***Official Utah Jazz 2016-2017 Season Thread***
- Thread in 'Sports & Training' Thread starter Started by verdykt,
- Start date
How Gordon Hayward's injury impacts the Jazz: Four things to know
By Matt Moore Oct 09, 2016 • 5 min read
Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward suffered a dislocated finger this week, and it's going to be a while before he's back on the floor. Rodney Hood said he "saw bone" when the injury occurred. Estimates have put Hayward out somewhere between four and six weeks.
This is not great for the Jazz, to put it mildly.
Here are four things to keep in mind when it comes to Hayward's absence:
1. The schedule impact is complicated
Let's put Hayward's return time in the middle of the window, at five weeks. He won't have to work his way back into conditioning; he'll be able to run with the injury. So we'll put him back available to play on Friday, Nov. 11. The Jazz are in the midst of a five-game road trip at that time, and it's not uncommon for teams to wait until those road trips end before putting a player back in the lineup. Let's say his first official game back is Monday, Nov. 14 vs. Memphis at home.
In that stretch, Hayward would miss 11 games, roughly 13 percent of the season, off the bat. In that stretch he would be absent for seven games against teams that made the playoffs last year, though that includes Miami, which is a stretch this season. This actually works out OK, and here's why: Do you know why Gregg Popovich will rest his starters against the really good teams on national television, and then have them play against some lottery squad the night before or after? Because you don't want to waste ensured wins. The four games vs. non-playoff opponents (Lakers, Knicks, Sixers, Magic) are against teams that are so bad, and those are games the Jazz very much need to win. The value of winning a game against the Lakers when it is such a high probability win is higher than the value of winning a game against the Spurs, who are expected by most to be better than Utah this season.
You take the easy games. The Jazz play against the Spurs, Mavericks, Clippers, Blazers and Hornets -- all games you wouldn't be surprised to see Utah lose. They're just losses to good teams. You also expect the Jazz to have some stretches where they have injuries like most teams do. So if the Jazz go 2-3 against those teams, and manage the easier ones, they can begin 6-5 or 7-4, which would be a great start to the season. If Hayward's absence takes away those easier games, and they go 5-6 or worse, that's when it gets a little dicey, because now you're trying to climb out of a hole.
They can do that, for sure; it's just November. But sometimes slides linger and lead into more issues. That's the bigger-picture concern.
2. It's not Utah's only injury
Alec Burks had knee surgery last spring and still is without a timetable for return. Coach Quin Snyder has told reporters he expects him to be back before the start of the regular season. However, it's a concern since Burks is not back at this point. Derrick Favors missed time last April with knee soreness, and was a scratch this week with the same. Favors said if it was a regular-season game, he'd play, but that's still not a great sign. The Jazz absolutely cannot afford to lose any more starters if they want to get off to a good start.
If Burks is able to go on opening night, the Jazz can put him at 2-guard, move Rodney Hood to three and go from there. But the more likely scenario involves more Joe Ingles and Joe Johnson. Johnson was pretty good last year for Miami, but also spent a lot of time at the four. Johnson is a little long in the tooth to play that many minutes.
There's also the fear that this will be the start of a rash of injuries, which have ruined the chances of many a hyped team before them.
3. The defensive impact seems significant
I described Gordon as the Jazz's most important defensive player last week, despite Rudy Gobert being the best rim protector in the league and a Defensive Player of the Year candidate. The Jazz defense was better with Hayward off the floor last year, but much of that was impacted by the injuries to Gobert and Favors. Hayward's offensive impact is obvious -- he averaged 19.7 points and 3.7 assists per game in a slow-pace system last season-- but defensively, he's often tasked with the toughest opposing wing. In a league with so many dangerous small forwards, that's a big deal.
But maybe not. That's the eye test, but not only were the Jazz better with him off the floor last year, but individually, Synergy Sports had Hayward in just the 18th percentile defensively. That looks bad, but then you have to consider that opponents only challenged Hayward one-on-one 66 times last season, and generally avoided attacking Hayward at all.
More than anything, it's the pivotal nature of the position that creates concern. Ingles is not a plus defender and Johnson has slid with age. Hood and Burks are both inexperienced. The Jazz may have to help more on perimeter drives which could increase fouls for Rudy Gobert and Favors.
