Lottery Teams We Hardly Knew Ye 2014-15: Detroit Pistons and Utah Jazz

Hi all,

After honing my craft for a year in an Australian newspaper I'm back at uni doing a Masters degree, which means I finally have time to get back to this blog.

What better way than by bringing back the "Lottery Teams We Hardly Knew Ye" series I did a while back.

With the regular season rapidly nearing its end, the focus shifts to the serious business of the playoffs as we all try to forget that the Sixers and Knicks were part of the NBA this season.

But before that happens, this series will take a look at each of the lottery-bound teams set to miss out on the post-season, offering analysis, a review of their key players and outlook for the future based on my observations from a single game late in the season.

First up are the Utah Jazz and the Detroit Pistons, who played each other on Saturday, March 14, with the Jazz earning a 88-85 win at home.

Let's start with the road team.

DETROIT

The Pistons were a massive disappointment early in the season as Josh Smith stymied Stan Van Gundy's efforts to recreate the success he enjoyed in Orlando in his return to the bench.

At 5-23, the Pistons straight up waived Smith, proving that you can't put a price on chemistry (although you could argue it's around the $26 million Smith was owed in the final two years of his contract).

The run that followed instilled belief in fans that the team could deliver on its pre-season promise and find a place in the playoffs, until Brandon Jennings went down for the season with a ruptured achilles in late January.

With the trade-deadline looming, Van Gundy (also serving as GM) traded off a few pieces (including back-up PG DJ Augustin) to acquire Oklahoma City malcontent Reggie Jackson from the Thunder.

Jackson had been making rumblings about wanting to start since before the season and the Thunder traded for Dion Waiters as insurance.

After "Neon" Dion arrived, Jackson's production fell off a cliff and they were happy to let him go (and pick up Enes Kanter to boot!) rather than overpay to keep him in the summer.

So it was that the Pistons, after a tumultuous season with a fluid roster, prepared to face off against Utah.

From the outset, the difference between the two teams' mindsets was apparent.

Utah played with a collective intensity, moving the ball and savagely rebuffing entry into the paint.

However, Detroit seemed more like a collection of pieces that didn't quite fit.

Reggie Jackson learned his craft from Russell Westbrook, but seems to have picked up the Thunder All-Star's worst traits without realising the limitations of his own talent.

While Russ can afford to be in attack mode because he's a supremely gifted scorer and athlete, Jackson is far less capable of finishing in the paint or even getting past his man to get there.

It's hardly surprising that a bench player who wanted to compete against the best in the NBA played selfish basketball, but it was ugly to see him dribble the air out of the ball and take shots that were questionable to say the least.

What's worse is Reggie possesses none of the chemistry with Detroit's talented young frontcourt players Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe that Brandon Jennings had forged in Smith's absence.

Van Gundy is embracing the pace and space era, but in Jackson, he has a point guard who seems determined to resurrect hero ball in Motor City, bringing the numerous problems with OKC's offensive schemes with him to the new team.

As the game went on, the Pistons' starting PG was benched for Spencer Dinwiddie, who registered six assists to Jackson's zero and finished the game a +/ 10, while Jackson earned a -13.

With Reggie Jackson a restricted free agent after the season, it will be interesting to see if Stan the Man brings him back or forms a fucking wall to keep him out of Detroit and hopes for a speedy recovery for Jennings.

Going back to Drummond (who is one of my favourite young players), I didn't get to see much of him as he left the game with a concussion at half-time, but it wasn't a strong showing.

Matching up against the insanely long Rudy Gobert, Drummond struggled to keep him off the boards and couldn't find a rhythm.

Coming out of high school, Drummond wowed me with his ball-handling, lateral quickness and body control facing up.

So why is he being forced to play with his back-to-the-basket?

While he does have decent touch at the rim, he doesn't have the size of a Cousins to be able to just bully people in the post and it would be great to see him get an opportunity to face up those few big men who have him beat in sheer length like Gobert.

Defensively, Drummond needs to improve his awareness and team D, but his raw shot-blocking instincts remain and hopefully another year with Van Gundy at the helm will give him a better understanding of anchoring a team.

Part of the reason for Drummond's lack of face up opportunities and defensive struggles might be his frontcourt partner, Greg Monroe.

