National Basketball Association
Utah Jazz Roster Filled with Depth and Flexibility
National Basketball Association

Utah Jazz Roster Filled with Depth and Flexibility

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 3:12 p.m. ET

The Utah Jazz have the ability to showcase a lot of different lineups this season thanks to their depth and the amount of players who can play multiple positions.

Oct 10, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (32) and Utah Jazz center Boris Diaw (33) battle for the loose ball during the second quarter at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

Many have said the NBA is a copy cat league. After a team wins a championship or has a lot of success, others inevitably try to follow exactly in their footsteps. After LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat, many teams felt they had to build a “super team” of their own in order to stay competitive.

Trading young talent in their rookie deals (exhibit a, exhibit b, exhibit c) to obtain veteran All-Stars has now become a common practice in the league.

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While teams have tanked in the past, the amount of teams tanking to be the next Oklahoma City Thunder has also skyrocketed. The problem is, it’s not exactly easy to draft three future superstars in three consecutive drafts.

And last but not least, there’s the latest trend set by the Golden State Warriors. Not only do you need to spread the court with at least four, if not five guys who can all shoot from downtown, but you need to take those threes at a rate that has never before been seen in NBA history.

Now, it’s not necessarily bad to follow in the footsteps of teams that have had success. Chances are, you’ll have some success as well. However, what’s better than following other teams as they set trends? Making the new trend yourself and forcing the other teams to follow you. And the Utah Jazz may just be on the edge of making a new trend.

The past few years the Jazz have accumulated young players who all meet some specific criteria: they play great defense, they have great length and they can play multiple positions.

In today’s NBA, it’s critical to be able to play a couple different positions. Quin Snyder’s offense requires all of his players to be able to handle the ball, pass, cut, set screens and score. But being positionless comes into play on the defense end as well.

When you’re playing Golden State, Cleveland, or the Houston Rockets, you better have the personnel that allows you to go small to match up with their shooters while still having advantages on your end of the court. And when you play teams like the San Antonio Spurs, Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Clippers, who tend to have two bigs on the court at all times, you have to be able to match up with them as well.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of key players on the Jazz who will be playing multiple positions next season.

Oct 5, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder talks with guard George Hill (3) in the first half of the game against Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Utah Jazz defeated the Phoenix Suns 104-99. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports

Dante Exum/George Hill

I’ve coupled these two together because they are very similar players. Dante Exum and George Hill have been on the court together a lot this preseason, mainly due to both Gordon Hayward and Rodney Hood sitting out a few games with injuries.

So when these two are on the court together, who classifies as the point guard? If you define your point guard as the smallest guy on the court, 6-foot-3 Hill would be the point and 6-foot-6 Exum would be the other guard. But if the Warriors have 6-foot-7 Draymond Green playing power forward and center, while 6-foot-7 Shaun Livingston plays point, I’m not sure size is the defining factor on position.

Both Exum and Hill can bring the ball up the court and set up the offense. They both can play off the ball and hit spot-up threes (assuming the offseason rumors surrounding Dante’s improved jumper are true). And on the defensive side they can guard both positions. You’ll see lineups this year with either Hill or Exum playing point guard with Hood and Hayward on the wings.

And it may be rare, but you could see one of them playing the off-guard with either Shelvin Mack or Raul Neto at the point guard position.

The duo provides a lot of flexibility at the floor general position.

Oct 3, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Utah Jazz forward Derrick Favors (15) drives to the basket against Portland Trail Blazers forward Maurice Harkless (4) and forward Ed Davis (17) during the third quarter at the Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports

Derrick Favors

Last season, Derrick Favors was the starting power forward next to Rudy Gobert. However, he was playing the center position over half the time (54 percent) according to Basketball Reference.

With Trey Lyles and Trevor Booker being the two bigs who saw consistent time on the court, Favors was the only who could defend the opposing centers.

Swap out Booker for Boris Diaw this season, and you’ll likely see Favors as the backup for Gobert. Snyder did an excellent job last season at making sure either Favors or Gobert was on the court at all times.

Unfortunately, there will be times when they could be in foul trouble or both tired after extended minutes together, so what do the Jazz do when they are both on the bench?

