NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
The Utah Jazz are treading water in the Western Conference not due to of lack of talent but due to a lack of cohesiveness. They must find a way to get on the floor as a unit and become a unit.
Lauri Markanen has missed games. Walker Kessler has missed some as well and the hounds are waiting for the Jazz to break up the core. No. They haven’t seen what they can become with a full season under their belts. Markkenen is a stud. This season, he’s averaging 23.7 points and 8.6 rebounds while shooting .487 percent from the floor. As for Kessler, he’s becoming a stud on the blocks with averages of 8.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks.
When you have those two with the perimeter play of Jordan Clarkson, the Jazz have a nice core here. But yet, they’re still missing pieces. The PG spot has been an area of concern for the last season and a half. Collin Sexton came over in the deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers and has yet to stand out.
Part of that could have been due to his inability to stay healthy. On the year, he’s averaging 13.2 points but just 3.4 assists in 21.3 minutes of action per game off the bench. At one point, he was set to become a star with the Cavs but even they decided to move on from him.
Keyonte George has taken over as the starting PG for the Utah Jazz and while he has had a few good moments, he’s still inconsistent. At 10.9 points and 5 assists in 25.8 minutes per, the potential is there, just needs to be more consistent.
Can The Utah Jazz Make A Playoff Run
Now, we can’t grade the Utah Jazz on what they haven’t done until we can see what they can do. With the NBA trade deadline approaching, rumors are swirling that Clarkson could be the odd man out here. The only way the Jazz should make a move with Clarkson is if they figure that can’t resign him this offseason and if they can get back quality players, draft picks, or an All-Star.
Clarkson, while not as consistent as players above him still can explode offensively when he’s on. Averaging 16.6 points this season to go along with 4.9 assists, he holds some value to this team. But what has ailed this team and Clarkson is that Markkanen and Kessler have missed a combined 16 games. With the Jazz sitting at 8-16, you can do the math on what their absences have meant. Just when they were getting their team back, Clarkson goes out for two weeks. bad luck has haunted this team but there is no reason to sell just yet.
Last season, they finished the campaign at 37-45 and what hurt them most was the same issue. Too many games were missed by their core players. If they can remain healthy, this team does have a shot at the playoffs or the Play-In Tournament. It’s all about getting and staying on the floor together to see where they are.
Even with their players missing games and the Utah Jazz in the bottom half of the Conference now, is it time for them to panic? No, the season is still young and the core needs to be on the floor at the same time. What they need to ask themselves is what can they get back for tearing the core down and will it be enough to get them to the top half?