4. It's an ominous start
There are extremely high expectations for the Jazz this year. Some have them as high as the 2-seed in the West, which is crazy for a team that failed to miss the playoffs and didn't add a star over the summer, even with injuries last season. They have no ostensible weakness and have good depth. Hayward, however, is a key component to all that.
Losing him right off the bat is bad, but fortunately it also wasn't a knee, foot or shoulder injury. Comparatively, the injury is minor, and getting him back in mid-November means there's a chance any stumble -- if there is one -- will be minor. But a lot needs to go right for the Jazz to live up to the hype this year. This kind of a start is less than ideal.
By Matt Moore Oct 09, 2016 • 5 min read
Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward suffered a dislocated finger this week, and it's going to be a while before he's back on the floor. Rodney Hood said he "saw bone" when the injury occurred. Estimates have put Hayward out somewhere between four and six weeks.
This is not great for the Jazz, to put it mildly.
Here are four things to keep in mind when it comes to Hayward's absence:
1. The schedule impact is complicated
Let's put Hayward's return time in the middle of the window, at five weeks. He won't have to work his way back into conditioning; he'll be able to run with the injury. So we'll put him back available to play on Friday, Nov. 11. The Jazz are in the midst of a five-game road trip at that time, and it's not uncommon for teams to wait until those road trips end before putting a player back in the lineup. Let's say his first official game back is Monday, Nov. 14 vs. Memphis at home.
In that stretch, Hayward would miss 11 games, roughly 13 percent of the season, off the bat. In that stretch he would be absent for seven games against teams that made the playoffs last year, though that includes Miami, which is a stretch this season. This actually works out OK, and here's why: Do you know why Gregg Popovich will rest his starters against the really good teams on national television, and then have them play against some lottery squad the night before or after? Because you don't want to waste ensured wins. The four games vs. non-playoff opponents (Lakers, Knicks, Sixers, Magic) are against teams that are so bad, and those are games the Jazz very much need to win. The value of winning a game against the Lakers when it is such a high probability win is higher than the value of winning a game against the Spurs, who are expected by most to be better than Utah this season.
You take the easy games. The Jazz play against the Spurs, Mavericks, Clippers, Blazers and Hornets -- all games you wouldn't be surprised to see Utah lose. They're just losses to good teams. You also expect the Jazz to have some stretches where they have injuries like most teams do. So if the Jazz go 2-3 against those teams, and manage the easier ones, they can begin 6-5 or 7-4, which would be a great start to the season. If Hayward's absence takes away those easier games, and they go 5-6 or worse, that's when it gets a little dicey, because now you're trying to climb out of a hole.
They can do that, for sure; it's just November. But sometimes slides linger and lead into more issues. That's the bigger-picture concern.
2. It's not Utah's only injury
Alec Burks had knee surgery last spring and still is without a timetable for return. Coach Quin Snyder has told reporters he expects him to be back before the start of the regular season. However, it's a concern since Burks is not back at this point. Derrick Favors missed time last April with knee soreness, and was a scratch this week with the same. Favors said if it was a regular-season game, he'd play, but that's still not a great sign. The Jazz absolutely cannot afford to lose any more starters if they want to get off to a good start.
If Burks is able to go on opening night, the Jazz can put him at 2-guard, move Rodney Hood to three and go from there. But the more likely scenario involves more Joe Ingles and Joe Johnson. Johnson was pretty good last year for Miami, but also spent a lot of time at the four. Johnson is a little long in the tooth to play that many minutes.
There's also the fear that this will be the start of a rash of injuries, which have ruined the chances of many a hyped team before them.
3. The defensive impact seems significant
I described Gordon as the Jazz's most important defensive player last week, despite Rudy Gobert being the best rim protector in the league and a Defensive Player of the Year candidate. The Jazz defense was better with Hayward off the floor last year, but much of that was impacted by the injuries to Gobert and Favors. Hayward's offensive impact is obvious -- he averaged 19.7 points and 3.7 assists per game in a slow-pace system last season-- but defensively, he's often tasked with the toughest opposing wing. In a league with so many dangerous small forwards, that's a big deal.
