DENVER — This was the most undermanned the Utah Jazz have been this season. On the second night of a back-to-back set, the Jazz were without five of their rotational pieces.
Mike Conley (left knee), Lauri Markkanen (illness) and Simone Fontecchio (left ankle sprain) were back in Salt Lake City, resting up.
Jordan Clarkson (right hip contusion) and Collin Sexton (right hamstring strain) were in Denver, but were relegated to cheering from the sideline as the rest of the Jazz suited up for a bout against a really good Nuggets squad.
Silver lining
A Jazz starting lineup of Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Talen Horton-Tucker, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt and Kelly Olynyk and a bench of Rudy Gay, Walker Kessler, Ochai Agbaji and Leandro Bolmaro, took the Nuggets down the wire and honestly played well above where probably anyone thought they were going to.
There are some situations with some teams where moral victories are acceptable and I think this was one of them.
That does not negate some of the things that the Jazz did poorly in this game, particularly down the stretch — like turnovers late in the game, stalling offense when the pressure heightens, poorly timed fouls and bad shots — but it does matter.
This is the kind of game that can give players a lot of confidence, and it’s the players that need to stay ready without the same kind of consistency as the usual contributors. So, anything that can give them a boost and make them feel like they have a place on this team and in this league is a good thing.
Experience matters
Before the game, Nuggets head coach Michael Malone said that playing against a team that is missing some or many of its key players is the kind of game that looks like a recipe for disaster.
“My biggest concern tonight is there’s 71 points missing from the roster,” Malone said. “Those teams scare me. Because it looks like it’s going to be just like what we saw in Atlanta — three starters out, we didn’t come ready to play, we were down 13-2, playing from behind all night long. This game is going to show a lot about our maturity. That’s what I’m gonna I’m really looking forward to.”
Malone was then asked how he can ensure that his players would come out with the right mentality, the right approach.
“I can’t. That’s not my job to ensure that. That’s 17 players and they’re professionals,” Malone said. “This isn’t CYO, I didn’t bring orange slices for halftime. These are grown (expletive) men. Do your job. That’s really what it comes down to.”
That’s the kind of response that you can have with a team full of veterans who have been in countless tough games, with a core that has played in many playoff series together and have faced nearly every situation the NBA world generates. That’s because they DO know what to do. They know what their jobs are. They know how to win games and what decisions to make. The Jazz do not have that luxury.
On Saturday each player on the Jazz roster was doing something new. They were not used to the situation and they were playing through scenarios for legitimately the first time. That’s a tough place to be in and honestly, to my first point, they did a really good job considering the circumstances.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker passing turnovers
First I’d like to say that I think Alexander-Walker’s improvement this season has been impressive. I like the way he competes on the defensive end, he’s gotten sneaky good at drawing offensive fouls, he looks like a much better shooter and there’s been some notable growth from him as a decision-maker and distributor.
I don’t want the upcoming criticism to take away from any of that, but I do think that it’s worth pointing out where there is still room for improvement.
A lot of Alexander-Walker’s turnovers this season have been a result of bad passes. It’s not just me saying that — Jazz head coach Will Hardy sees it and so does Alexander-Walker.
“A lot of the reads, I think I’m trying to make too fast,” he said after Saturday’s game. “Just (need to be) a little more patient. Some of them, it’s the right idea, just a lot of it’s execution.”
Hardy has said that he’s not going to be mad at a turnover that has the right intent. So, if a player makes the right read, but makes a mistake on the execution, it’s not something worth being upset about.
I think that is ok, to a point. But, you can’t put your trust in a player, long-term, if the execution is missing. Eventually, intent isn’t going to be enough.
I certainly think this is something that Alexander-Walker can improve on. He’s right that a lot of it has to do with timing and accuracy. I believe that he will put in work and try to get better, and it’s important to see if the work pays off.
The Jazz are going to be looking for players who can make decisions, the right decisions, at important moments, and if he is able to do that, it would boost his case for another contract.