The Utah Jazz have been in flux since the Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell trades. Last season, finally, it felt like the Jazz understood how important it is to find talent in the draft to succeed in a rebuild.
After a difficult season of losing compounded by a lottery night loss, Ryan Smith made a big change and hired Austin Ainge to lead the next phase of the team. Ironically, the tanking still worked because of Omar Cooper’s antics, and the Jazz were still able to draft Ace Bailey.
But it now feels like the Jazz are choosing flux again. On opening night, the Jazz dominated the Los Angeles Clippers and looked like they were an early-season surprise story once again. A close loss to the Kings may have cooled things off already, but it certainly looks like the Jazz are looking to win games this year, like Austin Ainge said they would.
I can’t help but think of my favorite quote, typically attributed to Socrates, “Know thyself.”
It can be extrapolated to a longer form, “To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom.” Socrates is trying to teach us that before we can do or learn anything, we must understand who we are. How can I move forward in life if I don’t know who I am or what my purpose is?
When I look at this Jazz team, I’m left asking this question, one that I’ve asked those first two seasons after the Gobert and Mitchell trades. Do they know who they are?
I’m sure the front office is pretty clear on who their players are, but is everyone clear on that? Is ownership? Why do I ask this question? Probably the biggest reason is the starting lineup. There’s a reasonable argument for each player starting except for one, Svi Mykhailiuk. Watching these last two games, I’ve had a hard time understanding why Mykhailiuk is starting. The Jazz have said they’re giving Ace Bailey a minute restriction for sickness, even though Bailey himself said it wasn’t the reason.
It’s also clear that the Utah Jazz are not being completely honest with the reasons Ace Bailey isn’t starting or why he’s on a minute restriction. Has a minute restriction ever gone on this long for having the flu? More likely, it may be more related to the tendonitis we’ve heard about.
Regardless, why wouldn’t the Jazz be more clear? Why the weird runaround? Are they worried that Bailey has something wrong with his knees? Do they feel like Mykhailiuk gives them a better chance to win? Are they showcasing Mykhailiuk? Is there too much redundancy with Bailey and Markkanen? The answer may be some blend of all those questions, and maybe more. But the question this does leave me with is this one:
Do the Jazz know who they are?
Playing Mykhailiuk over Bailey is the type of thing a team trying to win games would do. A team that just tanked and ended with the worst record in the league would seem like a team that would want to give their touted prospect the best chance to develop. You would think they’d want that to happen with the starters or his future teammates to build chemistry. What we’ve seen in the last two games was not that. They were able to blow out a lazy Clippers team but couldn’t beat the Sacramento Kings, a team that would probably make the same lineup decisions, a team that perpetually doesn’t know who they are.
Now, I have to give the Jazz some credit. This may very well be tendonitis and a minute restriction. It’s a tough situation to be in if you’re the Jazz. But even if that were the case, why all the half-truths? And, like I said before, this all has led to a loss to the Kings and an overrated win against the Clippers. It’s not even making a huge difference, rather than the benefits of building up their young prospect.
This may all work itself out very soon if Bailey gets healthy. He likely gets that starting spot, and this is all a bunch of nothing, but this is all coming across as very strange and emotionally driven.
The biggest thing the Jazz have to do this season is to understand who they are. Stop playing lineups like you’re the Oklahoma City Thunder, and put the players out there that will be playing in the future. Also, start playing a style of basketball geared toward the future of your young players. Instead of running a dribble handoff type offense that runs through the center at the top of the three-point line, can we please run a play for Bailey again? Why was that just a preseason thing? Or is he too redundant with Markkanen on the floor? Which brings us back to the same question as before: Do the Jazz know who they are or what they want their roster to be?
Socrates was a great wrestler in his time and a serious fan of sport. If he were around today, he would be a great basketball blogger. But what he would tell the Jazz if he were advising them would be this: Know thyself!
