Each year at the beginning of the NBA season, the league releases results of a survey of the 30 team general managers in which they are asked a variety of questions about the top teams, coaches, players and other miscellaneous items.
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The results of the 2021 survey were released Tuesday, and the Utah Jazz make a number of appearances. Here’s the rundown, in order of where they appear on the survey.
- The Jazz were voted far and away the second-best team in the Western Conference behind the Los Angeles Lakers, receiving 53% of the second-place votes (the Lakers got 80% of the first-place votes, and the Jazz were second with 13%).
- Jared Butler received some votes as the biggest steal of the 2021 draft relative to where he was picked (No. 40 in Butler’s case).
- Rudy Gobert was named the second-best defensive player in the league behind Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo. Gobert got 17% of the votes for the question of who is the best, while Antetokounmpo received 47%.
- Gobert was named far and away the best interior defender in the league, getting 77% of the vote compared to 13% for the second-place Antetokounmpo.
- The Jazz were voted the second-best defensive team in the league, getting 33% of the vote compared to 40% for Milwaukee.
- Quin Snyder was voted the third-best coach in the league behind Miami’s Erik Spoelstra and Phoenix’s Monty Williams. Spoelstra got 55% of the vote, Williams 17% and Snyder 14%.
- Snyder tied with Toronto’s Nick Nurse for fourth place among coaches who make the best in-game adjustments.
- Snyder won the category for which coach runs the best offense, garnering 27% of the vote. Golden State’s Steve Kerr was second at 23%.
- Snyder placed third in the category for which coach has the best defensive schemes. He got 13% of the vote compared to 37% for New York’s Tom Thibodeau and 17% for Milwaukee’s Mike Budenholzer.
- Alex Jensen received some votes for best assistant coach in the league.
- Mike Conley tied for fourth place in the question of which player will make the best head coach someday, getting 7% of the vote with Miami’s Udonis Haslem and New Orleans’ Garrett Temple. Joe Ingles also received some votes.
- The Jazz got some votes as the most fun team to watch.
- The Jazz won the question of which team has the best home-court advantage by a big margin, getting 47% of the vote compared to 20% for second-place Denver.