But maybe not. That's the eye test, but not only were the Jazz better with him off the floor last year, but individually, Synergy Sports had Hayward in just the 18th percentile defensively. That looks bad, but then you have to consider that opponents only challenged Hayward one-on-one 66 times last season, and generally avoided attacking Hayward at all.
More than anything, it's the pivotal nature of the position that creates concern. Ingles is not a plus defender and Johnson has slid with age. Hood and Burks are both inexperienced. The Jazz may have to help more on perimeter drives which could increase fouls for Rudy Gobert and Favors.
4. It's an ominous start
There are extremely high expectations for the Jazz this year. Some have them as high as the 2-seed in the West, which is crazy for a team that failed to miss the playoffs and didn't add a star over the summer, even with injuries last season. They have no ostensible weakness and have good depth. Hayward, however, is a key component to all that.
Losing him right off the bat is bad, but fortunately it also wasn't a knee, foot or shoulder injury. Comparatively, the injury is minor, and getting him back in mid-November means there's a chance any stumble -- if there is one -- will be minor. But a lot needs to go right for the Jazz to live up to the hype this year. This kind of a start is less than ideal.
Jazz blow 30-point lead, lose to Phoenix Suns in final seconds
By Mike Sorensen@sorny8
Published: Oct. 12, 2016 10:50 p.m.
Updated: 45 minutes ago
SALT LAKE CITY — It’s a good thing, Utah’s game against Phoenix Wednesday night wasn’t a real one that counted in the standings.
This was a hard one to watch for Jazz fans in their first look at the 2016-17 team as the Jazz and Suns combined for 79 personal fouls, 106 free throws and 40 turnovers in one of the sloppiest games ever played at Vivint Arena.
Then there was the outcome.
After sprinting to a 30-point lead early in the second quarter, the Jazz fell apart down the stretch and lost 111-110 to drop their preseason record to 2-2.
The Jazz and Clippers had combined for 61 personal fouls Monday night in Los Angeles and the Jazz figured it couldn’t get any worse. Well, it got way worse as the whistle-happy officials brought the game to a near-standstill as it ended up being nearly as a long as a college football game (not quite three hours).
Coach Quin Snyder was disappointed not to win a game that his team led for 47 minutes and 57 seconds. But he was philosophical afterward.
“You always play to win. It would have been nice to win,” he said. “Tonight, our priority was to get better. That’s how we’re treating these games. You’d like to win and get better. Over the course of the game, we weren’t able to close the game, there were a lot of reasons that occurred.”
A big reason was that Snyder did not play some of his starters in the second half, including veteran newcomers Joe Johnson, George Hill and Boris Diaw. He still played guys like Dante Exum, who led the Jazz with 18 points and Rudy Gobert, who had 17 points, although they sat in the fourth quarter.
Instead, Snyder went with a lineup of Chris Johnson, Marcus Paige, Joel Bolomboy, Eric Dawson and Quincy Ford, which only featured one or two guys who will make the final Jazz roster.
After seeing the Suns nearly catch up early in the final period, the Jazz reserves had seemingly righted the ship, taking an 11-point lead with 2:16 left at 107-96.
Then it was a comedy of errors as Paige made a couple of turnovers and the Jazz missed some shots. Joe Ingles and Shelvin Mack were inserted back in the game, but Archie Goodwin made three baskets in the final 17 seconds on drives to the basket, two for dunks, including the game-winner with 3.3 seconds left.
The Jazz set up for a final shot, but Mack’s 17-footer just before the buzzer missed.
Snyder was complimentary of Exum, who is working his way back into shape after missing all of last season with a serious knee injury.
“He had some really good moments,” Snyder said. “He’s not a rookie, but much of what he’s going through, are things you go through as a rookie. There’s going to be some growing pains. I saw some really good things — I saw a really good pull-up, I saw him attack the rim, I saw good defense, I saw some things where he’ll be better.”
As for his team’s 39 fouls, 26 of which came in the second half, Snyder said, “The fouls . . . you have to watch the tape. We always think our team doesn’t foul and the other team does, as coaches do. That made the game a difficult game to play. It was choppy and we had our fair share.”
