Three thoughts on the Utah Jazz’s 132-113 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers from Salt Lake Tribune Jazz beat writer Andy Larsen.
1. Jazz don’t meet the Luka moment
What a letdown.
The Jazz have been playing reasonable basketball as of late, largely being in the games they’ve played, even winning a couple of them. And then, randomly gifted a national TV game by the randomness of Luka Doncic having his first game against the Jazz... they were a complete no-show.
Everyone said they were excited, more amped up to play this game than usual. Jazz coach Will Hardy said he wanted the team to “lean into” the energy of the crowd, of the moment.
And instead, they came out so, so flat. This wasn’t just missing shots, this was just a lack of competitiveness. Both halves started with the Lakers just getting two easy alley-oops on the Jazz’s defense, and it continued from there.
What’s disappointing is that the Jazz didn’t even really make the Lakers' stars show off their special talents. It didn’t take LeBron being LeBron or Luka being Luka to beat the Jazz, but any players could have made plays given the softness of the Jazz’s defense.
“They’re really special players, and I don’t think that’s why we lost,” Hardy said. “There wasn’t a moment in the game where I felt like, oh my gosh, what are we going to do about this ... I was expecting, I almost was expecting the game to be messier, more reckless, more crashing into each other and flying around.”
Hardy said maybe that was due to nerves, and maybe so. But it’s disappointing to have players that, when the limelight strikes, they currently shrink from that moment. Maybe they’ll get better at that, as they gain more experience in those moments. But as a starting place, it’s not great.
2. Lakers atmosphere
Who did meet the moment? The Los Angeles Lakers — as an organization, as a fanbase, everything. From a organization point of view, they were ready: They had Luka Doncic T-shirts on every seat. They had Doncic in the lineup video, and even announced him last in the lineup, where LeBron James normally has his name read. They had room for the huge hoards of media that showed up for this game, had extra security for the occasion, and more.
Lakers fans did too. Two hours before the game, fans were outside of Staples — whoops, excuse me, Crypto.com Arena — with Doncic jerseys already purchased and worn, signs supporting their new signing, and so much more. Fans were lined up to get photos with their existing statues, and clearly hoped another legend was being born on this game. Inside the arena, fans were on their feet 20 minutes before tipoff, watching Doncic warm up.
And of course, they dominated the game from start to finish.
This is frustrating. Yes, the Lakers are one of the NBA’s premier franchises. They have its largest fanbase. But there are times — and this was certainly one of them — that it feels like the Jazz exist primarily to operate as a footnote in exciting Lakers moments. Like they’re a generic team in a sports movie, there just to provide foil for the protagonists.
It’s a bummer, because Jazz fans deserve better than footnote status. That the Delta Center is selling out while the team has so clearly been trying to lose games is truly remarkable. That fans are still watching these games, and reading these articles, despite *points at everything* shows just how much they truly care.
I’m hoping that, sooner rather than later, this franchise figures out how to manufacture moments like this that put the Utah Jazz in the limelight for their own acquisitions, their own success, rather than that of their opponents.
3. Various Walker Kessler points
Walker Kessler, by his own self-criticism, had a pretty disappointing first half of this game before bouncing back in the second.
“I get very frustrated with my performance because I expect a lot of myself,” Kessler said. “But after today, we look at tomorrow, and you’ve got to move on. ... That’s something that I’m proud to say I’ve gotten a lot better at.”
It’s true. Whereas last season Kessler let bad moments snowball into bad weeks, he’s been much better at turning things around more quickly, by moving to the next play. Some work with a sports psychologist has helped him here, and the result is a much more consistent Kessler that turned a bad game into, at least, 13 points, 12 rebounds, and reasonable play.
Speaking of things Walker Kessler has gotten better at, I’ve been thinking about two big criticisms Will Hardy had for him in his rookie season: his screening and his defensive communication. How are those coming along?
On screening: “He’s improved. I don’t think he’s where he wants to be. I think the thing that he’s done a good job of recognizing now maybe he didn’t early on, is when people are behind the play and they don’t need a screen anymore. He’s done a good job of getting out and rolling quickly,” Hardy said. “I thought when we were preaching the screening early in his career, he was so hellbent on making contact, there were times he would get stuck and he didn’t recognize that the ball handler had created enough separation in certain instances, but they don’t need to screen anymore. That’s been a big improvement for him. His off ball screening has also improved.”
And how about defensive communication?
“The last three years, it’s for sure improved. I still want more, we still want more. I think sometimes Walker assumes things. Like, the best communicators defensively are the ones that are constantly pointing out obvious things as well as communicating the coverage. It makes everybody feel comfortable if they’re in the right spot. I think that’s gotten better, but I would like to see the communication be a little bit more constant,” Hardy said. “I’d like to see him continue to expand in terms of like trying to communicate the entire possession, not just the elements that he is involved in.”
Watching the game at court level (where the media seats are for Lakers games), you see these elements of the game play out more obviously. As Kessler’s clearly a keeper for the Jazz, his development matters more than most, and the hope is that it continues to improve at the rate he has this season, while also eliminating first halves like tonight’s.
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