Jazz fall to below .500 with its second straight loss
Just a few days after Lauri Markkanen’s career game that led the Utah Jazz to an overtime win, the Phoenix Suns avenged that loss on their home court
during the Jazz’s debut in this season’s NBA Emirates Cup West A action.
For this exercise, we’ll just assess the performance of those who played above 10 minutes. So yes, Kyle Filipowski will have his grade for this game.
Lauri Markkanen – A
The Finnisher poured 22 of his 34 points in the second half on (8/13) 61.5% shooting. However, Utah had to dig themselves into a deep hole with a lead as high as 24 points that negated Markkanen’s scoring barrage. Yet for hopeful Jazz fans, the one-time All Star numbers of 33.8 points per game on an extremely efficient 66.2 TS% has been a treat.
Keyonte George – B+
It wasn’t an explosive scoring night for the Jazz’s starting point guard, but his impact showed in how many areas he influenced the game. George finished with 17 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists, but what stood out most was his 9-of-11 shooting from the line – a testament to his growing aggressiveness. That mindset has been evident early on, with George averaging 8.5 free throw attempts per game through his first four outings.
Walker Kessler – C-
After four solid outings to start the season, this was easily Kessler’s worst performance. In 28.3 minutes, he managed only five field goal attempts – all in the paint – and converted just two. While he still pulled down 13 rebounds, that wasn’t enough to offset his offensive struggles.
Kyle Anderson – B-
One thing about Anderson is he always makes the right play, even if it doesn’t scream in the box score. He had eight points, three rebounds, and three assists, but his role as a handoff hub fits well with the Jazz’s movement-based offense that could earn him more minutes moving forward.
Svi Mykhailiuk – D-
Just like Kessler, this was Mykhailiuk’s roughest outing of the season, finishing scoreless. After shooting 47.1% from three coming in, he went cold against the Suns, missing all five of his attempts from deep. Simply put, for him to keep his starting role – he must nail his job.
Ace Bailey – C
The rookie growing pains continue for Bailey, who managed just six points on 25% shooting from the field. The lone bright spot was his eight rebounds, but the scoring touch he showed in the preseason has yet to resurface. The good thing for him is still has 77 more games to develop this season.
Jusuf Nurkic – C-
One of the biggest factors in the loss was turnovers, as the Jazz coughed up 21 compared to the Suns’ nine. Nurkić was responsible for five of those in just 17 minutes, committing several offensive fouls and errant passes that fueled Phoenix’s transition game – overshadowing his seven points and six rebounds.
Cody Williams – B-
If there was a bright spot in Williams’ limited minutes, it was his two made threes on four attempts. The sophomore is still struggling to carve out a consistent role, but hitting open shots will be key for him to stay in the rotation.
Elijah Harkless – B
In just his second game of the season, Harkless showcased his defensive grit, taking on the challenge of guarding Devin Booker and the Suns’ perimeter threats. He finished with five points and a neutral plus-minus in a blowout loss in 12 minutes, contributing through the kind of intangibles that don’t always show up on the stat sheet.
Kyle Filipowski – D
It was an odd night for Filipowski, who started but played only 10 minutes, finishing with two points, two rebounds, and two turnovers while posting a -10 plus-minus. He was essentially a non-factor during his stint on the floor.
