National Basketball Association

The Utah Jazz NEED a Backup Point Guard: 5 Potential Targets

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 7:43 p.m. ET

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Fansided, Jared Woodcox/FanSided via Purple and Blues

Jan 23, 2017; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz guard Dante Exum (11) defends against the pass of Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cameron Payne (22) during the second half at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Oklahoma City won 97-95. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

The Utah Jazz’s recent play has made it abundantly clear that the team absolutely needs to add a new backup point guard. Here’s a list of players they should target.

In recent weeks, I have subtly alluded to the fact that the Utah Jazz would possibly do well by adding a reliable backup point guard. From issues with their current backups, to questions about George Hill’s recent play being a slump or the new reality, things haven’t looked all that great at the position in recent contests especially in Utah’s two latest consecutive losses.

So given the point guard play of late, I’m done with the subtleties and instead am just going to be frank about the matter. The Utah Jazz NEED a new backup point guard.

With the trade deadline less than one month away, now is the time for Utah to start exploring their options, taking some phone calls and trying to find someone who would be the right fit. Because although their fifth place spot and 9-games above .500 record look nice for the time being, they’ve shown in both wins and losses that they have a major hole at the backup point guard spot.

The crazy point guard carousel that is occurring currently where Dante Exum, Raul Neto and Shelvin Mack are seemingly being selected at random to log minutes on any given night is simply not working as none of them are being productive in the playing time they’re given.

One may argue that Exum played respectively in the loss to the Thunder given that he shot 50 percent from the field and was a +13 on the night, but he was absolutely targeted and bullied by Russell Westbrook and throughout the season has proven less than capable of having a positive impact on either end of the floor.

Earlier in the season, George Hill was able to cover up many of the point guard deficiencies as his phenomenal play was masking much of the struggles among the backups. However, now that Hill is slumping or perhaps coming back down to earth (he’s shooting just 37.5 percent from the field and 18.8 percent from the three-point line in his last six contests) Utah has had absolutely no reliable options to put on the floor to help steer the Jazz with Hill struggling.

Therefore, if Utah is truly in win-now mode, which they have seemingly implied starting with the offseason and throughout the 2016-17 campaign, then it’s vital for their success in the second half of the season and into the playoffs that they make a trade prior to the deadline to bring in a capable reserve point guard.

Of course who they’re able to land will depend largely on what the Jazz are willing to give up and which opposing teams will be most willing to make a move, but they should still be aggressive in their search. With that being said, here’s a list of five point guards that the Jazz definitely should target as potential backups.

Jan 15, 2017; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Darren Collison (7) controls the ball against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the third quarter at Golden 1 Center. The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Sacramento Kings 122-118. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Darren Collison

Sacramento Kings point guard Darren Collison has consistently been one of those guys who flies pretty low under the radar, but he does his job well and would make for a formidable point guard option. On the season he’s averaging 12.4 points and 4.2 assists and has proven himself as an accurate shooter.

He shoots 46.7 percent from the field and 39.6 percent from behind the arc. Just last season, he was a 40.1 percent three-point shooter, so he’s certainly a reliable deep-ball threat. This would be an extremely welcome change of pace for the Jazz given that Utah’s three backup point guards are currently shooting a combined 28.6 percent from behind the arc.

Surprisingly Shelvin Mack is leading the way at 31.6 percent while Raul Neto and Dante Exum are posting dismal percentages of 28.6 and 27.2, respectively. As was clear in the loss to the Thunder, teams are blatantly leaving Exum wide open from three, simply daring him to shoot (and likely miss) every time.

Therefore, Collison would do a great job of helping to space the floor on offense and to keep defenses honest. He also would bring toughness and experience running an offense to Utah’s second unit, both of which are drastically needed.

Finally, while Collison has started nearly every game for the Kings this season, he’s come off the bench for several teams throughout his career, including last season with Sacramento, so he should be more than willing to accept a backup role with the Jazz that would still see him get plenty of opportunity to play.

Collison is also a somewhat realistic option given the fact that Sacramento seems to be perpetually tied into trade rumors. As the Kings look desperately for a move that could help them get out of the bottom half of the NBA, it seems quite likely that the Jazz could put up an enticing offer for the eighth-year pro.

