This article is part of our NBA Team Previews series.
STATE OF THE FRANCHISE
The Jazz are entering Year 2 of their rebuilding process after they unloaded a roster that once had Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson. Former coach Ty Corbin only made it through the first year of the process and will give way to new coach Quin Snyder in 2014-15. The young nucleus of Trey Burke, Alec Burks, Gordon Hayward, Enes Kanter, and Derrick Favors expanded after the 2014 NBA Draft with the additions of Dante Exum and Rodney Hood. There's a lot of interesting young talent on this roster, but they're still a few years away from being considered a challenger in the Western Conference.
PLAYING TIME DISTRIBUTION
The backcourt will almost exclusively be occupied by the trio of Trey Burke, Alec Burks, and Dante Exum this season. With Burks lining up to be the starting shooting guard, the real battle for playing time this season will be between second-year player Burke and Australian rookie Exum. At small forward, Gordon Hayward will get all the minutes he can handle and pass along the rest to rookie Rodney Hood. Bit players like new addition Steve Novak and long-time Jazz member Jeremy Evans may have minimal roles off the bench in reprieve of the small forwards above. The duo of Enes Kanter and Derrick Favors will try to resurrect the failed attempt last season of starting together in the frontcourt. Former Wizard Trevor Booker will carve out a significant amount of playing time off the bench in relief of Kanter and Favors while Rudy Gobert may take some people by surprise with his rim-protecting efforts as a reserve player at center.
PLAYER OUTLOOKS
Centers
Derrick Favors:Derrick Favors is entering his fifth season in the NBA. The pride of Georgia Tech is coming off his best season in the league, as he averaged 13.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.0 steal, and 1.5 blocks in 30 minutes per game last season. Despite dealing with some hip issues, the 23-year-old played and started in 73 games last season as one of Utah's most influential players. With the addition of new head coach Quin Snyder, Favors will likely start at center alongside Enes Kanter at power forward, although Favors will see time playing both positions. The early reports at the philosophy Snyder will have on offense is to surround these two big men with shooters, which may allow Favors to improve on his 1.2 assists per game from last season. On the other end of the court, Favors will remain as the defensive backbone for the Jazz and will have many opportunities to showcase his shot-blocking ability. Since moving into a starting role last season following the departures of Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap in the 2013 offseason, Favors shot an impressive 52 percent from the field. However, he proved to be somewhat of a liability at the free-throw line by finishing the season at 67 percent.
Rudy Gobert: Gobert (pronounced: Go Bear) is entering his sophomore season in the NBA. In his rookie season, the Frenchman only played 10 minutes per game through 45 games. As a result, he finished with averages of 2.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 0.2 assists, 0.2 steals, and 0.9 blocks. Gobert seemed to be out of favor with head coach Ty Corbin last season and stands to benefit from the change to new skipper Quin Snyder. Gobert possesses raw athletic ability coming in at 7-2, although, the 22-year-old still needs some polishing before he's a staple in Utah's rotation. Last season, he spent some time in the D-League and blew away the competition, but transitioning his production to the NBA remains a considerable hurdle for Gobert. A sign of a bright future are his per-36 numbers, which came in at 8.6 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks last season. With his ability to defend the rim, it may be hard for Snyder not to give him a shot at playing big minutes at some point this season.
Forwards
Gordon Hayward: Hayward is entering his fifth season in the NBA after finalizing a max deal worth $63 million in the offseason. While the price tag for regaining his services was high, the Butler alum contributed across the board last season by averaging 16.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.4 steals, 0.5 blocks, and 1.1 three-pointers in 36 minutes per game. He played mostly at shooting guard last season but will likely shift down to his more natural fit as a small forward under the direction of new head coach Quin Snyder. Despite being a workhorse for the Jazz, the 24-year-old managed to stay relatively healthy as he played and started in 77 games for a disappointing Jazz squad. Hayward has proven throughout his career that he can contribute in all facets of the game, but he struggled mightily with his shot last season. In fact, his average from the field has decreased over his four years in the league, culminating in a lowly 41-percent shooting from the field in 2013-14. Regardless of his shooting woes, Hayward will be the featured offensive weapon for the Jazz this upcoming season as they look to rebuild with him as the face of their franchise.
