This season, the NBA has seen some drastic changes in strategy and performance. The 3-point-revolution is in full swing as the NBA is taking and making more threes than ever, and scoring the most points per game league wide since 1992. The whole league has been shifting towards offense.
The Rockets, Cavaliers, and Warriors all made personnel decisions this offseason to capitalize on offense at the probable expense of their defense, and all three are top teams this season. However, there’s one team who has managed to resist the revolution and still win games: the Utah Jazz.
The Utah Jazz have a monstrous defense led by DPOY candidate Rudy Gobert. They rank first in points allowed per game and are top 10 in almost every defensive category imaginable. Gobert has taken a huge leap this season and their defensive numbers show off how important he is to the team.
Their defense is spectacular, but a glance at their offense isn’t encouraging. Utah is currently 29th in the league in points per game. The only team who scores less often started Dorian Finney-Smith for half of the year. That’s not a great stat. Their assist numbers also aren’t pretty. As a team, they’re 28th overall in assists per game, and George Hill’s 4.1 is the lowest amount for a team leader in the NBA this season.
The counting stats for Utah Jazz’s offense are disconcerting, to say the least, but the real story is told with their efficiency numbers. The Jazz rank top ten in field goal percentage, two-point percentage and three-point percentage. The Jazz offense is secretly top ten in the league without having a top-tier scorer or passer.
What sets the Jazz apart from the rest of the league is their pace of play. They rank last in the league with 91.6 possessions per game. Utah has great transition defense and loves to grind the game to a halt, forcing the opposing offense to beat them in the half-court. This has been extremely effective for them on defense but also impacts their offense as well. The team Utah defends takes more seconds per possession to find a quality shot; therefore, Utah receives fewer offensive possessions per game.
The Utah Jazz finished with a 50 win season but won’t have home-court advantage in their playoff series. However, their pace of play sets them apart from everyone else. In a league that’s dominated by offense, Utah stands alone as the team who refuses to play out of their style, and this could be huge in the playoffs.
The grit and grind of strong half-court defense isn’t flashy or exciting. You won’t hear many fans talking about the Jazz’s title hopes. But their ability to play the game very differently than most of the league makes them a bit of a wild card. We know for certain that some offenses outweigh others. What we don’t know for sure is whether Utah’s defense is strong enough to slow those offenses down. The Jazz likely won’t score more than 100 points a game, but the question is: will you?
