Three thoughts on the Utah Jazz’s 97-92 loss to the Miami Heat from The Salt Lake Tribune.
1. Are these good losses?
It’s become a theme recently: The Jazz fight their way into games ... only to lose them late.
This was the fourth time since Christmas that the Jazz lost by five points or fewer. It’s the second time in as many nights, too (losing to Atlanta 124-121 on Tuesday).
For a young team, losses like this might not be a bad thing. Just ask Will Hardy.
“It continues to hammer home the sentiment that we try to have every day, which is that you value every minute you’re on the floor and you can’t take it for granted,” the Jazz coach said. “That’s from a personal level, but also from your responsibility to the team. The margins are thin.”
It’s a sign, too, that the Jazz are playing better after a dismal start. Since Dec. 26 — when Utah lost to Portland by two — they are 14th in offensive rating and 16th in defensive rating. That puts them in line with teams like Memphis and Minnesota — not awful company.
It’s also far better than their season average, where the Jazz are dead last in defensive rating and only slightly better on offense (20th).
Utah’s defensive effort was much better against Miami. The Heat shot 28% from three and under 40% from two. Miami was under 100 points for just the second time since Nov. 27.
“I think we’re just at a point in the season where we’re starting to feel some of the cohesion of the group,” Hardy said. “Sometimes you play these teams that have been together, where the core has been together, for a long period of time. And it seems like at the end, like, ‘Man, they’re just really in sync.’ They’ve done this before.”
Still, during this stretch, the Jazz are 2-6. So it’s progress without hurting the draft position.
2. A Heat blueprint
With the Heat coming into town, it might be a good time to revisit Johnny Juzang’s development.
In some ways, Heat forward Duncan Robinson is a model for what the Jazz want Juzang to become: a reliable three-point shooter with length on defense.
“Robinson has kind of been the poster boy for that type of a pathway in the NBA,” Hardy said.
Juzang came to Utah without a true offensive identity. At UCLA, he was asked to do a little of everything — a midrange guy, a creator off the dribble, an iso player. It worked for Mick Cronin, as Juzang took the Bruins to a Final Four and averaged 16 points per game.
But he was shooting over nine, two-point attempts a night and under two threes. It wasn’t going to work in the NBA. At least not for a player like Juzang.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Jazz guard Johnny Juzang (33) as the Utah Jazz host the Atlanta Hawks, NBA basketball in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025.
“We had a pretty honest conversation about what I felt like he needed to do to make it,” Hardy said. “He was sort of an all-around scorer in college, had the ball a lot. Johnny has two really great gifts. He can really shoot and he is in really good shape. We felt like him becoming a real threat from the three-point line, and making that the centerpiece, would allow him to stick.”
It’s been two years, but it’s starting to work. Juzang is shooting 40% from three this year and taking almost four times as many threes as twos.
If Juzang is going to carve out a role in the league moving forward, that is probably what it will look like.
3. The rookie minutes
Early in the first half, Isaiah Collier found Lauri Markkanen over the top for a dunk. Markkanen was coming off a screen, and it seemed like a relatively easy bucket.
But for Hardy, it had added significance.
That was a play Hardy installed in training camp, but Collier is just now getting comfortable with it. It speaks to the learning curve of this rookie class, which is starting to get more opportunities.
“It takes a while, sometimes, to see it really come to fruition in the games,” Hardy said.
The rookies have been getting an extended run this week — and probably will for the next two weeks.
Collier played 33 minutes and finished the game. Cody Williams played 23 minutes and finished the game Tuesday. Kyle Filipowski played 23 minutes and had critical minutes down the stretch.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Jazz guard Isaiah Collier (13) as the Utah Jazz host the Miami Heat, NBA basketball in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025.
All three have been up and down in the G League this year. But with Jordan Clarkson, John Collins and Keyonte George sidelined right now, they have gotten their chances.
While they are with the main team, the Jazz are working on specific points. Collier’s decision-making has been hammered home. He had nine assists for the second game in a row.
“I think Isaiah has a better understanding of his teammates. I talked to Isaiah quite a bit about the responsibility that comes with being a lead guard, being a decision maker,” Hardy said. “And I think he’s really doing a good job of recognizing how to best involve his teammates.”
Collier said he’s looked at statistical breakdowns of which corners guys are shooting well from and watched film of where guys like to catch it.
“You see the plays where, ‘I’ve got to get Collin the ball in this situation because he has the matchup,’” Hardy said.
For Williams, it’s been about increasing his physicality on defense, and steering guys on screens. Plus, he had to get more comfortable with the ball in his hand — which he did on Tuesday.
“Everybody talks about the pick-and-roll, but for me it was like, ‘OK, well what am I reading.’ I was kind of just playing off instinct and reaction. So really getting these reps and breaking it down,” he said.
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