Trey Lyles/Boris Diaw

As with Exum and Hill, I have coupled Lyles and Diaw together. Neither are the perfect fit at the center position, but they both played there a little bit last season. Lyles is known as being an excellent stretch four, but he definitely has the height and wingspan to play the five.

The only problem with sliding Lyles down is he isn’t exactly known as a shutdown defender (although he tried to change that narrative in a preseason game against the Phoenix Suns).

What’s exciting about the idea of Diaw playing big is you’d have your best passer at the center position. Diaw would also be slightly limited guarding the opposing teams center. We’d most likely see Lyles or Diaw at the center if the Jazz are going small and trying to spread the court with five three-point shooters à la Golden State.

So unless Snyder goes with Jeff Withey or even Joel Bolomboy, you can expect a couple minutes per night at the five position from either Lyles or Diaw.

Apr 11, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz guard Alec Burks (10) dribbles the ball in front of Dallas Mavericks guard Raymond Felton (2) during the second half at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Dallas won 101-92. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

Alec Burks

It seems like it was an eternity ago that Jazz fans were yearning for the “triple wing” lineup with Alec Burks bringing up the basketball. Burks’ size gave the Jazz the ability to create mismatches on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball against opposing point guards.

Of course, Burks earned those minutes at the point guard position mainly due to the lack of production they were getting from the other point guards on the roster. That won’t be the case this season.

With four quality point guards on the roster this year, there is a slim chance Burks gets in at that position. One scenario where we could see Burks at the point is if the other guards are struggling with their shots and the Jazz need scoring from the position. He does have the skill set to slide over if there is an injury or guards with foul trouble.

If the Jazz decide to go really small, he could also move over and play the small forward position depending on his match-up. And with Burks slipping in the rotation, Snyder may have to throw him in at a couple different positions just to get him the playing time that he deserves.

Oct 10, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Utah Jazz forward Joe Johnson (6) attempts a shot defended by Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) during the third quarter at Staples Center. The Utah Jazz won 96-94. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

Joe Johnson

Perhaps the most intriguing player on the Jazz this season is the seven-time All-Star they added in free agency. Joe Johnson was at his best when he was in Atlanta where he almost exclusively played the shooting guard position. Once he was traded to the Brooklyn Nets, he began to spend a lot more time at the small forward position.

Last season, Johnson spent time in Brooklyn as well as with the Miami Heat at both the small and power forward positions.

At 6-foot-7 and 240 pounds, Johnson has a bigger body that can compete against smaller fours. Expect to see the Jazz use Johnson at the power forward position against stretch fours and teams who like to play “small ball”.

However, With Johnson taking over the sixth man role for the Jazz, it’s possible the first substitution of the game could be Johnson for Hood, which would put him at the off-guard slot.

With the flexibility to play two positions other than the one he will log the majority of minutes at, Johnson will be the X Factor all season long for the Jazz.

Feb 9, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward (20) and forward Trey Lyles (41) celebrate in front of Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) during the game at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Conclusion

In addition to the aforementioned seven players, Mack, Chris Johnson and Joe Ingles have played over 30 percent of their minutes at secondary positions throughout their careers according to Basketball Reference.

Not to mention Hood and Hayward, who haven’t had to play a ton of minutes out of position, but they are certainly capable of doing it. Hayward in particular may see some stretch four minutes this season once he returns from injury.

With the Jazz having so many players who can play wherever they are asked, we will see a lot of different lineups this season. Coach Snyder will have a lot of work to do figuring out what players will have chemistry playing together and seeing what lineups are productive on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court.

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    With the league in copy cat mode trying to follow successful teams, schemes and strategies, the Jazz have gone the opposite way by assembling a team designed to neutralize any advantages their opponents may have.

    On the defensive end they can go small and protect the perimeter or go big and protect the rim. The depth will also give opponents various different match-ups throughout the game. And of course, the offense will benefit as well as they can go with lineups that are tailored for outside shooting, low post play, and penetration and slashing.

    What lineups are you most excited to see on the court this season? Let us know in the comments.

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