Early on it looked like the Jazz would cruise to their third preseason victory with no problem as the Suns looked more like a D-League team as the Jazz raced to a 46-16 lead with nearly nine minutes left in the second quarter. However, they could score only 12 the rest of the quarter and let the Suns back in the game as they closed the gap to 58-40 by halftime.
The Jazz will get back to practice later this week and get ready for their final two preseason games, next week at home against the Clippers Monday and Portland Wednesday.
By Mike Sorensen@sorny8
Published: Oct. 12, 2016 10:50 p.m.
Updated: 45 minutes ago
SALT LAKE CITY — It’s a good thing, Utah’s game against Phoenix Wednesday night wasn’t a real one that counted in the standings.
This was a hard one to watch for Jazz fans in their first look at the 2016-17 team as the Jazz and Suns combined for 79 personal fouls, 106 free throws and 40 turnovers in one of the sloppiest games ever played at Vivint Arena.
Then there was the outcome.
After sprinting to a 30-point lead early in the second quarter, the Jazz fell apart down the stretch and lost 111-110 to drop their preseason record to 2-2.
The Jazz and Clippers had combined for 61 personal fouls Monday night in Los Angeles and the Jazz figured it couldn’t get any worse. Well, it got way worse as the whistle-happy officials brought the game to a near-standstill as it ended up being nearly as a long as a college football game (not quite three hours).
Coach Quin Snyder was disappointed not to win a game that his team led for 47 minutes and 57 seconds. But he was philosophical afterward.
“You always play to win. It would have been nice to win,” he said. “Tonight, our priority was to get better. That’s how we’re treating these games. You’d like to win and get better. Over the course of the game, we weren’t able to close the game, there were a lot of reasons that occurred.”
A big reason was that Snyder did not play some of his starters in the second half, including veteran newcomers Joe Johnson, George Hill and Boris Diaw. He still played guys like Dante Exum, who led the Jazz with 18 points and Rudy Gobert, who had 17 points, although they sat in the fourth quarter.
Instead, Snyder went with a lineup of Chris Johnson, Marcus Paige, Joel Bolomboy, Eric Dawson and Quincy Ford, which only featured one or two guys who will make the final Jazz roster.
After seeing the Suns nearly catch up early in the final period, the Jazz reserves had seemingly righted the ship, taking an 11-point lead with 2:16 left at 107-96.
Then it was a comedy of errors as Paige made a couple of turnovers and the Jazz missed some shots. Joe Ingles and Shelvin Mack were inserted back in the game, but Archie Goodwin made three baskets in the final 17 seconds on drives to the basket, two for dunks, including the game-winner with 3.3 seconds left.
The Jazz set up for a final shot, but Mack’s 17-footer just before the buzzer missed.
Snyder was complimentary of Exum, who is working his way back into shape after missing all of last season with a serious knee injury.
“He had some really good moments,” Snyder said. “He’s not a rookie, but much of what he’s going through, are things you go through as a rookie. There’s going to be some growing pains. I saw some really good things — I saw a really good pull-up, I saw him attack the rim, I saw good defense, I saw some things where he’ll be better.”
As for his team’s 39 fouls, 26 of which came in the second half, Snyder said, “The fouls . . . you have to watch the tape. We always think our team doesn’t foul and the other team does, as coaches do. That made the game a difficult game to play. It was choppy and we had our fair share.”
Early on it looked like the Jazz would cruise to their third preseason victory with no problem as the Suns looked more like a D-League team as the Jazz raced to a 46-16 lead with nearly nine minutes left in the second quarter. However, they could score only 12 the rest of the quarter and let the Suns back in the game as they closed the gap to 58-40 by halftime.
The Jazz will get back to practice later this week and get ready for their final two preseason games, next week at home against the Clippers Monday and Portland Wednesday.
Game Day vs the Clippers tonight, probably no Favors or Hood 
Jazz using final preseason games to 'tune up'
By Joseph Coles
For the Deseret News
Published: Oct. 16, 2016 4:15 p.m.
Updated: 18 hours ago
SALT LAKE CITY — With one week remaining in the preseason schedule, the focus for Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder during the final two preseason games will be tuning up and preparing for the regular season.
