The Year of the Climb: A Look Back At The 2016–17 Utah Jazz Season
The Utah Jazz had their best season in the last decade and will have a lot of decisions to make this offseason.
Three years ago, the Jazz were coming off a 25-win season. They ended the season losing 16 of their last 19 games. The organization saw the lowest season attendance numbers in over 20 years. Things were bleak, and the direction of the franchise remained hazy and unclear.
From that moment, the Jazz started to climb. They hired Quin Snyder, a young coach who had seen success in the NBA D-League, Europe and the NCAA. They turned toward the future and handed the keys of the franchise over to a young Gordon Hayward, who had shown signs of promise starting in 77 games the prior year and led their team in scoring.
They won 38 games the next year, and 40 the year after that, missing the playoffs by two games. And then came the year of the climb.
Coming into the 2016–17 season, expectations were high for the Utah Jazz. Gordon Hayward and Rudy Gobert were coming off career years, and still showed plenty of untapped potential. The franchise’s front office, led by Dennis Lindsey, made some solid acquisitions, bringing in Joe Johnson, George Hill and Boris Diaw; all of whom had extensive playoff experience. The Jazz were predicted by many to have a successful season, as seen with their over/under win prediction of 47.5 in Las Vegas. With these lofty expectations in hand, the Jazz set out on the season with high hopes.
Overcoming Injuries
Starting with the first game of the season, the Jazz were forced to play without key pieces. Gordon Hayward missed some early games with a broken finger, and the Jazz managed to go 3–3 in his absence during that time. This was just the start of injury issues for the Jazz. They would go on to have a total of 97 games missed by potential starters, including 33 by George Hill and 32 by Derrick Favors.
These injuries fronted the Jazz with some tough adversity, forcing them to rely on their depth and other role players to step up where needed. Lineup changes, D-League call-ups and other personnel changes were required to keep the Jazz train chugging along, and they were able to maintain their success despite these injuries to key individuals.
These injuries and missed games may have been a blessing in disguise, bringing out the blossoms in other Jazz role players. Joe Ingles was one of these players who stepped up and made huge contributions to the Jazz this season, whether it meant in the starting lineup, or coming off the bench. Ingles shot a scorching 44 percent from behind the arc, giving the Jazz an added dimension of play with his spot-up shooting ability. Ingles’ defense also helped the Jazz this season, as he led the team in steals and posted a positive defensive box plus-minus.
Gordon Hayward Becoming an All-Star
One of the biggest highlights of this season was the All-Star selection of Gordon Hayward. Hayward caught the eye of the public with his strong scoring numbers (22 points per game), high-flying dunks, and was an integral part of Utah’s success.
The Jazz had not sent a player to the All-Star Game since Deron Williams in 2011, and were proud to send Hayward to have him represent the Jazz in New Orleans. Hayward explained in his personal blog that it was one of his goals to be recognized as an All-Star, and he was happy to represent the Jazz in the bright lights.
To be recognized as an All-Star is an incredible feeling. It’s rewarding. It was definitely one of my goals going into the summer. I think I’ve taken a step forward this season, and it’s because I have improved upon a lot of the little things in my game. It’s an honor just to be able to say that and to say it as a member of the Utah Jazz, for this franchise and this city.
Hayward represented the Jazz well, scoring eight points on a couple of dunks. He also was the runner-up in the Skills Challenge to the New York Knicks’ Kristaps Porzingis.
Hayward’s play also landed him right in the middle of All-NBA conversations, which would be a huge accomplishment and a factor in Utah’s chances of re-signing him due to the “super-max” eligibility clause in the CBA. Hayward is well-deserving of All-Star and All-NBA recognition, after a great season and strong post-season performance.
The Emergence of Rudy Gobert
When the Jazz inked Gobert to his four-year, $102 million deal last Fall, there was some speculation as to whether the Frenchman was worthy of such a contract. Those who followed Gobert and the Jazz closely over the years had seen how much he had developed and knew he was indeed worthy of that money. The rest of the NBA learned this as well, after Gobert’s historic performance this season.
Gobert became the 12th player in NBA history to have a season with 1,000+ points, 1,000+ rebounds and 200+ blocks, joining elite company of Shaq, Kareem and more. He also was a front-runner for Defensive Player of the Year, alongside Draymond Green as co-favorite to win the award. Gobert was incredibly solid defensively, which was expected of him coming into this season.
What wasn’t expected of Gobert was his offensive dominance that developed this year. Gobert led the league in field goal percentage for a chunk of the season and ultimately finished second behind DeAndre Jordan. He finished first in true shooting percentage and second in offensive rating. Gobert’s offensive game was surprisingly efficient, with plenty of room to grow and develop in the future.
51 Wins
The Jazz finished the season with 51 wins, their highest total since 2010. They joined just seven other NBA teams to eclipse 50 wins, which is a good sign of a successful regular season in the NBA. The Jazz battled injuries all season long and still managed to win 51 games, a sign of incredible toughness, teamwork and coaching expertise. Had the Jazz remained a bit healthier during the season, it would have been interesting to see just how good this team could have been, record-wise.
Playoff Success
For many NBA teams, the playoffs indicate a certain sign of success. Being in the top eight of their respective conference and getting a bid to play in the postseason is no small accomplishment, especially in the Western Conference.
The Jazz managed to not only make the playoffs, but advanced in a hard-fought seven-game series against the Los Angeles Clippers. Gordon Hayward had a fantastic postseason, scoring a career-high 40 points in the first round, as well as several games with 30+ points. Hayward stepped up and performed in the playoffs, helping the Jazz to a first-round victory.
Advancing to the semifinals and facing the Golden State Warriors, the Jazz were overwhelmed with the Warriors’ talent. They lost George Hill to a nagging toe injury and were ultimately swept by the Warriors, ending their season.
Looking Forward
The Jazz have a very busy offseason ahead of them. The biggest item on their agenda will be re-signing All-Star Gordon Hayward. Hayward will obviously be demanding and is worthy of a max contract, and the Jazz will be able to give him a longer deal worth more than any other team can offer. Hayward will have some decisions to make; to re-sign with the Jazz and most likely stay there for his entire career, or leave the Jazz and sign with another team. Hayward has made it clear that he just wants to win. The Jazz possess some of the pieces of the puzzle to be a contender, but Dennis Lindsey and the rest of the front office have some work to do to help the Jazz be Hayward’s best option.
Utah also faces some tough decisions with other current role players, with expiring contracts of George Hill and Joe Ingles. Hill will most likely be wanting max dollars, which would be tough for the Jazz to afford after paying Rudy Gobert (and hopefully Hayward). They also have several players who could find themselves on the trading block, including Derrick Favors, Alec Burks and Rodney Hood. The Jazz could experience a major face-lift this offseason, but it all starts with the extension of Gordon Hayward.
The future is bright for the Utah Jazz organization. Coming off their most successful season in several years, the Jazz are on the right track to being a contender in the NBA. Fans should be excited about the future of the franchise and should look forward to a fun, busy offseason in which the Jazz have an opportunity to improve and get better personnel-wise. The 2016–17 season was a year to remember, and the Utah Jazz should be around for some years to come.