Especially with volatile guard Ty Lawson playing well so far this season for the Kings, Sacramento could very well see Collison as expendable and be willing to deal him for future picks or depth in another area while sliding Lawson into the starting spot. If that were the case, I could truly see him being a phenomenal fit off the Jazz bench.

Dec 30, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Ricky Rubio (9) dribbles in the third quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at Target Center. The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Milwaukee Bucks 116-99. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Ricky Rubio

The Minnesota Timberwolves have been swirling about the rumor mill for the better part of three months as early in the season Tom Thibodeau declared that due to the team’s struggles, he wanted to exchange some of his young talent for veteran experience.

With rookie Kris Dunn seemingly the point guard of the future for the Wolves, the once highly touted Ricky Rubio has had his name brought up more than anyone on the team as likely being on the trade block.

Just last week rumors hit the web that a Ricky Rubio trade to the Detroit Pistons for Reggie Jackson was being discussed, but Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy quickly silenced those reports.

Still, there’s likely some bit of truth in the rumors surrounding Rubio and it seems extremely probable that he will indeed be moved by the trade deadline. However, it could be a tougher sell for the Wolves than one might anticipate given that while Rubio was once seen as an intriguing point guard option, he hasn’t quite lived up to expectations.

He’s struggled with injuries throughout his career and, this season in particular, is struggling to score as he’s putting up a career-low 7.9 points per game while shooting just 37.5 percent from the field and a dismal career-low 25 percent from three.

In other words, adding Rubio likely wouldn’t be much of an improvement in scoring among Utah’s reserves, but that also isn’t what Rubio is known for. Throughout his career he has been a prolific passer able to set his teammates up for great looks and despite his scoring troubles this season, he’s still been able to maintain that aspect of his game by averaging eight assists per contest.

He averages 8.3 assists for his career and while his poor shooting can sometimes be detrimental as he’s largely ignored by opposing defenses, there’s no questioning that he can run an offense well and build momentum by helping his teammates get easy baskets.

So while he’s perhaps not an optimal choice, those skills alone could be enough to make him an improvement over Utah’s dire backup point guard situation. And, who knows, Rubio could very well just be in need of a change of scenery to get his scoring rhythm back to a palatable level.

Dec 30, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Reggie Jackson (1) dribbles against the Atlanta Hawks in the second quarter at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Reggie Jackson

While Stan Van Gundy’s recent comments regarding the rumored Ricky Rubio for Reggie Jackson trade seem to indicate that the Pistons aren’t looking to trade their starting point guard, the fact that his name came up at all still provides a glimmer of possibility.

The middling Pistons could certainly use a trade to help shore up what has been a mediocre season and potentially add some life to a roster that just can’t quite seem to click.

And while removing Jackson, the team’s leading scorer, may not be the best way to do that for this season, if Detroit decides to scrap the current team and look instead to the future, he could very well be a guy that they could look to part ways with.

If such were the case, the team that entices the Pistons to deal him to them could be in for quite a prize. Jackson is averaging 16.9 points on 43.5 percent shooting from the field and 38 percent from deep while adding 5.6 assists per game. He’s undoubtedly a starting-caliber point guard in this league and would provide a huge lift to Utah’s bench.

However, therein lies two problems. First of all, Jackson largely departed from his first team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, so that he could get out of Russell Westbrook’s shadow and be a starting point guard. Thus, there’s a good chance that he would struggle to embrace a bench role on a team like the Jazz and rather than help would create friction and be a hindrance.

Furthermore, he won’t be had for nothing. It’s likely that the Jazz would have to give up a pretty significant piece to get Jackson and that very well may not be worth it, especially given the sizable contract that the Pistons guard is on that would have Utah paying a pretty penny for him to come off the bench.

But if Dennis Lindsey and Co. were able to work their magic and figure out a way to make Jackson fit on this roster without the Jazz having to take too big of a hit, there’s no question that he would be an exceptional addition and give opposing reserves enormous problems as they attempted to contain him and the Utah second unit.

Dec 2, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Los Angeles Lakers point guard Lou Williams (23) warms up before the start of their game against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre. The Raptors beat the Lakers 113-80. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

Lou Williams

This one may be a little farfetched due to the fact that the only mention of Lou Williams in trade rumors has to do with speculation that perhaps the Lakers want to scrap the season, embrace the youth movement and part with any potentially expendable veterans.

