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If you were to just glance at John Konchar’s year-by-year or career averages, you might not think very much of them.
He’s never averaged more than 5.1 points per game in a single season, he’s a career 35.1% 3-point shooter and he’s never been a mainstay in a starting lineup. But Konchar, who came to the Jazz from Memphis along with Jaren Jackson Jr. and Vince Williams Jr., is the kind of player that every coach loves and that every team needs.
“If there is a ball nearby, his hand will touch it,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “He has elite instincts for the ball and does so many winning things — steals, deflections, blocked shots, rebounds, plays an unselfish style. And he never really looks like he’s flying around, like his brain clearly works quickly. He’s just in the right spot, a lot. Yeah, he’s a winning player."
As the Jazz start looking toward the future, where the starting lineup is more or less ironed out, they’ll need to start thinking about what kind of role players the team will need coming off the bench to create, not just depth, but efficient and effective depth.
Konchar, who went undrafted out of Purdue Fort Wayne in 2019, worked his way up from a two-way deal into a regular rotation piece for the Grizzlies, by filling the role that he recognized every team needs.
“I just tried to create a role for myself in the NBA and pretty much just play hard, work hard, dive on the floor for loose balls and extra possessions,” Konchar said. “Your three best players are probably gonna take the majority of the shots, so you need a role player. I just try to fit in.”
It’s that kind of lunchpail, do-it-all attitude that endeared Konchar to the Grizzlies fanbase and made him a fan favorite. While the outpouring from fans for the departure of Jackson was notable, there was just as much for Konchar, because he was a development success story and represented the best of basketball humility.
Konchar is under contract through the 2026-27 season, and the Jazz are glad to have him on the roster to see how he works as they start to actually try to win games. But even in his short time with the Jazz he has made quite the impression.
“It shows a ton of self awareness and it shows a ton of maturity that John knows how he best impacts the game, and he sticks to that,” Hardy said. “It takes a lot of humility to say, like, ‘I know my role, I know what I do best and what my best role is, no matter what team I’m on.’”
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- The Jazz were fined for working in a system that incentivizes losing (Deseret News)
- Photo gallery: Jazz players, Bear make young patients’ day at new venue (Deseret News)
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