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The Utah Jazz traveled to the Windy City and lost 126-118 to the Chicago Bulls. The Jazz put in a lot of effort and were competitive throughout, but couldn’t beat the Bulls’ fourth quarter momentum.
Five Jazzmen scored in double figures, led by Lauri Markkanen with 28 points. Jared Vanderbilt had a double-double with his 15 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 stolen base, while rookie Ochai his Agbazi scored his 19th and didn’t miss a shot the entire game. He went 7-for-7 from the field and 4-for-4 from the three-point line, sinking the only foul shot.
The Bulls unleashed a massive scoring frenzy with All-Stars Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan. They scored his 36 and his 35 respectively, and the intensity increased with each quarter of the contest. Center Nikola Vucevic recorded a double-double with 15 points and 16 rebounds.
The Jazz slipped to 20-22 during the season, placing 10th in the Western Conference, while the Bulls team went 19-21, ranking 9th in the Eastern Conference. Both teams are currently battling for a place in the playoffs.
Who are the biggest winners and losers in the game? Let’s break it down.
Winner: Lauri Markkanen
Markkanen returned to the organization that steered to acquire him on the night of the original NBA Draft. The Bulls later traded him to Cleveland.
Markkanen added 4 boards, 3 assists and 3 steals in addition to his 28 points. But sweet revenge came when he came back and had a total flash on Bucevic. This dunk will no doubt be considered the play of the year across the NBA, and Vucevic is still having Markkanen’s nightmares.
Markkanen continues his ticket to the NBA All-Star Game.
Loser: Coach Will Hardy
Coach Hardy seems to be sticking with the current player rotation. He has adjusted the last few games by allocating minutes to Agbaj and Taren Horton-Tucker.
The problem is how the starting lineup and total playing time are distributed.
Walker Kessler should become a full-time starter in the jazz rotation, and Jordan Clarkson should return to his original role as sixth man. The Jazz really struggle with internal rebound and rim protection, and Kessler helps with those issues.
Clarkson interferes too much with the natural flow of the starting units. He dribbles over for off guard, reducing Mike Conley’s value and the team’s assist distribution.
Malik Beasley is better suited as a first off guard or Agbaji to start and develop. Either way, Clarkson should be the sixth man.
There’s also the issue of minute distros in favor of Kelly Olynyk and Rudy Gay, which is starting to make Jazz as a whole worse. Gay should be taken out of rotation and Olynyk should be returned to the Detroit Pistons.
These two veterans are clearly holding back the Jazz’s potential, and the losses will add up if Coach Hardy doesn’t get away from the mindset of wasted time.
Start Kessler, move Clarkson to sixth man, bring in Beasley or Agbaj as off-guard, and limit Olynyk if he’s in the rotation.
Conclusion
When losses outweigh wins, as is the case with the Jazz, coaches sometimes have to re-evaluate their plans. By tweaking the roster, the Jazz were able to move up the conference standings with their depth and versatility.
Wasted allocations are irreversible and ultimately send the team into a downward spiral. The Jazz have the tools and the sum of the parts to not only move aggressively toward the playoffs, but to keep their long history of consistent wins intact.
Sunday night the Jazz will take on the Memphis Grizzlies on the streets.
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