“We’re trying to play combinations, trying to work on things we need to work on,” Snyder said.
Snyder noted that he treats preseason games differently than regular-season games in terms of lineup combinations and rest.
“You don’t want to play the preseason game like you would a regular-season game, so however you prepare for that — that’s different for every team,” Snyder said. “Some teams may rest their guys their last game, some teams are kind of building to a crescendo. We’ve been doing a little bit of both.”
A prime example of Snyder treating a preseason game for what it is meant to be — a chance to look at your team in game situations without the impact on a win-loss record — was last Wednesday’s 111-110 loss to the Phoenix Suns. The Jazz started that game with a lineup of George Hill, Dante Exum, Rudy Gobert, Boris Diaw and Joe Johnson, and closed the game with a lineup of Quincy Ford, Marcus Paige, Chris Johnson, Joel Bolomboy and Eric Dawson. The next day, Dawson, Ford and Paige were cut.
In addition to getting a good look at players that would have limited minutes in regular-season games, as the Jazz have to trim their roster from the current 17 players to 15 by Oct. 24, these final preseason games could be a deciding factor on who gets cut.
“We’re trying to get a feel for certain players and lineups, and at the same time being conscious of the fact that some of the guys that we’re doing that with are guys that could benefit from rest, too,” Snyder said.
New Jazzman Boris Diaw said the focus for the last games of the preseason will be fine-tuning.
“Fine-tuning a little bit of everything, the group that we put together — a lot of guys were already here, but there’s also a lot of new players — so keep on getting to know each other, and we’re still going to get better during the season, as the season goes along,” Diaw said. “Definitely using that time as much as possible so we are as ready as possible when the regular season starts.”
George Hill said he’ll do whatever he is asked to in the last two preseason games.
“Whatever Coach [Snyder] and the front office decide these last two games, I want to do the best I can and get out there and be the best I can,” Hill said.
With the Jazz entering the home stretch of their preseason campaign, Snyder drew some parallels between his team and his next opponent, the Los Angeles Clippers, who will visit Vivint Arena Monday night.
“They (the Clippers) went through some of what we went through last year, not being healthy with some key guys, some really unfortunate luck,” Snyder said.
Snyder said the Clippers will be one of the top teams in the NBA again this year.
“We know they’re one of the best teams in the league, and they’ve been that over the last few years, and that’s what you expect when you play them,” Snyder said. “A unique team with some very unique players.”
Utah and the Los Angeles Clippers play Monday at Vivint Arena. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. The Jazz will be without Gordon Hayward (fractured finger) and Alec Burks (rehabilitation). Rodney Hood (left hand sprain) and Derrick Favors (left knee soreness) are doubtful for Monday's game.
Jazz using final preseason games to 'tune up'
By Joseph Coles
For the Deseret News
Published: Oct. 16, 2016 4:15 p.m.
Updated: 18 hours ago
SALT LAKE CITY — With one week remaining in the preseason schedule, the focus for Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder during the final two preseason games will be tuning up and preparing for the regular season.
“We’re trying to play combinations, trying to work on things we need to work on,” Snyder said.
Snyder noted that he treats preseason games differently than regular-season games in terms of lineup combinations and rest.
“You don’t want to play the preseason game like you would a regular-season game, so however you prepare for that — that’s different for every team,” Snyder said. “Some teams may rest their guys their last game, some teams are kind of building to a crescendo. We’ve been doing a little bit of both.”
A prime example of Snyder treating a preseason game for what it is meant to be — a chance to look at your team in game situations without the impact on a win-loss record — was last Wednesday’s 111-110 loss to the Phoenix Suns. The Jazz started that game with a lineup of George Hill, Dante Exum, Rudy Gobert, Boris Diaw and Joe Johnson, and closed the game with a lineup of Quincy Ford, Marcus Paige, Chris Johnson, Joel Bolomboy and Eric Dawson. The next day, Dawson, Ford and Paige were cut.
In addition to getting a good look at players that would have limited minutes in regular-season games, as the Jazz have to trim their roster from the current 17 players to 15 by Oct. 24, these final preseason games could be a deciding factor on who gets cut.