The Georgetown product arrived in Detroit as part of the 2010 draft, which also featured Utah players Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors, and instilled hope in the franchise as a mobile C, capable of getting steals, scoring in the post and making smart passes.

But when asked to move to PF to accomodate Drummond, Monroe's defensive limitations because apparent, as he no longer enjoyed the speed advantage he had before and had less room to work in the paint, with Drummond also lurking near the rim.

Both players have different strengths, but a common weakness requiring them to stay near the rim makes it difficult for this duo to co-exist happily.

Monroe had a rough game against Utah, being out-muscled by Favors on several occasions and unable to use his post-moves to get a clean shot against Gobert's looming arms.

Moose's body language was appalling in the early going, constantly complaining at the referees for foul calls that weren't warranted.

After Drummond took a seat, Monroe was able to find a bit more success, but it's uncertain whether he'll be willing to return to the Pistons as an unrestricted free agent this season (especially if he's relying on Reggie Jackson to feed him in the post).

Another player who had a poor showing was Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the 6'6" shooting guard from Georgia in his second year as a pro.

After blowing up summer league, it seemed like KCP was getting comfortable in the League and had some success early alongside Jennings, but he was struggling to find open looks for threes.

Despite a disappointing year, I strongly believe KCP will be a long-term started in Detroit and find his feet in the NBA.

He's a better shooter than his numbers suggest, gives effort defensively, has ideal size and doesn't seem to have an ego problem.

Dinwiddie looks to be another keeper for the rebuilding Pistons, with a good understanding of when to shoot, a willingness to make the quick pass and a humble approach.

He's an ideal back-up for this team once Jennings returns.

Overall, the Pistons have a lot of work to do before they are a legitimate playoff team.

Their ball movement needs work, the spacing was appalling and it was only through the efforts of proven vets like Joel Anthony and Anthony Tolliver that they were able to fight back in the 4th quarter, while Reggie Jackson watched from the bench.

With the playoffs out of reach, the Pistons need to address their spacing issues in the draft with a stretch-4.

Luckily, there could be a few options available in their projected draft range, including Kristaps Porzingis, Trey Lyles and Myles Turner.

Failing that, a small forward who can spread the floor and defend is a must, with Kelly Oubre the best candidate in their draft range.

After missing out on the first round of the 2014 draft, the pressure will be on Van Gundy to deliver this year.

UTAH

As I touched on earlier, the Jazz were the polar opposite of the Pistons in terms of demeanour, chemistry and play style in this game.

The Jazz kept their man Gordon Hayward in the off-season, had Favors locked up already, another talented big in Kanter, a polished young PG in Trey Burke, an ideal sixth man in Alec Burks, a lengthy menace in Rudy Gobert on the bench and of course, lottery pick Dante Exum, the raw kid out of the Australian high school ranks.

On paper, this team had a promising young player at every position, enviable big man depth and just enough experience from Hayward and Favors to think about threatening for the playoffs.

Instead, the team struggled early, with Kanter and Favors suffering from the same issues defensively as Drummond and Monroe, Burks going down for the season after a promising start and Exum seeming totally overwhelmed by the play of the NBA.

However, after basically giving Kanter away at the deadline and moving Rudy Gobert into the starting line-up and Trey Burke to the bench, the team has been on a tear.

Although Favors and Gobert don't space the floor to the three-point line, Favors can hit the mid-range J and is quick enough to get out to PFs on the outside, while Gobert has been a revelation in his second season, dunking on everything, gobbling up the boards like m&ms and blocking so many shots that he earned the nickname Stifle Tower - or the French Rejection if you prefer.

This was the first time I watched a full game of Exum since the Nike Hoop Summit, where I fell in love with his amazing first step, great body control, end-to-end speed and defensive quickness.

Although he didn't wow me like he did then, it was clear that he was no bust.

Exum displayed sound instincts for making the right pass, knew when to drive and when to dish - in particular knowing how to get Gobert dunks - and despite not getting much lift on his jumper, he was able to hit a few open 3s.

Exum's shooting form reminds me of Jason Kidd in Dallas, it's very stable, has a fairly low release point, but it's effective.

Defensively, Exum was a big reason why Jackson struggled to get clean looks, using his length at 6'6" to threaten passing lanes and contest shots.

