SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Jazz, coming off their best performance in the bubble, are looking for something very specific in their next set of games; consistency. Or, so they say.
It’s understandable that the Jazz had a certain level of rust after the four month layoff between the season suspension and the start of games at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida.
But now, halfway through the seeding games and less than two weeks away from the playoffs, the Jazz need to be able to sustain solid performances not only through the 48 minutes of a single game, but over the course of multiple games. The Jazz have the chance to do just that with a back-to-back set on Friday and Saturday against the San Antonio Spurs and Denver Nuggets, both tough opponents.
“We’re looking for some consistency with our group and continuing to kind of find ourself and do the things we think we need to do to be successful,” Jazz head coach Quin Snyder said after a win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday. “Today was an opportunity, when we play San Antonio it’s another opportunity, and Denver coming up.”
Then on Thursday the Jazz released an injury report listing four of the team’s starting five as ‘out’ against the Spurs due to rest and various injuries.
Mike Conley (right knee soreness), Rudy Gobert (rest), Donovan Mitchell (left peroneal strain) and Royce O’Neale (right calf soreness) are all listed as out along with Nigel Williams-Goss (left ankle sprain). The remaining member of the Jazz’s starting unit, Joe Ingles is also listed on the injury report with right foot soreness but with the designation of ‘available’ to play.
If the goal is finding consistency, this is strange way of finding it.
While starting guards Mitchell and Conley are reliable and see the most minutes among guards on the Jazz, there has been an increase in inconsistency from the reserve backcourt.
Though Jordan Clarkson seemed to get a little back on track, scoring 14 points against Memphis, several bad outings from reserve guard Emmanuel Mudiay led to Snyder inserting rookie Rayjon Tucker into the rotation on Wednesday. Although Tucker has only played spot minutes for the Jazz and isn’t likely to have a large role through the rest of the season, his defensive skill set and athleticism could be an extra kick that the Jazz need when their regular rotation guards are getting rest.
In the name of finding consistency, Tucker’s 6-foot-5 frame does add a little bit more length and strength, something the Jazz are desperate for these days, but having no starters to stagger with the reserve lineups doesn’t do a lot to build any sort of familiarity or rhythm.
“That’s the thing about being here, everybody’s good. So we just have to be ready to play. We’re going to get adversity in one way shape or form. More than anything it’s recognizing it and being mentally tough and handling it.” — Utah Jazz coach Quin Snyder
In addition to some tweaks to the rotation, on Wednesday the Jazz finally broke out of a 3-point shooting rut that’s been plaguing them in the bubble. While knocking down shots was half the battle, so too was getting Joe Ingles to show a little bit more aggression and willingness to score. As the Jazz move forward they’ll need Ingles to continue what he started against the Grizzlies, taking 11 threes rather than his average of less than half that amount.
Again, that’s where consistency comes in. If Ingles reverts back to a more conservative approach from the perimeter, the Jazz will have to adjust once again, with other players needing to step up and take on the burden of scoring. It’s that mindset that can lead to the stagnant isolation ball that the Jazz are looking to break away from.
The Jazz need solid contributions from across the roster, they need aggressive Ingles to be a mainstay, they need to cut down on turnovers and find a way to start the game strong rather than playing from a reactionary position. Those are the areas that need consistency. The problem is that the every-other-day schedule that has been the one constant for the Jazz is about to be disrupted with the back-to-back games, the teams they’re facing are going to be looking for anything they can disrupt, and the starters missing a game altogether is an unusual development to say the least.
“That’s the thing about being here, everybody’s good,” Snyder said. “So we just have to be ready to play. We’re going to get adversity in one way shape or form. More than anything it’s recognizing it and being mentally tough and handling it.”
Though the Jazz have the luxury of not having to travel between the games, as they would during a normal schedule, the games are both early in the day with the contest against the Spurs on Friday at 11 a.m. only to turn around and face the Nuggets on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
The schedule is just one of the many opponents in the NBA bubble that threatens to deteriorate consistency with irregularity. The Jazz’s injury list is now another irregular variable.