“We’re trying to get a feel for certain players and lineups, and at the same time being conscious of the fact that some of the guys that we’re doing that with are guys that could benefit from rest, too,” Snyder said.
New Jazzman Boris Diaw said the focus for the last games of the preseason will be fine-tuning.
“Fine-tuning a little bit of everything, the group that we put together — a lot of guys were already here, but there’s also a lot of new players — so keep on getting to know each other, and we’re still going to get better during the season, as the season goes along,” Diaw said. “Definitely using that time as much as possible so we are as ready as possible when the regular season starts.”
George Hill said he’ll do whatever he is asked to in the last two preseason games.
“Whatever Coach [Snyder] and the front office decide these last two games, I want to do the best I can and get out there and be the best I can,” Hill said.
With the Jazz entering the home stretch of their preseason campaign, Snyder drew some parallels between his team and his next opponent, the Los Angeles Clippers, who will visit Vivint Arena Monday night.
“They (the Clippers) went through some of what we went through last year, not being healthy with some key guys, some really unfortunate luck,” Snyder said.
Snyder said the Clippers will be one of the top teams in the NBA again this year.
“We know they’re one of the best teams in the league, and they’ve been that over the last few years, and that’s what you expect when you play them,” Snyder said. “A unique team with some very unique players.”
Utah and the Los Angeles Clippers play Monday at Vivint Arena. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. The Jazz will be without Gordon Hayward (fractured finger) and Alec Burks (rehabilitation). Rodney Hood (left hand sprain) and Derrick Favors (left knee soreness) are doubtful for Monday's game.
- 32,219
- 29,892
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2013
didn't know we had a season thread..
i'm in.
expecting a decent season. anywhere from 8-6 seed come April.
Love the young talent we have surrounding hayward and favors.
just need to apply it this season start to finish.
i'm in.
expecting a decent season. anywhere from 8-6 seed come April.
Love the young talent we have surrounding hayward and favors.
just need to apply it this season start to finish.
- 32,219
- 29,892
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2013
the first 6 games of the season should really test us.. have the opportunity to show that we're legit.
very good teams.. excluding the lakers.
I'm assuming tonights lineup will be:
PG: Hill
SG: Hood
SF: Hayward
PF: Favors
C: Gobert
we currently have so much depth at the guard/wing, I wouldn't be surprised if johnson or burks were implemented in the starting rotation tonight.
I would prefer to have johnson come off the bench, and have either hood or burkes at the 2 as the starter.. their development matters most in the long run.
Same with exum. Looking forward to see big things from him this season. Health and production.
very good teams.. excluding the lakers.
I'm assuming tonights lineup will be:
PG: Hill
SG: Hood
SF: Hayward
PF: Favors
C: Gobert
we currently have so much depth at the guard/wing, I wouldn't be surprised if johnson or burks were implemented in the starting rotation tonight.
I would prefer to have johnson come off the bench, and have either hood or burkes at the 2 as the starter.. their development matters most in the long run.
Same with exum. Looking forward to see big things from him this season. Health and production.
Last edited:
heartbreaking loss. But this team played that well against a playoff team without Hayward and Favors. Joe Johnson got whatever he wanted to tonight and rudy played outstanding as well. More help from the bench would have been nice, but Joe will lead that unit when everyone is healthy again. All in all it was a great game. This should have been on TNT not that snoozefest in Oakland
- 32,219
- 29,892
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2013
I was impressed with joe and hills performances.. wish we got more on the defensive end to contain Lillard and Mccollum.
I also agree that we did well without our two best players, favors and hayward.
We had chances to play better D and get better shots towards the end but couldn't execute and put the game away.
No moral victories tho, need those real ones!
on to the next game.
I also agree that we did well without our two best players, favors and hayward.
We had chances to play better D and get better shots towards the end but couldn't execute and put the game away.
No moral victories tho, need those real ones!
on to the next game.
- 32,219
- 29,892
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2013
what a run by the jazz in the final 3-4 minutes to close out the ball game. George hill stepping up and playing good basketball. One of the best acquisitions this team made in the offseason. Getting a well experienced PG.
1-1
On to the next!
1-1
On to the next!