Like Harrison Barnes, Exum looks best in the starting line-up, as opposed to carrying the second unit and it's a credit to Jazz coach Quin Snyder that he recognised that.

Exum looks like what Michael Carter-Williams should have been, but will still need to tighten up his handle and get stronger.

Favors has come a long way since 2010, when he was taken third in the draft by the Nets before coming to Utah in the Deron Williams trade.

The Jazz under Ty Corbin seemed determined to turn the natural PF into a C, but he never had quite enough size to play the position effectively and seems much more comfortable alongside Gobert at the 4.

He has enough size to score over guys like Monroe and the length to protect the rim when teams try to drag Robert out of the paint.

There were a few notable instances where Favors flat-out annihilated Monroe's shot attempts in the post and he seemed a lot springier than he was last year.

Rudy Gobert took everyone by surprise this season and while I'd heard how well he'd been playing since the All-Star break, it's not until you watch him over the course of a game that you realise why people are saying he could have been the #1 pick in a redraft (even over guys like the Greek Freak).

He runs the floor extremely well, he's got quick feet for his size and, critically, he plays within his limits, rolling to the basket for finishes, setting enormous screens and getting boards.

Unlike similar behemoths Hasheem Thabeet and Roy Hibbert, Gobert has a strong enough base that he doesn't get pushed around on the block or boxed out for rebounds.

Utah found an absolute steal in Gobert and his chemistry with Exum is set to improve relations between France and Australia exponentially.

Gordon Hayward, the de facto franchise player in Utah, didn't have a great game, finishing with 12 points on 4-8 shooting, with 3 assists, 5 board and 6 turnovers.

However, his impact can't be measured in stats and he was a steady presence for this young team, not forcing anything, cutting off the ball and making quick decisions.

He was miscast as a first scoring option last season and while that hasn't quite changed, the development of the player around him has allowed Hayward to be more efficient.

He's bulked up considerably since entering the NBA and is a true mismatch at the SG position, with great size and quickness.

Although I was desperate to see Hayward reunited with Brad Stevens at the Celtics, it's hard to see him leaving when his contract is up now that Ty Corbin is gone and team chemistry much improved.

If the Jazz had a weakness in this game it was their bench, with Trey Burke and Trevor Booker doing their best to keep a second-unit lacking in talent afloat with Burks still injured.

Burke drew comparisons to Chris Paul early in his college career for his poise, polished skill-set and leadership traits.

However, after a solid, but unspectacular rookie season, the Jazz decided to upgrade at point with Dante Exum having a higher ceiling.

But to Burke's credit, he didn't complain when he was moved to the bench and he seemed content in his role as sixth man so long as the team was winning (which it has been lately).

How long Burke is happy to come off the bench is unclear, but if Utah can sell him on the idea of being a Jamal Crawford type then he'll be a valuable contributor for years to come.

There's also potential for Burke to start alongside Exum once Burks returns, as he possesses the shooting range to play off the ball, while Exum has enough size to guard 2s (allowing Hayward to switch to the small forward).

Looking to the future, there isn't much Utah lacks outside of a superstar wing scorer, but given the way the league is going away from hero-ball, they might not need one.

If they can find a 3-and-D wing like Oubre to either start or come off the bench or a power forward to stretch the floor when they want to go small (similar to Detroit), then it's not hard to see them making a playoff appearance as early as next season if some of the perenial playoff powers drop off in the West.

It's a shame this team won't get a chance to play in the post-season, but good things come to those who wait, and there's no shortage of upside on this roster.

Despite a long-held dislike of Utah stemming from the Jordan-era and my personal dislike of Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer, this young team might make a Jazz fan of me yet.

CONCLUSION

Detroit has talent but doesn't fit, whereas Utah has great chemistry but is lacking that potential superstar.

This off-season will be critical for Detroit with two key pieces able to leave in free agency, whereas Utah just needs to hold the course and add a few veterans to anchor their bench.

I'll try to make the next one a little shorter, but it's good to be back and congratulations if you made it this far.

Watch this space for the next edition of Lottery Teams We Hardly Knew Ye.

Team Preview: Utah Jazz

Having spent the last three days limping around with sore quads after pushing it too hard at the gym, I'm looking forward to sitting down for an hour or two and breaking down the Utah Jazz, even if they used to be one of my least favourite teams.

