by Alma Bean
Feature Image by Nikki Boertman of AP Photo
Currently with a 3-7 record, the Utah Jazz aren’t living up to the expectation of the fans, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t positive things going on with the team. Between lineups, individual performances and more, here are my thoughts on the season so far.
Turnovers
Turnovers are a hard thing to ignore. Especially when your top two ball handler, Jordan Clarkson and Talen Horton-Tucker, averaging 6.0 of Utah’s 17.9 turnovers per game. 17.9 turnovers might not seem like a lot, but it is dead last in the league. Even the gap between 29th and 30th is 1.3 turnovers per game with the Detroit Pistons having 16.6 turnovers per game. Utah is currently 26th in the league in AST/TO ratio at 1.5 per game. The only teams that are even or worse than Utah in that category is the Los Angeles Clippers (1.5), the Phoenix Suns (1.5) and the Portland Trail Blazers (1.4). Respectively, all four have a below .500 record on the season but have all been given viable weapons over the last two seasons.
Rookies
Utah drafted three different rookies this year, Taylor Hendricks, Keyonte George and Brice Sensabaugh. All three have seen the court this year but one has received significantly more time than others and it has some Utah fans torn.
Taken with the ninth overall pick, expectations are already set pretty high. Expectations to be an immediate impact for the team their drafted to potentially starting as soon as possible. Hendricks so far has seen the court for two minutes in Utah’s season opener. After coming down with an illness in his first G League game, Hendricks came back with an impressive game. His stat line will have Utah fans excited as he finished with 19 points, five rebounds along with three steals and blocks.
Sensabaugh, the 28th pick in the draft, also only got two minutes in the same game as Hendricks but has been exceling in the G League. In his two games he is currently averaging 26.5/6.5/6.5 along with two steals per game. If Sensabaugh can keep up these numbers, he may look like a steal in the draft.
A player who is currently looking like a steal in the draft is George. He has played all 10 games this year but where he has really shined has been in his unexpected starts. Starting two games so far, his shooting percentages have not been in his favor shooting around 25 percent, but he has been averaging 10 assists per game with an AST/TO ratio of 6.7. Even coming off the bench, in his 10 games he has the highest AST/TO ratio (2.7) on the team for players who are averaging more than 10 minutes a game. For a guy that averaged 2.8 assists per game in college, George is looking like the point guard of Utah’s future.
Sophomore Slumps
Last season, Utah brought in three rookies that had their fair share of ups and downs, but they all fought for their time on the court. The player that got their first big opportunity was Walker Kessler last season. For a team that was lacking an experienced center, the 7’1 rookie gave Utah height and finesse in the paint off the bench. Nearly a quarter into his rookie season, Kessler made his way into the starting rotation and kept his spot on that mountain. Being in the Rookie of the Year conversation, being on the All-Rookie Team and top-five in the league in blocks per game is an impressive resume.
Unfortunately, the sophomore slump is taking its toll on Kessler. In his first eight games, Kessler is averaging 8.4/7.9/0.3 and 2.1 blocks per game where in his first eight starts of his career he was averaging 9.4/8.9/0.8 along with 2.4 blocks per game. To Kessler’s credit, he has had a lingering elbow injury since the season opener but still has yet to make the jump that many expected from Kessler this season.
Ochai Agbaji came as a pleasant surprise last season as the injury bug began to plague Utah. Playing 59 games last season, Agbaji averaged 7.9/2.1/1.1 while as a starter he averaged 13.4/2.5/2.1. With little to no expectation of Agbaji getting quality minutes early last season, he showed that he’s a perimeter threat that can drive to the hoop with no problem. After seeing multiple guards go down near the end of last season, Agbaji was given the reigns as the main ball handler. Utah head coach Will Hardy even mentioned that Utah could see Agbaji take on that role in the future on occasion.
Since that comment was made by Hardy, Agbaji took on a leadership role during Summer League, but saw his role diminish to start the new campaign. With just two starts this season due to Kessler’s injury, Agbaji is averaging 9.0/5.0/1.0 while shooting 63.6 percent from the field and 50 percent from the perimeter. Though his percentages may look appealing, these numbers are coming off just 5.5 field goal attempts a game compared to 11.5 per game last season as a starter.
New Faces, New Places
During the offseason, Utah made an acquisition for a star level player that has been rumored to be in Utah’s interest for the past three to four seasons in John Collins. With Atlanta phasing Collins out of his role and putting emphasis on the youth movement, Collins was in need of a new home and a revival for his career. So far in his 10 starts, Collins is on pace to shoot a career-high from the perimeter currently shooting 42.9 percent. Even averaging 15.0 PPG, Collins is also on pace to set a career-high in total points in a season with 1,230. His current career-high for total points is 1,188 in the 2018-19 season where Collins averaged 19.5 PPG in 61 games played.
As of now, Utah has looked to be a blessing in disguise for Collins and hopefully continue in the direction. Collins has already put himself in the history books for Utah just in his first three games. Collins became the first player since the Jazz relocated from New Orleans to Utah in the 1979-80 season to begin their career with three straight double-doubles. Knowing the All-Star caliber players that have played the power forward position, this feat should not go unnoticed as Collins leaves his mark on Utah.
Plenty of Season Ahead
Even with a 3-7 record, there’s 72 more games, an in-season tournament, trade deadline, All-Star Weekend and plenty of opportunity for these players to continue to improve. The NBA season is an up-and-down rollercoaster that keeps the fans wanting more, ten games is just the tip of the iceberg.
The Hive Sports 
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