Tanking Utah Jazz players are out to prove they re not in on it Utah Jazz - Nba HEAD TOPICS

Tanking Utah Jazz players are out to prove they re not in on it

10/21/2022 6:03:00 PM

Wednesday s season-opening blowout of a lax Nuggets team was for some on the roster a sign that their talent competitiveness and effort will make the team better than prognosticators believe

Utah Jazz Nba

Source

The Salt Lake Tribune

Wednesday s season-opening blowout of a lax Nuggets team was for some on the roster a sign that their talent competitiveness and effort will make the team better than prognosticators believe Despite widespread projections that they'll be extremely bad in 2022-23, the Utah Jazz players — fresh off a season-opening win vs. the Nuggets — continue to insist they're actually trying very hard. a thorough 123-102 whipping of the allegedly title-contending Denver Nuggets“We think that way,” conceded Markkanen. “We think we’ve got a good team, and when we play our best basketball and play as hard as we can, we think we can compete with anybody.” since Day 1.the culture we’re trying to buildGiven how hard the Jazz say they are working, then, surely it must be irksome to hear the constant prognostications of how awful they’re bound to be?“That’s news to me. I mean, as far as Tweets and comments go, I try to stay as far away as possible,” added Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Read more:
The Salt Lake Tribune » The Triple Team: Utah Jazz bring energy, effort that was missing last year to win first game of 2022-23 Mike's Gemini Twin The 100 Best Bars in DFW 2022 Dallas Observer BET Soul Train Awards 2022 Nominations: See the Full List New York Blood Center declares fifth blood emergency of 2022

