This season the Utah Jazz were in a race they weren’t use to for the last couple of season a playoff race. The Jazz finished 40-42 as they fell just short of the eight seed in the Western Conference. The Jazz have three young players they are building around they just need that all-star to get them over the top. Gordon Hayward, Derek Favors and Rudy Gobert are the three players the Jazz should continue to build around.
Hayward averaged 19.7 points per game, 5 rebounds per game, while shooting 43.3 percent from the field and 34.9 percent from three. Favors averaged 16.4 points, 8.1 rebounds per game and shooting 51.5 percent from the field. Gobert their defensive star averaged 9.1 points per game, 11 rebounds per game and 2.2 blocks per game. The Jazz also have a solid supporting cast, Alec Burks, Trey Burke and Rodney hood. Burks is averaging 13.3 points per game and shooting over 40 percent from the floor and from three. Hood burst onto the scene this year averaging 14.5 points per game while shooting 42 percent from the floor and 35 percent from behind the arc. Burke averaged 10.6 points per game while shooting 41.3 percent from the floor and 34.4 percent from three.
The Jazz lost their young point guard Dante Exum for the season as well. Having Exum back for next season is another x-factor. While Exum did not have the greatest first year in the NBA, he is still young (he’s only 20). I think he will be out to prove he’s legit coming off an injury-plagued year. Also, Raul Neto was a nice player for them as well, shooting 43.1 percent from the floor and 39.4 percent from behind the arc. With guys like Neto, Hood and Exum coming back from injury or finding success in their first couple of years they will have more confidence going into next year.
Their offense as a team improved in certain areas from two seasons ago to this one. The Jazz scored 97.7 points per game up from 95.1 even though their improving it has to be closer to 100 ppg to be successful playoff team. Their shooting improved as well going from 44.7 percent from the floor to 44.9, and from three it jumped from 34.3 percent to 35.5 percent. They averaged 5 blocks per game but close to have of them were coming from Gobert who averaged 2.2 per game.