutes per game, over 11 games.

Jazz guard Mike Conley dealing with left hamstring injury

Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley was evaluated by the team’s medical staff on Wednesday and the following was determined:

Conley reinjured his left hamstring during Utah’s game against Orlando in Salt Lake City last night. He will be reevaluated during the team’s upcoming road trip. Any further updates will be provided when necessary.

According to the Salt Lake Tribune, “Conley missed five games after experiencing hamstring tightness, which was frustrating for the Jazz point guard. “That’s why they’re like, ‘Be patient, be patient, don’t push it.’ And I’m just trying to push it every day,” Conley said before his return.”

Conley has appeared in 22 games (all starts) in his first season with Utah, averaging 13.6 points, 4.6 assists and 3.3 rebounds in 29.4 minutes per contest.

 

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Rough stretch lately for the Jazz

The Jazz are a modest 13-10 this season. They’re only outscoring opponents by 0.5 points per game. Will they turn things up a notch anytime soon?

Here’s the Salt Lake Tribune:

After losing three in a row and five of six against some of the league’s top teams — such as the Bucks, Pacers, Raptors, Sixers, and Lakers — the Utah Jazz got back on the winning track Saturday against the struggling Grizzlies.

Thing is, Utah’s upcoming schedule is fairly loaded with struggling teams, providing the Jazz a chance to continue to sort out some of their lingering issues while simultaneously putting some notches in the win column.

Of their 10 remaining games in December, only two — in Miami against the Heat on Dec. 23, and in Los Angeles vs. the Clippers on Dec. 28 — are against teams with winning records at the moment.

New point guard Mike Conley hasn’t had the effect the Jazz hoped for so far. He’s averaging 13.9 points and 4.6 assists, shooting just 36.9% from the field.

As a team, they’ve been above average in defense, but disappointing on offense. The coming weeks will tell more about just how seriously they should be taken as a playoff contender. There is much work to be done.

Donovan Mitchell facing increased pressure this season

 

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The Jazz have gone in the wrong direction so far this season. At just 17-19 they have just the 12th best record in the Western conference. But now here’s the good news: it’s a crowded conference, with lots of teams boasting similar records. They’re only 2.5 games behind the 8-seed Kings, and only 6 games behind the 1-seed Nuggets. There’s plenty of time for them to rise. As for young star Donovan Mitchell, here’s the Salt Lake Tribune reporting:

Once people saw what Mitchell was capable of, they asked for growth — even despite a foot injury that severely hampered what he was able to do this summer. And once NBA opponents saw how Mitchell propelled the Jazz to great heights, they changed their game plans to stop him.

The result has been an inconsistent second season in which Mitchell’s numbers have taken a small step back from the heights of his rookie year. He’s still averaging just over 20 points per game, but taking an extra shot in order to get there. The rebounds, the assists, the 3-point shooting, and the turnovers are all about five percent worse than last season.

By any reasonable standard, Mitchell’s sophomore season has been impressive: second-year players who carry their teams offensively are a rarity in the NBA for good reason. And yet, that rookie season in which he put his stamp on the franchise, the city, even the league itself holds Mitchell to a higher plane.

As for the team as a whole, they remain one of the league’s best defensive teams. But the offense has a lot of work to do.

Rudy Gobert fined by NBA for public comments about officials

Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert has been fined $15,000 for public criticism of the officiating, it was announced today by Kiki VanDeWeghe, Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations.

Gobert made his comments to the media following the Jazz’s 102-100 loss to the Miami Heat on Dec. 2 at AmericanAirlines Arena.

According to the Salt Lake Tribune, “Gobert was called for a foul on Heat guard Dwyane Wade with 3.2 seconds left in that game, and the resulting free throws broke a tie and ultimately resulted in Miami’s victory. Gobert asserted that the referees had been making foul calls inconsistently throughout the game, pointing to the lack of a foul call on a Donovan Mitchell drive to the hoop on the prior possession.”