SLC Stars news, notes and coverage

[Xiao Yao You]

Stars were horrible. Wade's shot is pretty ugly. Needs to put on some weight. Don't think he was in the rotation. Udoka a and Teague were ok

[Xiao Yao You]

Looks like Robinson who started last game was cut and Carsen Edwards is replacing him. I think he was a first rounder? Going on 22 so another young guy

[Xiao Yao You]

Closer than last game but not good. Time for Butler, Hughes and Fitts to join and see what they can do. Teague and Udoka did ok

[Xiao Yao You]

Looks like the Stars made another roster move adding Gerard Tarin. Alex Robinson gone it appears

[Xiao Yao You]

https://kslsports.com/472657/zaire-w...me-with-stars/

[Xiao Yao You]

Different Stars team with Hughes, Fitts and Butler starting. Butler dominating like I figured he would. Just let him keep doing that until he's ready to help the Jazz and dump Clarkson by the trade deadline. Fitts nice all around game including 7 assists and 3 blocks! Hughes hit some 3's which is encouraging. Not much else besides for turnovers. Udoka close to a double double with 3 blocks, 2 assists, 2 steals and only one foul while playing 34 minutes. Defensive battle so it looks like he might have a future. Maybe Whiteside and Clarkson will be expendable? Teague and Baily nice games as well

[Xiao Yao You]

https://www.ksl.com/article/50286295...ight-for-stars

Butler can play the game of basketball. Whether it's orchestrating the offense, knocking down 3's, driving the lane or finding an open teammate, he can play the game at an elite level, and it's easy to see why he was Utah's primary target during the 2021 draft.

he can play at an elite level in the Gleague

[Xiao Yao You]

Great comeback. Fitts was their best player. He might be able to help the Jazz at some point. Hughes seems to have improved his 3 but still kind of sucks. Udoka with boards and blocks but he will be the biggest player most games in the gleague. Butler another big game. Needs to cut the TO's

[Xiao Yao You]

Hughes finally has a big game! Udoka playing big minutes and staying out of foul trouble good news. 4 To's not pretty. Butler not shooting well but filling the box score as you'd expect. New pickup Tarin with a nice game, No Fitts

[Xiao Yao You]

https://www.slcdunk.com/the-downbeat...-utah-jazz-nba

For one, Jared Butler has shown that, at least on the offensive end, he’s a stud. Through three games played, Butler has averaged 23.3 points, 5.7 assists, and 5.3 rebounds (albeit shooting 45.9% from the field and 29.4% from three). While his efficiency hasn’t been great, Butler’s ability to score and make plays off the dribble has been impressive. Just take a look at the highlights from his G-League debut, one which ended with him hitting a game winner:

his D was good with the Jazz. Has to shoot better. I think his release might be too slow for this level. We'll see

With Elijah Hughes, many of the same sentiments are true. He too has had an impressive start to his season, averaging 23.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists. He even put up this impressive performance a few nights ago:

Had 1 big game. Let's see it every night

Like Butler, most of Hughes’ question marks come from the defensive end. I think he’s got the offensive skillset to make an impact in the NBA, but he needs to continue to improve on defense. Over the course of the last year, he’s looked better, but he still has a lot more growth ahead of him before Quin Snyder trusts him with real minutes. With that said, I think he’s buying himself more time with the way he’s played in the G-League.

remains to be seen if he has the skill set. His 3 has improved it would appear

Unfortunately, I don’t believe Udoka Azubuike has done the same. While he’s averaged 9.2 points, 12.6 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game, he hasn’t done anything to really impress me this season. He continues to, at times, look totally lost on the court. I’m genuinely beginning to worry that if he doesn’t show growth by the end of the season, he’ll end up turning into a loss for Utah. It feels unfair to continually compare Dok’ to the players that were drafted around him; the Jazz picked Azubuike where they did, he had nothing to do with it. Still, it’s hard to not look at players like Desmond Bane, who were clearly more NBA ready at the time, make such a significant impact on their team. Azubuike still has a load of untapped potential and I believe that he has a path to the NBA. I just wish that path was clearer than it is now.

the only guys I'd look to compare him to are centers picked after him because they needed a center. Bane wouldn't be playing for the Jazz. Udoka is playing big minutes and staying out of foul trouble. Those are both signs of growth. He's young. Bradley grew a lot in the Gleague(literally as well) and Udoka is probably a better fit

Malik Fitts, one of Utah’s two-way contract players, has played well in a pair of outings for the Stars. He’s averaged 18.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3 assists a game, all while shooting 51.9% from the field. The combination of Fitts’ shooting and size (6-5 with a 7 foot wingspan) gives him real promise as a 3-and-D wing.

He's the most exciting prospect after Butler. He might be able to help the Jazz. 7 foot wingspan could be the answer to the 4 and allow Royce back to the wing where he belongs

After a breakout first game where he scored 10 points on 4-7 shooting, Zaire Wade has faced some struggles in the G-League. For him, more than anyone else on the roster, per-game averages don’t matter. His purpose in the G-League is to learn and develop against fringe-NBA talent. The growing pains he’s experiencing now will serve him well in the future.

He should be in college or Australia or something. He's physically not ready. Certainly has some talent but isn't getting much time while the Jazz guys are there

Brenden Bailey, an American Fork High School alumnus, has averaged 6.0 points and 3.4 rebounds in 22.0 minutes per game.

he's no Thurl

[Xiao Yao You]

Watching game now. Udoka's injury looks bad. Was putting no weight on it. Don't know if it's the same one that kept him out for months last year. Definitely worrisome if he can't stay on the floor. Oni was probably already gone but it certainly looks even more likely now. They will need another 5

[Xiao Yao You]

Butler looked good again in their latest loss. Hughes continues to be mostly unimpressive

[Xiao Yao You]

Looks like a couple more roster moves

JJ Avlla and Jared Wilson Frame added Show and Taylor gone

[Xiao Yao You]

Shams Charania: Sources: The NBA G League is postponing its season until Jan. 5. G League finished up its Showcase in Las Vegas this week and was set to restart play Monday, but now delayed in resuming season as COVID-19 cases rise and influx of call ups to NBA teams.
– via Twitter ShamsCharania

[Xiao Yao You]

Games pushed back again. 3 new players