Why The Sacramento Kings Are Better Than…The Utah Jazz

As a part of a series (and a way to pass the time before the NFL starts), I’m going to compare Sacramento’s playoff chances to some others in the West. For reference, this series will assume that the following teams (in no particular order) will make the playoffs:

• Warriors (Basically the same team that just won the ‘ship)
• Spurs (Improved, though older)
• Clippers (Much improved on paper, though number of neck tattoos has decreased)
• Grizzlies (Lost Koufos, added Brandan Wright and a few neck tattoos)
• Rockets (Lost some interesting role players in exchange for a few DUIs)
• Thunder (Basically the same team…just added a healthy[?] Durant. Also, I can’t help but laugh when I see Dion Waiters on that depth chart.)

Also, I’m going to show rosters broken down by “position” even though I realize that positions are only marginally real. I’ll analyze with that in mind, but visually it’s just easier to go by position.

The Utah Jazz have to be one of the least watched teams in the NBA, but they’re young and have put together a really interesting roster, so let’s get right into it!

Point Guards

I’ll be honest, I was excited about Dante Exum when he was coming out, and I realize he only played an average of 22 minutes last year, but things aren’t looking great. Check out these numbers: 34.9% on field goals, 31.4% from three, and a horrible 62.5% from the line. Ok, so maybe he isn’t a shooter, fine, but last year per 36 minutes, he got 2.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 0.8 steals, and 2.3 turnovers. Again, he was a rookie, but if the Jazz continue their trend of Trey Burke and Exum splitting time, I don’t think it’s crazy to think his development could easily be stunted.

I think what the Jazz really need is an undeniable distributor, and they don’t have anything like that on the roster. As a team, they ranked 29th last year in assists per game; Trey Burke led the team with 4.3. So, they’ve got Burke and Burks scoring 12 or 13 a game, dishing out 3 or 4 assists, and Exum doing less in each category. That’s just not a long-term guard strategy.

As I’ve mentioned in other comparisons, here’s why I like the Kings point guard squad better: Rondo has something to prove if he wants to get paid again, Collison has arguable NBA starter-level talent, and the Seth Curry/David Stockton duo is nothing, if not interesting.

I think Rondo and Collison are clearly superior to Burke and Exum. I know nothing about Bryce Cotton and Raul Neto, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say that I prefer Stockton and Curry.

Shooting Guards

Now that Alec Burks has been in the league four years, I think we’ve got a good idea of exactly what he is…and it’s not great. He’s coming off of shoulder surgery, only played 27 games last year, and though he averaged 2 points, 1 assist, and 1 rebound more than Ben McLemore last year, I believe Burks has basically found his ceiling and McLemore still may not be close to his. This season will decide whether or not Ben will ever get there.

I like Rodney Hood, and I think he could contribute about as much as Marco Belinelli does this year. I don’t anticipate James Anderson playing much more than Elijah Millsap, so this comparison really comes down to Burks vs. McLemore, and I’ll take McLemore’s upside.

Small Forwards

Did you know that Gordon Hayward shot 47% from three point range in 72 games his rookie year? He didn’t take that many, but still, that’s impressive. Anyway, I really like Hayward, and he’s the main reason I called this comparison a draw. My decision was made easier when I realized that Rudy Gay and Hayward had almost identical averages in everything from FG% to rebounds, assists, etc. last year.

The backups are more or less a draw as well. The Kings have the edge in experience, the Jazz have the advantage of young guys out to prove themselves.

Power Forwards

Initially, I hesitated for a second because I truly believe that Derrick Favors is one of the more underrated players in the league. Clearly he’s not as good as Cousins, but he’s a very solid power forward. Plus, I’m intrigued by Trey Lyles, the 12th overall pick, and would not be surprised if he contributed more than Quincy Acy this year. But when you consider minutes played, the comparison that really matters is Favors vs. Cousins, and that winner is clear as day.

Centers

I may get some pushback for calling this one a draw, but hear me out. Rudy Gobert is one of the best young big men in the game. He was 14th in the league in rebounding last year (6th if you look at rebounds per 48 minutes), 4th in blocks, and he scored 8.4 points in 26.3 minutes per game. He’s better than Koufos in every category I’ve seen, and without knowing exactly what Willie Cauley-Stein will be (though coincidentally, I think he could be a lot like Gobert), you’ve got to give the edge to Gobert.

The only reason this ends in a draw is because behind Gobert, you’ve got some sizable question marks. The combination of Cooley, Jerrett, and Pleiss is not nearly as appealing as Koufos or WCS, whoever ends up playing backup.

There’s a lot to like about the roster the Jazz have quietly put together, but they really didn’t add much to last year’s 38–44 team, and that would worry me a bit if I were a Jazz fan. Of course, their young talent will be a year further into their development, but I would have some real questions about who, if anyone, is going to set themselves apart in the guard positions. That said, the exciting part for Jazz fans is that they have all their players, other than Trevor Booker, locked up for at least another year beyond ‘15/’16, and plenty of team options if they want to clear some space for a free agent or two next offseason.

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for more Kings vs. The West comparisons.