Police 4 officers struck by car in Queens suspects in custody

Four officers have been injured after being struck by a stolen car in Queens Thursday night. Read more >> The Triple Team: Utah Jazz bring energy, effort that was missing last year to win first game of 2022-23Frequently last year, it didn't seem like the Jazz were totally invested. In Game 1 of the new era, they looked very different. Can they keep it up? Mike's Gemini Twin The 100 Best Bars in DFW 2022 Dallas ObserverThe Cedars bar is often labeled a dive bar, but there’s nothing shabby about Mike’s. Sure, the name sounds like a hard lemonade drink inspired by an early 2000s girl band, but Mike’s Gemini Twin is a refreshing cross of... BET Soul Train Awards 2022 Nominations: See the Full ListFind out who will emcee the star-studded ceremony and who's in the running to be honored at the big show. New York Blood Center declares fifth blood emergency of 2022DONORS NEEDED: The New York Blood Center has declared its fifth bloodemergency of the year - newyork what do I get in return? Serious question... Starbucks 2022 Holiday Cups Are HereHoliday cups are a big part of the allure of the Starbucks holiday menu. And this year, the coffee chain has upped the ante. Tested: 2022 Mercedes-AMG SL63 Reconnects with Its Fan BaseThis stalwart of the Benz lineup gives wealthy buyers what they want. MercedesAMG What would summer be without a Mercedes drop top MercedesAMG Personally I'd rather Mercedes had skipped the rear seats and just given this new SL a larger trunk. and Kelly Olynyk opened their postgame thoughts Wednesday night with precisely the same line: “It’s just one game.Denver series where an extra bit of oomph may have made a difference.The 100 Best Bars in DFW 2022 Apothecary Kathy Tran You will miss Apothecary the first time you attempt to visit.By 7:00 AM PDT, October 20, 2022 Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100 The 2022  BET Soul Train Awards  are right around the corner! BET revealed the nominations for this year's award ceremony on Thursday, and announced that the star-studded show will be hosted by comedian, writer and Black-ish star, Deon Cole. ” Still, that one game — a thorough 123-102 whipping of the allegedly title-contending Denver Nuggets — was a bit of vindication for a roster of players who, since coming together in haphazard fashion, have heard nothing but widespread talk about how bad a team they are, how intentionally inept they will be, how driven the organization is to lose a ton of games, maximize draft position, and land a future superstar like, say, Victor Wembanyama. The front office may, indeed, be tanking, but the players and coaching staff sure seem intent on making it difficult. The Jazz got out to a 22-point first-half lead, thanks to getting fully half of their missed shots and putting them up again toward the basket. “We think that way,” conceded Markkanen. Here the world is shuttered out, the noise turned down to a delightful whisper. “We think we’ve got a good team, and when we play our best basketball and play as hard as we can, we think we can compete with anybody. In particular, Jarred Vanderbilt had 12 rebounds in the first half.” That remains to be seen, and more likely than not, difficult to accomplish. It is truly a privilege to be given this opportunity. But still, the players persist. (Leah Hogsten The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson (00) fires up the crowd during a timeout as the Utah Jazz host the Denver Nuggets in the team's home and season opener at Vivint Arena, Oct. It’s just not a phone-out, sound-up place. In the lead-up to Wednesday’s game, the Jazz have consistently spoken of how hard first-year head coach Will Hardy has pushed them, how he has since Day 1. And the players have embraced it enthusiastically. The last Jazz non-center to get 12 rebounds in a half? Trevor Booker, in 2015. “Being a physical team, playing hard, just being the fastest-paced team. Every server knows the cocktail menu inside and out and could narrate a documentary on each drink. Having that hit-first mentality,” explained forward Jarred Vanderbilt. It wasn’t just the rebounding, though. “That’s the culture we’re trying to build . I can see us heading towards that each and every day. Last year, the Jazz were very last in the NBA by drawing only 10 charges all season long, according to PBPStats. Make reservations to be sure to get a seat.” Pretty much everyone on the roster has, to this point, expressed a variation on the theme of being overlooked underdogs, how no one believes they can do anything, and how that will enable them to capitalize on unsuspecting opponents who may approach games against them with something less than full effort — as seemed to be the case with Denver. Given how hard the Jazz say they are working, then, surely it must be irksome to hear the constant prognostications of how awful they’re bound to be? “Not really — we haven’t really paid attention to it much,” said Vanderbilt. Last year, the Jazz were a bottom-10 team in terms of their speed on the court. “Not really — noise is everywhere,” claimed Ochai Agbaji. “That’s news to me. Now, they’re drawing offensive fouls, now they’re athletic, now their “small forward” is 7-0, not 6-4. I mean, as far as Tweets and comments go, I try to stay as far away as possible,” added Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Two veterans on the team at least admitted they’re aware of the perception, while denying it takes any mental toll. The Jazz will face more opponents that manage to make more than five threes, say, and out-skill the Jazz’s effort. “It’s the NBA, right? It’s part of it. It’s entertainment, whatever,” Jordan Clarkson said. 2. “People, fans gonna say whatever.” “Obviously people can say whatever they want and it’s not going to affect our daily stuff that we do,” added Markkanen. The Nuggets had 24. “… We hear all that, but you kinda take that as an extra boost.” Another veteran, however — Mike Conley — came into his media session apparently dosed with truth serum. It was basically responsible for the team not being one of the best teams last year, and they haven’t done much to improve it. That, or he simply saw no point to denying the obvious. “Yeah, it’s really tough. But I do think it’s also true that the Jazz’s bench might be pretty decent! First, Collin Sexton can absolutely play the Jordan Clarkson role off the bench— he’ll shoot fewer threes, but probably draw more fouls. We don’t have that mindset, and it’s hard — you can’t function in any culture by coming in, trying to lose. That’s going to set you back even further when the time does come when the team is ready to compete at that level,” Conley said. But scoring 20 points in 20 minutes basically describes Sexton to a tee. “So for us, it’s trying to block it out. We’re going to do what we can on a nightly basis to put ourselves in positions to win. 19, 2022. “Obviously, we know this uphill battle is going to be tough; we’re so young, we have a lot of guys who need to develop , and a lot of different roles that will be hashed out as the year goes on,” he continued. “But we’re going to continue to do our job. He was extremely motivated tonight going up against his former Denver team — he and coach Micahel Malone apparently do not get along — but he’s going to be useful out there if the bench unit can get any ball movement and find him for open threes. No matter what people say, at the end of the day, we have to go out there and work.” Hardy has seen it, has seen the players live it. He’s just gigantic, he moves well, he finishes well around the rim . Two players, he said Wednesday night, epitomized the mentality with their efforts against the Nuggets: Vanderbilt, flying around in the first half, beating the Nuggets to loose balls and rebounds; and Collin Sexton , either bravely or stupidly taking a charge from behemoth center and reigning two-time MVP Nikola Jokic. “If you just saw the reaction from the bench and from the team when Collin took that charge in front of the bench, that’s all you need to see.. That level of ‘want to win.’ You have some guys that are on the bench that want to be in the game, you have some guys who’ve had foul trouble so they’re frustrated — but they still go nuts for their teammates,” said Hardy. And Gay is, uh, up-and-down, but there will be nights when he makes his threes and looks great. “And Collin made such a big play to take that charge. That play, to me, sums it up. But it’s not a dumpster fire like some other benches, and shouldn’t be a huge minus for the Jazz this year, I don’t think. ” Will that hard play-hard mentality do much on a consistent basis against more-talented teams? Probably not. But these Jazz believe two crucial things: Their talent level is better than many outsiders believe; and a higher effort can and does make a difference. Will Hardy’s first game Hey, it was Will Hardy’s first game. “No one can tell me we’re tanking. No one can tell me, with the effort we’re putting in, that we’re only gonna win 25 games,” said Alexander-Walker. His wife came to his first game’s postgame presser. “When you have a team that’s committed, you can surprise a lot of people. I know I have a lot of teammates that are behind me on that. In Quin Snyder’s first year, he was really excited to share his vision for the club and every particular detail — at one point, he walked me through a pick-and-roll screen angle issue on the court, literally physically moving me on the court, just to show me what he was trying to teach his players.” Again, it was only one game. But there’s another one on Friday night at the Target Center, against Rudy Gobert & Co. (Leah Hogsten The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy makes a call as the Utah Jazz host the Denver Nuggets in the team's home and season opener at Vivint Arena, Oct. His replacement at center in Utah’s starting lineup wants to see his teammates ready for it. “We came in and got the job done. But we asked Malone about his first day as a coach, and I thought his response was really interesting: “When you’re a first-year head coach, at least for me, I was coaching every dribble. Now we’ve got to move on to the next one and do it again,” said Olynyk. “That’s what it’s about — you’ve got to be consistent, you have to do it every single night. Every possession matters.” .