The Utah Jazz are looking down on a recent NBA trend


3 photos
Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

SALT LAKE CITY — With the 12th pick in the 2015 NBA draft, the Utah Jazz selected Trey Lyles, a 6-foot-10 big man out of Kentucky. In that sentence, a couple of things can be understood as popular NBA trends. First and foremost, the Jazz drafted a player out of Kentucky, something three other teams did in the lottery, as Karl Anthony-Towns, Willie Cauley-Stein and Devin Booker all heard their names called from the Wildcats' Final Four team in the draft’s first 14 picks.

Another common trend in the lottery was selecting a big man, of which the Jazz were one of seven teams that drafted either a power forward or center. But that run on frontcourt players doesn’t necessarily reflect a recent change in the NBA, and that’s the desire of teams to be able to play with a smaller, more-athletic lineup.

The recent fad has been at the NBA’s forefront with the Golden State Warriors winning the Finals over the Cleveland Cavaliers by substituting former University of Utah star Andrew Bogut, a true 7-footer, for the 6-foot-6 Draymond Green. Green’s versatility to defend down low and spread the floor offensively with shooting and athleticism eliminated the Cavaliers' size advantage with Timofey Mozgov down low, and ultimately won them the series.

In a study conducted in 2014, sportchart.wordpress.com found the height of the average NBA center was 6-foot-11, a full five inches taller than Green on the Warriors' run to the championship. While the Warriors played Green at center, they often had either Finals MVP Andrew Iguodala, who also stands 6-foot-6, or Harrison Barnes, who stands 6-foot-8, playing power forward. According to the same study, the average NBA power forward was 6-foot-9, making both Iguodala and Barnes small for their position.

After drafting Lyles with the 12th overall pick, it’s looking like the Jazz didn’t get the small ball message.

At 6-foot-10, Lyles is an inch oversized for his position in the NBA, and he’s not alone on the Jazz roster. Fellow power forward Derrick Favors also has superior size for his position, standing 6-foot-10 as well.

The Jazz size discrepancy compared to the rest of the NBA doesn’t stop there.

Tom Smart/Deseret News

At 6-foot-8, Rodney Hood towers above the average 6-foot-5 NBA shooting guard, while fellow rookie Dante Exum sports a 4-inch height advantage over the average 6-foot-2 point guard. While those two look down on opposing backcourt lineups, Rudy Gobert has a 3-inch height advantage on the average 6-foot-11 NBA center. The Deseret News’ Jody Gennessey has reported that the Jazz have been in contact with 7-foot-2 center Tibor Pleiss, potentially adding to the Jazz size advantage in 2015.

Of the players expected back from the Jazz 2014-15 roster, only Trey Burke, Bryce Cotton and Trevor Booker are undersized compared to the NBA average, and it should be no surprise that Booker and Burke are the names most often floated in trade rumors associated with the Jazz.

The Jazz superior height likely indicates a desire to run a halfcourt based system that benefits the Jazz pace, the slowest in the NBA last season, and ability to force bad shots defensively by limiting transition opportunities.

Building a team with superior height is a risky move for the Jazz as the NBA moves further and further out to the perimeter, with offenses starting to work from the 3-point line in, as opposed to looking for shots in the paint, and taking long jump shots as a last resort. If the Jazz aren’t able to defend the 3-point line, or make threes of their own, they could find themselves struggling to keep up with the NBA’s latest trend on both sides of the floor.

On the other hand, it could be a huge benefit for the Jazz if their talent level matches up to the enormous size. With Hayward, Favors and Gobert beginning to realize their potential, and Exum and Hood preparing for sophomore seasons after promising NBA debuts, the Jazz could have a truly unique combination of size and talent in a league obsessed with smaller players.


![](http://img.ksl.com/slc/2556/255612/25561254\.jpg?filter=ksl/65x65)
About the Author: Ben Anderson ------------------------------

Ben Anderson is the co-host of Gunther in the Afternoon with Kyle Gunther on 1320 KFAN from 3-7, Monday through Friday. Read Ben's Utah Jazz blog at 1320kfan.com, and follow him on Twitter @BenKFAN.

Photos

Related links

Related stories

Most recent Sports stories

Related topics

SportsUtah Jazz

ARE YOU GAME?

From first downs to buzzer beaters, get KSL.com’s top sports stories delivered to your inbox weekly.
By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

KSL Weather Forecast