Three thoughts on the Utah Jazz’s 126-120 loss to the San Antonio Spurs from Salt Lake Tribune Jazz beat writer Andy Larsen.
1. Cody Williams’ best game of preseason action
The priority in tonight’s game was the young players. Of course, that’ll be true all season long, but it’s especially the case in a game where the Jazz simply sat Lauri Markkanen, Jordan Clarkson, John Collins, and Patty Mills to rest.
So who stood out? Cody Williams. After three initial preseason games in which he scored 13 combined points, Williams scored 17 on Saturday night — 6-10 from the field, 3-4 from three. He also added five rebounds and two assists, in his 29 minutes on the floor.
(By the way, huge props to those highlight-reel makers for showing off the good plays and the bad plays. Holistic player evaluations are great!)
A couple of things stood out. First, the finish at 0:27 above shows off what I think is Williams’ most standout skill right now: his ability to finish in traffic despite his slim figure. That level of creativity and skill is pretty rare, but Williams doesn’t force it, either. He’s no Talen Horton-Tucker.
Second, the 3-point shooting. Yes, it’s a small sample size. But we’ve talked about it frequently: shooting is the uber-skill in the current NBA meta. For Williams to make a majority of his tonight is a very good sign.
One topic of conversation this preseason has been about improving players’ consistency — making sure their bad games are at least impactful in other ways. Williams can definitely still develop that, but having quality good games is maybe just as important for rookies.
2. Collin Sexton’s shot choices
Utah Jazz guard Collin Sexton celebrates a basket during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)
With Keyonte George out of this game due to the knee sprain he suffered against the Mavericks, Collin Sexton became the leader in the backcourt. (Rookie Isaiah Collier was called up to the starting lineup, though left the game himself due to a right hamstring injury that will also be worth monitoring.)
And when he gets those chances, I just want him to be a better representative of what Will Hardy wants out of his offense from the get-go.
His very first shot of the game goes in.
But It’s a pull-up midranger early in the shot clock, contested by one of the Spurs’ best defenders in Jeremy Sochan. The “No One Outpizzas The Hut” advertisement hadn’t event moved off the screen by the time he shot it.
His next play was even quicker; it’s taken with 16 seconds on the shot clock.
Again, it goes in! This is offense, of a sort! But in this role as team leader, Sexton simply should prioritize the stuff his team has worked on in training camp, or at the very least, getting off the ball to get his teammates going. Taking these shots instead sets a different sort of tone.
Sexton undoubtedly sets a quality tone in other ways: he is legitimately the hardest-working Jazz player, always in the gym working on something or other. He had his best-ever year as a result last season. But in order for him to be a point guard, a leader, and the kind of player the Jazz want to put in the starting lineup, he simply has to play with more of the team construct in mind.
3. Using SEG+ to watch Jazz and Utah Hockey Club
While the Jazz have been going through their preseason, the Utah Hockey Club has started their regular season with a pretty remarkable burst out of the gate. They’re now 3-0, including two overtime wins. Early returns also suggest might be the very most fun kind of team: new, young, and just as good offensively as they are sketchy defensively.
The teams’ last two games have overlapped, though. For me, for now, I’m putting the Jazz game up on the big TV in my living room while watching the Hockey Club (the Clubbies, some people are saying?) game on my laptop. Truthfully, the small second screen setup isn’t ideal. For the first time in my life, I’m considering a second TV in the room, which seemed like a ridiculous extravagance until now.
I do want to give Ryan Smith credit where it’s due on this one, though: SEG+ has been a legitimately awesome product for this. The ability to watch both leagues’ games on a second screen makes this possible for me, and for us, in a way it simply wouldn’t have been in the pre-streaming era. For years, fans complained about the lack of streaming options for Jazz games, and his team actually delivered with this product. (The added ability to rewind this year has also made a huge difference.)
Some points of improvement: the UHC broadcast has continually had audio issues of one sort or another, and it’d be great to fix those. It’d also be very, very nice to get either Jazz or Hockey Club games on YouTube TV; Utah 16 should also be on Comcast.
Finally, Smith is right: a button to switch between the two games would be great for on the-the-go viewing.
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