- 2,237
- 319
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2005
Season tickets are going to be fun this year! Seriously couldn't believe the stretch of ten minutes when we didn't hit a jumper. Good win.
Rudy Gobert signs multiyear contract to stay with Jazz
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Rudy Gobert has signed a multiyear extension to remain with the Utah Jazz, the team announced Monday.
The Jazz did not release the details of the deal, but Gobert tweeted a picture of himself signing the paperwork with the caption "4 more years!"
Gobert was drafted No. 27 overall by the Denver Nuggets in 2013 and traded to the Jazz on draft night.
The 7-foot-1, 245-pound center last season averaged career-highs in points (9.1), rebounds (11.0) and blocks (2.2) and has developed into one of the top defenders in the league the last two years. Those numbers have increased to 11.0 points, 12.0 rebounds and 2.7 blocks through three games this season. His career average of 2.0 blocks per game ranks third in Jazz history behind Mark Eaton and Andrei Kirilenko.
Gobert became the full-time starting center midway through the 2014-15 season when Enes Kanter was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Jazz are 56-44 with him in the starting lineup.
Gobert, 24, was set to become a restricted free agent in July, when he could have signed an offer sheet with another team. The Jazz, however, would have had the rights to match that deal and keep him in Salt Lake City.
Gobert is considered one of the steals of the 2013 draft and the Jazz have become one of the best defensive teams in the league with him as the centerpiece at the rim. The contract gives Gobert the security of having the deal done and, likely, saves the team a few million that he may have gotten as a restricted free agent.
This is also the first step of locking up the team's young core of players. Gordon Hayward is expected to opt out of the final year of his deal after this season and will likely command a max offer. Derrick Favors' deal runs through 2017-18.
The Jazz recently picked up the team option on the contracts of Rodney Hood, Dante Exum and Trey Lyles. The moves keep the youngest part of the team's nucleus on their rookie deals through the 2017-18 season.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Rudy Gobert has signed a multiyear extension to remain with the Utah Jazz, the team announced Monday.
The Jazz did not release the details of the deal, but Gobert tweeted a picture of himself signing the paperwork with the caption "4 more years!"
Gobert was drafted No. 27 overall by the Denver Nuggets in 2013 and traded to the Jazz on draft night.
The 7-foot-1, 245-pound center last season averaged career-highs in points (9.1), rebounds (11.0) and blocks (2.2) and has developed into one of the top defenders in the league the last two years. Those numbers have increased to 11.0 points, 12.0 rebounds and 2.7 blocks through three games this season. His career average of 2.0 blocks per game ranks third in Jazz history behind Mark Eaton and Andrei Kirilenko.
Gobert became the full-time starting center midway through the 2014-15 season when Enes Kanter was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Jazz are 56-44 with him in the starting lineup.
Gobert, 24, was set to become a restricted free agent in July, when he could have signed an offer sheet with another team. The Jazz, however, would have had the rights to match that deal and keep him in Salt Lake City.
Gobert is considered one of the steals of the 2013 draft and the Jazz have become one of the best defensive teams in the league with him as the centerpiece at the rim. The contract gives Gobert the security of having the deal done and, likely, saves the team a few million that he may have gotten as a restricted free agent.
This is also the first step of locking up the team's young core of players. Gordon Hayward is expected to opt out of the final year of his deal after this season and will likely command a max offer. Derrick Favors' deal runs through 2017-18.
The Jazz recently picked up the team option on the contracts of Rodney Hood, Dante Exum and Trey Lyles. The moves keep the youngest part of the team's nucleus on their rookie deals through the 2017-18 season.
- 32,219
- 29,892
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2013
I'm happy that we could lock up gobert for the long term.
he's developing nicely.. better than I expected, still needs to develop the offensive side of his game.
he's developing nicely.. better than I expected, still needs to develop the offensive side of his game.
- 32,219
- 29,892
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2013
great win today against the knicks.
Gordon showed out in the garden, putting up 28.
George hill is key to our success. 23 and 9 assists, 0 turnovers.
4-3. on to philly
Gordon showed out in the garden, putting up 28.
George hill is key to our success. 23 and 9 assists, 0 turnovers.
4-3. on to philly
- 54,411
- 143,574
- Joined
- Aug 11, 2012
