Jazz clean out lockers, reflect on past season


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SALT LAKE CITY — Locker room cleanout can bring a melancholy atmosphere of emotions.

No one wants a season to end without a championship ring, and no one wants a season to end without at least having a shot at one. For that reason, most non-playoff teams usually are grumbling and somewhat angry about the circumstances.

The Utah Jazz aren’t that team, though. The Jazz finished the season by going 19-9 since the All-Star break, and established themselves as Western Conference playoff berth contenders for next season.

While the season had a series of ebbs and flows, most members of the team agreed the defensive improvement after the All-Star break is what has encouraged so many people.

Jazz coach Quin Snyder said he’s pleased with the team’s overall improvement, sometimes under adverse conditions.

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“The thing that’s most encouraging to me is the perseverance our team found throughout that process,” he said. “Their ability to stay committed to a process that was not giving them the feedback you want; I think the success of the group is going to continue to evolve. Obviously, our expectations are high, but there’s a realism.”

As a rookie coach, the reviews of Snyder’s job have been relatively positive, with fans, media and Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey giving Snyder high marks for his ability to motivate players.

“The group is moving in the right direction,” he said. “I do appreciate how hard the coaches have worked at their job. I appreciate the mindset that we had.”

The Jazz have stars going forward, and the future looks bullish with Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert.

Hayward said the feeling around the team is very positive.


"I think the success of the group is going to continue to evolve. Obviously, our expectations are high, but there's a realism," said Jazz coach Quin Snyder.

“The way we finished this season, winning so many games, it naturally gets you a little more excited,” he said. “Not that it was any different than last year, but it gives you a confidence boost.”

In the low post, Favors established himself as a force for Utah, finishing the season averaging 16 points a game and 8.2 rebounds.

Favors and Gobert have combined to give the Jazz one of the league’s more-formidable frontcourts, and have made driving into the paint a tough prospect for opponents.

Favors said the foundation Snyder set is the reason for Utah’s improvement this season.

“Quin did a good job of coming in and stressing defense,” he said. “It made all of us just buy into wanting to move the ball, and on the defensive end always having each other’s back; just playing as a team. The guys on the team bought into it, and everyone on the team had a chance to have big games.”

With fans, there is a lot of talk about what the ceiling for the Jazz is, and how high they can rise. The Jazz have option with the salary cap flexibility they’ve created, and the path is uncertain right now.

However, the team is focusing on preparing to contend in the near future.

“You always have to deal with the postmortems of not getting in the NBA playoffs,” said Lindsey. “Everybody understands where we sit today, and we really had three or four seasons within a season. Our hopes are, real simply, that’s something we can build on.”

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Jon Oglesby

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