Oddly enough, the Utah Jazz bear a striking resemblance to the Wizards team I previewed yesterday; they have a great mix of youth and veterans, their young core is improving every season and they have a frontline which boasts an enviable combination of quality and quantity, going a legitimate four players deep. There is one key difference though, but more on that later. I used to dislike the Jazz for a number of (admittedly petty) reasons, whether it was people putting Deron Williams above Chris Paul in the pecking order of PGs, Carlos Boozer's inability to rebound and silly tattoo and out of misguided loyalty to the long-retired Michael Jordan. However, with Williams traded and Boozer walking in free agency, the last remains of the 90s Jazz in Jerry Sloan gone, I looked at the franchise with fresh eyes, and I liked what I saw. So let's break it down.

Guards:

With Raja Bell excluded from training camp, C.J. Miles traded and Devin Harris shipped off to Atlanta, the guard rotation for the Jazz is going to be a little different from last season. New signee Mo Williams will likely fill the starting point guard spot - a weak spot on the roster last season with the inconsistent Harris starting - but you have to wonder whether Williams is going to be much of an improvement. Like Harris, he played an All-Star level (apparently) for a brief period in the past, but those days are behind him. He found new life coming off the bench in a Jason Terry-role for the Clippers last season, and was a difference maker as a Sixth Man. The question remains though whether or not he can re-adjust to a distributing role and display leadership for a team which is lacking it - if I'm being brutally honest, I don't see things going so well for Mo. Luckily, there are plenty of other guards to pick up the slack, with young 'uns Gordon Hayward and Alec Burks, and vets Randy Foye and Earl Watson filling out the rotation. Hayward is a tricky player to categorise because while he has the size of a prototypical SF at 6'8", he seems to play his best at the shooting guard. Known as the "baby-faced assassin" in college, Hayward remains a fearless scorer, sound decision maker and committed (if not particularly special) defender. He's a very hard worker on the court, and despite questions about his upside has shown that at the very least he's a starter in the NBA, whether at the 2 or 3. With another full training camp under his belt, expect Hayward to boost his numbers from last season as arguably the best perimeter scorer on the roster. I say arguably the best perimeter scorer because of his fellow young gun Alec Burks; standing 6'6", with a slick handle, great vision and an uncanny ability to get to the foul line, he was a player I was hoping Charlotte would take to give him a chance to be a first option player down the line. While this didn't happen, he slowly but surely worked his way into the rotation last season and showed flashes of brilliance towards the tail end of the season, with a few notable fourth quarter performances indicating that the Jazz might just have gotten themselves a steal. With his first full training camp under his belt and valuable post-season experience gained last season, if Burks has added a little muscle, improved his shooting and defends more consistently, he can play the role of James Harden for this Jazz team, leading the second unit and being an isolation scorer when called upon in the fourth quarter. Not much to say about Foye and Watson other than that they are great insurance off the bench and are great role players to have on any team.

Small Forwards:

New import Marvin Williams, Gordon Hayward and occasionally Alec Burks will probably take the lion's share of the minutes at the 3. Williams has underwhelmed after being taken 2nd overall in the 2005 draft ahead of another (more successful) Williams, and the esteemed CP3. However, at only 26 years of age, and freed from the pressure of being a number 2 pick, Williams will have a successful season if he can defend with energy, shoot the long ball close to how well he did against Boston in the playoffs (50% from deep), and not step on the toes of any of their young wings. If Coach Corbin decides to put both Burks and Hayward in the starting lineup this season, then Williams might find himself back to his college role of sixth man. If there's a real question mark on the Jazz roster, it's the SF, but at the very least they have the length to defend some of the bigger SFs in the West (Durant comes to mind) with Williams checking it at a legitimate 6'9" with great mobility.