Enes Kanter: Kanter is entering his fourth season in the NBA after a disappointing 2013-14 season. By all statistical measures, it was the best season of Kanter's career (12.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.4 steals, 0.5 blocks in 27 minutes per game), but he was demoted to the bench midway through the season after beginning the year as a starter. However, new head coach Quin Snyder plans to move him back into the starting power forward slot this upcoming season. Kanter will play alongside Derrick Favors in the frontcourt. When given enough time on the court, the 22-year-old has proven to be a double-double threat, which was exemplified by the fact that he reached that benchmark 24 times last season. Despite remaining relatively healthy throughout his third year in the league, Kanter has been dealing with a knee injury in the offseason that caused him to pull out of the FIBA World Cup for Team Turkey. He's had the entire summer to rest and seems poised for a redemptive 2014-15 season.
Trevor Booker: Booker agreed on a two-year deal with Utah in the offseason and will now spend his fifth season in the NBA under the direction of new head coach Quin Snyder. With the Wizards last season, the 26-year-old averaged 6.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.6 blocks in 22 minutes per game. The Clemson product managed to start 45 of the 72 games that he played in for the Wizards but will likely provide relief off the bench in Utah for the likes of Enes Kanter and Derrick Favors. Booker isn't necessarily known for his offensive abilities and is consequentially more regarded for his efforts on the defensive side of the ball. Despite his inconsistencies on offense, Booker showed great shot selection as he finished the year shooting 55 percent from the field. However, he'll likely be a role player off the bench who is firmly in the rotation, while always giving way to Kanter and Favors when they're ready to get back on the court.
Rodney Hood: Hood was drafted by the Jazz with the 23rd-overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. After averaging 16.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 2.0 three-pointers in 33 minutes per game as a sophomore for Duke last season, Hood showed his ability to contribute to an NBA rotation right away with an impressive Las Vegas Summer League. His summer league was highlighted by a 29-point performance where he was able to connect on seven three-pointers. Hood's stellar performance this summer seemed to solidify his spot as the second option at small forward behind Gordon Hayward. Hayward was a workhorse for the Jazz last season, but Hood still stands a chance to be given significant time on the court with his ability to catch fire from long range. When Hood first joined the Jazz in the offseason, he showed hesitancy shooting the ball to the point where new head coach Quin Snyder directly challenged him to be more aggressive. Rookie hiccups are to be expected, but Hood will be best if he's an aggressive scorer, since it's what Utah lacked in last season.
Steve Novak: Novak was traded to the Jazz in the offseason and will spend his ninth year in the league as a three-point shooting role player in Utah. He was a member of the Raptors' playoff squad last season but was only utilized in 54 games. While merely given 10 minutes per game last season, the Marquette product averaged just 3.3 points, 1.1 rebounds, 0.2 assists, 0.2 steals, 0.1 blocks, and 1.0 three-pointer while playing both small forward and power forward. Unfortunately for the 30-year-old, things don't look much brighter in Utah with Gordon Hayward and rookie Rodney Hood at small forward and Enes Kanter and Trevor Booker at power forward. Novak's most important role with the team may ultimately be mentoring Hood, who proved to be a major threat from beyond the arc in the Las Vegas Summer League. Considering that Novak's only asset on the court is shooting threes, he may be in for a long season of mentorship.
Jeremy Evans: Evans is entering his fifth season in the NBA and will provide depth off Utah's bench. He played in a career-high 66 games last season while averaging 6.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.7 blocks in 18 minutes per game. It was easily the best statistical season of his career, but the former slam dunk champion may have trouble matching it in 2014-15 with Utah's offseason acquisitions of rookie Rodney Hood and veteran Steve Novak. The 26-year-old was an established contributor in the rotation last season but now may have trouble seeing time on the court under the direction of new head coach Quin Snyder. Considering that the Jazz had such a poor season in 2013-14, Evans was able to corral more minutes on the court than he probably should have.