However, so far this season, Williams has seemed far from expendable. In fact, in many ways he has kept the Lakers bench, and the team as a whole, afloat in dire circumstances. That’s not to say that the Lakers are really doing that well with their 16-32 record, but without Williams there’s no telling how much worse they would be.

He’s currently the team’s leading scorer despite coming off the bench as he averages 17.9 points per game on a solid 43.2 percent field goal percentage and 37.2 percent three-point percentage.

He has largely played the backup shooting guard position for the Lakers, so his assist-to-turnover ratio isn’t great and he may not be the best option for running an offense, but he is a combo guard capable of playing the one and there’s simply no questioning that this man can score.

And that unquestionable scoring ability is something the Jazz could definitely use in a backup point guard as all of the current ones are averaging under eight points per game. Williams is a former Sixth Man of the Year winner and has thrived in a bench role, so the question of fitting with the reserve unit or being flustered about not starting simply wouldn’t be a problem.

Thus his scoring ability and willingness to embrace a bench role could potentially make him an incredible fit for the Jazz. Not to mention, he’s on a rather friendly contract that shouldn’t hamper Utah too drastically from a financial standpoint.

So although the Lakers may in reality have zero intention to move Williams, if there’s even a peep of a rumor that he could be on the trade block, he’s a target that the Jazz have to go after hard and fast.

Dec 18, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Deron Williams (8) brings the ball up court against the Sacramento Kings during the first quarter at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Deron Williams

This one may very well be met with some mixed emotions from Jazz fans, but in all honesty it’s a scenario that I absolutely love.

Say what you will about Deron Williams and how he mishandled things at the end of his time in Utah, but the former Jazzman continues to play well for his Mavericks team by putting up 13.7 points and 7.1 assists per game. He’s still solid at finishing around the basket and while he’s not necessarily a sharpshooter, he still poses enough of a threat from deep and mid-range to demand the defense’s attention.

And while I wouldn’t necessarily want him as Utah’s starting point guard at this point of his career, he would make an exceptional backup. He’s excellent at running an offense, a great passer and would bring a great amount of veteran and playoff experience to the second unit and the team as a whole.

Despite an ugly departure from Utah, he has expressed regret for how things were handled and later recognized what a good fit he was in Jerry Sloan’s system. Though there’s a new coach in town, Williams would likely still fit in with Utah’s style of play and would help execute the bench’s offense very well.

He and his family still have ties to Utah and almost in a way of redeeming for past mistakes, I could see Deron being excited to come back to the Jazz, who are a playoff team once again, and right his wrongs by helping this team take a step up to the next level. He would most certainly be an upgrade over any of Utah’s current backups and could even fill in with the starters when George Hill has an off night.

There is the question about whether Deron Williams would willingly embrace a bench role, but given that he is 32 years old and clearly in the back end of his career, I could see him taking an approach similar to his former Brooklyn Nets teammate Joe Johnson and being willing to utilize his skills at his age in a way that will most benefit a sturdy playoff-caliber team.

Whether the Mavs would be willing to move Williams or not remains to be seen, but given the horribly disappointing season they’ve had so far this year, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them look to make changes quite soon. And a veteran like Williams who simply can’t be the long-term answer for them at the point guard position should be one of the key guys they consider moving.

If such ended up being the case and Utah made a move to acquire him, I’m not sure how Jazz fans would react initially as there are very mixed opinions about the the 12th-year pro among the Utah faithful. However, if he comes in with the right attitude and accepts a Sixth Man type role, his passing and playmaking ability could very well be the final piece that helps transform this bench into the dominant force we had hoped it would be during the preseason.

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So while not all of the aforementioned point guards may necessarily become available or end up as realistic options, they all have the potential to fit very well and need to be on the Jazz’s radar. Personally, when considering every factor including fit and likelihood of the player’s team dealing them, my two favorite options would have to be Darren Collison and Deron Williams.

I think either one would bring in a great offensive punch while allowing the Jazz to have more consistency and reliability with George Hill on the bench. Both have the potential of being great fits with Utah’s reserves and their current teams both find themselves in situations where they could quite easily be enticed to move them.

Regardless of what happens though, the bottom line is that Utah needs to add a more reliable backup point guard if they hope to pose any kind of serious threat come playoff time. Whether that move involves any of the players I mentioned or not, I simply hope that the Jazz will be aggressive and look to fill that void prior to the February 23rd trade deadline.

All stats courtesy of NBA.com

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