Bigs:

This is where the strength of the Jazz lies, in their outstanding quartet of big men. The two veterans who (barring a trade anytime soon) will continue to hold the starting spots are Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson. If either of these two is going to be moved to the second unit it will be Millsap, at only 6'8" he's a little undersized for the PF position, even if it didn't stop him playing at an All-Star level for much of last season. That said, he was exposed somewhat in the post-season against San Antonio, scoring 4 less points per game and shooting 12% less from the field than he did during the regular season. Admittedly, the Spurs are a tough defensive team with great length and interior defence, but then so is every playoff team in the West, and he might be more useful coming off the bench rather than struggling against the Gasols, Howard, McGee, Ibaka and any the other starting bigs who have the length and mobility to render him ineffective. Moving on to Jefferson; Big Al has been bounced around to a few teams now, but he remains a very skilled scorer in the low post, one of the few Cs who can draw a double on the block, and his numbers in the post-season weren't far off his regular-season numbers. That said, he takes too many shots to get his points, and despite averaging a career high 2.2 assists last season, he remains a black hole offensively. If Jefferson is going to remain on board as a cornerstone of this Jazz team, he needs to score more efficiently and improve his mobility defensively. However, if the Jazz do make the post-season and face off with the Lakers, Jefferson has the requisite strength to bother Dwight. Similarly, Jefferson has the right build to guard other Western Conference Cs in Andrew Bogut, Marc Gasol, Nikola Pekovic and DeMarcus Cousins who like to use their sheer strength to score inside. Nipping at the heels of these two 27 year-old vets are youngsters Enes Kanter and Derrick Favors. Favors was the linchpin of the trade that sent Deron Williams to the Nets, and despite a slow start in both New Jersey and Utah, he came on strong towards the end of last season, showing the length and athleticism that demostrates his potential as a game-changer at the defensive end. While his scoring numbers are modest, he upped them against the Spurs in the post-season and is still very young. Look for Favors to possibly oust Millsap for the starting PF position, as his mobility, rebounding and shot-blocking ability meshes well with Jefferson's low-post scoring and slow feet on the defensive end. Despite having finished his rookie year in the NBA, Kanter remains an enigma to many people. After missing a year of basketball due to eligibility issues, Kanter looked out of shape, slow and underwhelming for a 3rd overall pick. However, recent pictures circulating the internet show Kanter to be in drastically better shape than before, and the benefits of his first full training camp shouldn't be underestimated. Kanter's Turkish coach recently said he wasn't being used right by the Jazz because they aren't taking advantage of his shooting touch, but with the added mobility he'll bring to the table, Kanter might be able to play more of the pick and roll this season. That said, don't expect great things from Kanter whilst Jefferson is still with the Jazz, as they play a similar role and at the moment Jefferson is simply better at it.

Interesting Storylines:

I said earlier there was one key difference between the Wizards and the Utah Jazz, and that difference is that the Wizards have already found their franchise player and he doesn't have any positional overlap with their veterans. Utah on the other hand, are still sort of scratching their heads about who is going to emerge as the star of this team. Favors, Kanter, Burks and some might say Hayward all have the potential to be franchise players, but with their young bigs playing behind veterans and Burks battling with Hayward for minutes at the 2, the Jazz almost have too many young prospects for any of them to reach their full potential. While this isn't an immediate concern as the Jazz are still deep enough to win without a star, in a few years you might see these four young players start to step on each others toes and force the franchise to break them up. The other major cloud hanging over the Jazz this season is the possibility that either Millsap or Jefferson will be traded; with the hectic schedule last season their quartet of big men weren't complaining about minutes because there were always enough to go around, but with the more sedate 82-game season it's possible that either the veterans will expect to increase their minutes and the young bigs will flounder, or the young bigs will play well enough to usurp a starting spot and cause discontent in the locker room, forcing a trade. It's highly likely that this rotation isn't the same one that will be there after the trade-deadline, and how this plays out is going to be very interesting.

Season Prospectus:

The aim of the Utah Jazz this season is two-fold; firstly, to make the playoffs once again, and secondly, to develop their young players so they can break into the NBA's elite. These two goals are somewhat conflicting, as Ty Corbin will be forced to juggle between them or he might find himself under pressure of being sacked. If the Jazz stay put and hold onto Millsap/Jefferson, I can see them sneaking into the playoffs as an 8th seed and putting up a fight in the first round, but the West just got even deeper with the Warriors now a legitimate threat for the playoffs when healthy and unless one of their perimeter players blossoms unexpectedly, the Jazz could miss out on a post-season birth without the added value on depth imposed by the lockout season's frantic pace.

Next up we have the Toronto Raptors.