The Triple Team: Three thoughts on Utah Jazz vs. Philadelphia Sixers


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SALT LAKE CITY — Welcome to the Triple Team! After every game, I'll break down three topics from that night's game, flush with stats, highlights, quotes and more. Let's get started.

1. Jazz rescue their poor shooting by forcing turnovers

The Jazz did not shoot well in this game: only 36.5 percent from the field, and it was only 33.8 percentat the end of regulation before they made all three shots in overtime to put the game away. Up and down the roster, everyone was struggling with their shot, with the exception of JuJuan Johnson, who was 4-4 for the game with 12 points. The Jazz wouldn't have won it without him.

In the end, though, they were able to stay in the game through the Sixers' turnovers. Some of this was the result of good defense: The Jazz stole the ball 13 times. But the Sixers also just repeatedly shot themselves in the foot, with offensive goal-tending for grabbing the net, passing the ball out of bounds, getting 24-second shot clock turnovers and stepping out of bounds multiple times. When you shoot yourself 26 times overall, ultimately, you're going to bleed out.

That's what happened to the Sixers. They had two turnovers in the last minute of the game that allowed the Jazz a chance to make up a four-point deficit and ultimately even have a chance to win in regulation. Given a second chance, they made their shots in overtime, especially Bryce Cotton, who finished with eight OT points.

2. Trey Lyles makes his debut

Lyles played well, though his jump shot misses meant a rough-looking 3-9 shooting line. But he worked well to get those shots to be relatively open ones, displaying some nice jab-steps and dribble pull-ups for a big man his size.

He also fit on the team well, even running some 4/5 pick and roll that confounded the Sixers a little bit.

When asked about how Lyles performed in the pick and roll, Jazz Summer League coach Alex Jensen answered, "He did good. It looked like he has done it before. It was one thing that we noticed when he came: He was good and comfortable handling the ball. His eyes were up and he is a good passer."

That's a unique skill set for a player of Lyles' size to have. While the one rebound was disappointing, Quin Snyder's system demands players who can fit in and move the ball quickly, finding the right option right away. It looks like Lyles may be one of the only rookies who will be able to do that the moment he steps into an NBA game.

3. Who makes the roster?

With Raul Neto's signing now official, the Jazz now have an overabundance of players: 16 official players on the roster, plus the rights to Tibor Pleiss and Olivier Hanlan. They have to start the season with 15 players at maximum.

So who goes? Ultimately, I think Grant Jerrett is the first man out. While he does have a guaranteed contract for the minimum, he has shown nothing that makes him an NBA player. The Jazz have enough money to buy him out in order to give a spot to someone else, and I suspect they will.

Then you have to look at the point guard position. Right now, they have four point guards under contract, and the rights to a fifth in Olivier Hanlan. Five point guards is pretty untenable, and Hanlan hasn't exactly shown that he has the ability right now to make it from his play in the summer league. He finished with just six points total in three games on 2-12 shooting and picked up exactly zero assists in 52 minutes of play. That's not ideal for a point guard. Many second-round picks don't make a roster, and so letting go of Hanlan so soon isn't necessarily a bad idea.

Even with those two players gone, you still have to choose one more player to cut, if the Jazz are going to sign Tibor Pleiss as expected. Elijah Millsap seems to have the safest spot of the non-guaranteed guys. It speaks volumes that he isn't playing in the Summer League.

Bryce Cotton is less than a year older than Hanlan, and has shown much more ability in the NBA and at summer league. But with three other point guards on the roster, it's hard to see time opening up for him, unless Trey Burke were to be traded. On the other hand, he's been fantastic and he might be a good enough prospect to be worth hanging on to.

Jack Cooley has a legitimate NBA skill in his rebounding, but can't protect the rim at all, even at this level, and still makes poor defensive plays beyond that. He also can't really finish around the rim offensively and picks up too many fouls. Do you overlook the weaknesses to guarantee yourself the NBA strength? Maybe.

Chris Johnson is a hard decision to call. Because while he's not flashy, he might have the best chance on the roster to become a real rotation player, if he becomes a good 3-point shooter. He was 4-9 during this summer league and mentioned often how hard he's been working on that part of his game. He knows it's his ticket to the NBA.

The Jazz have found themselves fine players with their overwhelming due diligence at the deep end of the player pool. But as a result, they've given themselves some hard choices to make, too.

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Andy Larsen

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