Guards
Trey Burke: Burke is entering his second season in the NBA. He missed the first twelve games of his rookie season with a broken index finger on his shooting hand, but the 21-year-old was able to play in the remaining 70 games while averaging 12.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 0.6 steals, and 1.6 three-pointers in 32 minutes per game. He proved to be one of the more productive rookies last season despite shooting a lowly 38 percent from the field. Burke was the undisputed starting point guard shortly after returning from injury, coming off the bench for only two games before usurping John Lucas, but he'll have more vaunted competition for the starting job nipping at his heels this season. Despite already having Burke on the roster, the Jazz drafted Dante Exum from Australia with the fifth-overall draft pick in the 2014 NBA Draft this summer. New coach Quin Snyder could shock the world and opt to start Exum over Burke at point guard, but Burke seems to have the advantage on the starting job with 68 NBA starts under his belt and two years of collegiate experience, including leading his team to the 2013 NCAA championship game. Burke spent the offseason working on his long-range shooting, his ability to finish at the rim, and his defensive awareness.
Dante Exum: Exum was drafted by the Jazz with the fifth-overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. The 6-5, 190 pound guard is considered one of the more athletic rookies to enter into the league this year, and the expectations for him are sky high despite most of his experience only coming in international competition with Team Australia. In the 2014 Las Vegas Summer League, he averaged 7.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.4 steals, 0.2 blocks, and 0.6 three-pointers in 27 minutes per game through five games. With new first-year head coach Quin Snyder taking over the Jazz, Exum's role is somewhat cloudy due to Snyder being an unknown commodity as a coach. The general consensus is that Exum will play a lot of minutes backing up both guard spots with Trey Burke and Alec Burks tabbed as the starters at point guard and shooting guard. Exum is expected to be groomed more as a point guard than as shooting guard, but considering the team drafted Burke to be their point guard of the future last season, there's a bit of confusion about how Exum's development will be handled. In the meantime, the Jazz organization has openly said that they plan on using him at both guard spots for the 2014-15 season. Exum's potential is tantalizing, but at 19 years old, he may need a season or two to come into his own in the NBA. He might get enough minutes to be of use in standard leagues, but it's important to temper expectations for how much he is going to contribute in fantasy as a rookie. Unless Burke or Burks suffers an injury, Exum might not get enough possessions to be worth owning in all standard leagues, and using him in rotisserie leagues comes with risk considering his lack of a polished jump shot.
Alec Burks: Burks will enter the 2014-15 season as one of Utah's main offensive weapons. In easily the most productive season of his three-year career, the 23-year-old averaged 14.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.2 blocks, and 0.6 three-pointers in 28 minutes per game last season. He started 12 of 78 games last season but mostly provided the Jazz with a spark off the bench via his ability to provide instant offense. The Colorado product was able to reach the 30-point benchmark twice last season despite serving as Utah's sixth man. Moving into the 2014-15 season, Burks has the inside track of being the team's starting shooting guard under new head coach Quin Snyder. However, the Jazz acquired Dante Exum in the 2014 NBA Draft, who stands to be featured at both point guard and shooting guard this year. With the addition of Exum, Burks may have to concede playing time and offensive touches by the end of the season. However, it seems like the starting shooting guard job is Burks' to lose, especially when considering that he went on a streak of 26-straight games where he scored at least 10 points per game at the end of last season.
Ian Clark: Clark will enter the 2014-15 season buried on the depth chart at point guard behind Trey Burke, Dante Exum, and Alec Burks. Even though the Jazz allowed Clark's sophomore contract to become guaranteed in the offseason, he'll face an uphill battle improving his averages from his rookie season (3.0 points, 0.8 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.3 steals, and 0.5 three-pointers in eight minutes per game). He played in 23 games last season while also serving multiple stints in the D-League. New coach Quin Snyder will likely spend the season encouraging the 23-year-old to improve his shot quality, considering that Clark only connected on 39 percent of his shots from the field and just 71 percent from the charity stripe last season.
SLEEPER
Alec Burks: Burks didn't receive much attention last season despite being one of the better sixth man options around the league. This is attributed to the fact that the Jazz struggled all season, but Burks was one of the bright spots in an otherwise disappointing rebuilding year. He's the likely candidate to start at shooting guard and will be able to put his aggressive style of play at the forefront of Utah's offensive game plan this year.
BUST
Trey Burke: Burke had a decent rookie campaign but there's a major roadblock prohibiting the former Wolverine from taking that next step; Dante Exum. Even if Burke does improve his game, he'll be splitting time in the backcourt with the Australian product regardless. The 21-year-old struggled shooting the ball last season and finished the year connecting on only 38 percent from the field. Last year, there weren't any capable point guards behind Burke, but if he struggles at any point this season, Exum will be ready to assume a spot at the top of the depth chart.
