SALT LAKE CITY — Hall of Fame sportscaster Vin Scully is credited with saying, “Good is not good enough when better is expected.” In sports, that sentiment is easy to understand, particularly when an individual or team is operating below their own standards or certain perceived expectations based on their talent level and past performance.
The Utah Jazz (13-11) came into this season believing they had assembled a group of players with enough talent to compete at a high level in what looked to be an extremely competitive Western Conference. This, after winning 50 games last season and acquiring some new players, the organization felt could help build a foundation for long-term competitiveness.
Early on, the team showed glimpses of its ability to fulfill that promise, getting off to an 11-5 start. But in recent weeks the team has fallen into a morass of mediocrity. And thus far, explanations for their uneven, sometimes flat-out poor play are abundant, while solutions to credibly resolve it haven’t been as plentiful.
Monday night’s loss, a 104-90 debacle versus the Oklahoma City Thunder — who were on the second game of a back-to-back and missing two starters — was the latest example of the team being unable to play at the level the players expect of themselves, a maddening defeat that left players and observers scratching the heads thinking, “What the heck is going on here?”
“Definitely, we felt like we’re not playing the way we want to play, and we are not the team that we can be. It’s frustrating,” said center Rudy Gobert after Monday’s game. “All the other teams can see it and they just come and go at us. We (play well) for one game and then we go back to doing the same stuff.”
Gobert suggested that fatigue could be a contributor to the team’s collective lapses, having had few days off between games in the early part of the season.
“We’ve just got to stick together. (We’ve) got to be honest with one another even if it’s hard, even if sometimes it’s harsh, we’ve got to do that. I think that’s the only way to move forward.” — Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert
“Maybe it’s just because when we get tired, we just forget about what’s important and we fall back into our demons,” he added.
“We’ve just got to stick together. (We’ve) got to be honest with one another even if it’s hard, even if sometimes it’s harsh, we’ve got to do that,” he said. “I think that’s the only way to move forward.”
Gobert said the team also needs to work more at executing its ball-sharing offense, playing good defense and communicating on the court. Many teams have tried to be more physical against the Jazz, believing that tactic can get Utah out of its playing rhythm, something Gobert has noticed during recent games.
“Every time someone’s physical with us, they just take us out of what we want to do, so they’re going to keep doing it,” he said. “It’s on us to be tougher mentally and physically and move the ball. Do it with force, and then defensively do the same — communicate and be physical.”
During the offseason, Utah added eight players to its roster. As such, those within the organization understood it would likely take time for everyone to get acclimated to playing together. Asked if he thought that this far into season the Jazz would still be figuring each other out, the big man said “not really.”
“I’m not surprised. You know, it’s the NBA and everything comes fast when the season starts. It’s never easy,” he said. “It’s always a process, so it’s on us to keep working on it. It’s earlier in the season, so stay positive, keep working on it and the rest of them take care of itself.”
While similarly frustrated, teammate Joe Ingles said figuring out how to communicate on the floor and in practice is a big part of helping build connections within the group.
“When we’re on the same page, we can run (plays) with precision and force and we can get down there and make plays,” he said. “When we’re connected like that, we are really good.
“There’s obviously been probably a few too many times this year that we haven’t been as connected and that’s something that kind of flows with the NBA season — there’s ups and downs,” Ingles added. “We had a good game (versus Memphis) after that rough stretch. Obviously, some things now we can improve on after watching the film.”
Despite the repeated difficulties during the last eight games, Ingles expressed confidence that the team can work things out and build consistency as the season progresses.
“I have no doubt that we’ll put it all together. We’re a really good team and we’ll continue to get better and better,” Ingles said. “As boring as it sounds, the more we’re out there together, the more we’re out there making mistakes together, making good plays together, (then) we’re going to continue to get better and that’s just the continuity of being together.”