Jazz HC & CEO Sound Off on Need to Improve Defensively

The Utah Jazz were a bad defensive team in 2022-23.

Moving forward, the Utah Jazz will be searching for answers in needed areas of improvement in order to get back into the playoff conversation. At the top of the list will be focusing on ways to get better defensively.

This season, Utah became only the fifth team in NBA history to give up at least 100 points in every game. Statistically, Utah ranked 23rd in the league in defensive rating (number of points allowed per 100 possessions by a team.) 

It’s a statistic where the bottom five teams in the league all found their way to the lottery. Utah’s head coach Will Hardy took note in his postseason press conference.

“Obviously, defensively we need to get better,” Hardy said. “I think we made a jump defensively after the trade deadline. But that’s going to be a huge area of focus in this offseason going into next year, is putting a group of guys in a better position to play better team defense.”

Jazz CEO Danny Ainge reiterated Hardy’s thoughts in his press conference.

“But like Will said in his press conference… defense,” Ainge said. “We need to get better defensively.”

Taking a look at the current roster, the Jazz have some nice building blocks where defense is a strong suit. Rookie of the Year candidate Walker Kessler led Utah in defensive rating at 110.8. 

The former SEC Defensive Player of the Year was a force in the paint for the Jazz and an elite rim protector, swatting 2.3 shots a game. Kris Dunn is another player that can disrupt the flow of an opponent's half-court sets. Dunn’s a two-time former Big East Defensive Player of the Year who was recently selected to the 2022-23 NBA G League All-Defensive team.

Utah's struggles were largely due to a lack of size and length at both guard positions. Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton are elite shot makers that specialize in creating their own offense. But what they giveth on the offensive side, they taketh away defensively. 

The pair posted a dismal 120.3 defensive rating in 2022-23 and show no signs of getting better. Jazz fans can expect an attempt to get bigger and longer at the starting one and two positions heading into next year.

Talen Horton-Tucker has the metrics the front office wants, but will Utah go through a year of growing pains with 'THT' getting starter minutes? Dunn has NBA experience in running a half-court offense, but at 29 years old, is there room to grow?

Also, first-year player Ochai Agbaji would give the Jazz more length and athleticism starting at the two. The 2022 lottery pick developed rapidly during the course of the year which should translate to a bigger role next season.

The player Utah drafts with its first pick could speak volumes about how confident the front office is in its current options at the guard positions. If Utah selects at the No. 9 spot in the NBA draft, there will be some nice guard prospects available.  Anthony Black and Cason Wallace are a couple of players to keep an eye on if the Jazz intend to develop a starter through the draft.

Then there’s acquiring an established veteran via trade or free agency. Ainge has the resources to trade and cap space to acquire a free agent if an opportunity were to present itself.

Either way, there are only two players — Kessler and Lauri Markkanen — who are cemented as starters next year. With three spots up for grabs, it will be interesting to see which path Utah takes.

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