Utah Frontcourt Overpowers Raptors
Summer League rolls on with the Utah Jazz taking down the Toronto Raptors to the tune of an 86-76 ball game.
Utah is now 4-2 this summer and 2-1 in Las Vegas as a whole.
The Jazz pieced together one of their best shooting performances of the offseason by hitting at a summer league high 52 % clip from the field and draining their third best shooting mark from deep at nearly 32 % of their threes.
Making more than half of a teams shots can come down to two things:
1. It was just your night, the shots were falling, the basketball gods were with you and the team couldn’t miss.
2. Getting to the rim and working the ball inside were a key focal point and you as a team managed to do exactly that.
For Utah, it was option #2 that allowed the Jazz to look so effective in the victory.
Almost 66 percent of Utah’s shots were inside the arc yesterday and it is no coincidence that the two players who put up the most shots were the 4 and the 5 spot.
Utah’s frontcourt with Taylor Hendricks at the 4 and rookie Kyle Filipowski at the 5 combined for 26 shot attempts and got results anywhere, anytime they wanted.
Despite both big men having shaky moments throughout the two summer league showcases, leading to rampant fan speculation, neither could be faulted after yesterday.
For Hendricks, he’s had a big game already once this offseason, but has been consistently inconsistent.
When he’s been on, and that's only when, he's been an impactful stretch 4 with the ability to switch onto anyone from a defensive standpoint.
A powerful shot blocker and defensive force, Hendricks can be a sight to see.
When he’s not on, Hendricks is basically invisible, struggling to impact the game in any type of way.
A true feast or famine type of summer for Hendricks has left fans debating what his role would look moving forward and if his selection at #9 overall a year ago was right or wrong.
The reality is, Taylor is too young and too inexperienced to create any conclusion. It's an ongoing trial and will likely come with more discouraging moments mixed with solid performances.
The hope is of course, that the good performances eventually outweigh the bad, and yesterday was a prime example of why Utah at least wants to give him a chance to discover himself, because the talent and athleticism is clearly intact.
To be cliche as possible, the pieces to the puzzle are all there and they look really good, they just need to be assembled fully.
Hendricks literally could not miss last night going 9/9 from the field at one point before missing his final shot attempt for a 9/10 stat line.
His team high 23 points were as balanced as fans could ask for.
6 of his hits came from inside, including a nice floater that wasn't expected.
The other 3 came from distance as Hendricks went a scorching 3 of 4 from deep.
Add in a team high 9 rebounds, a steal, a block and only one foul it’s easy to see how Taylor finished with a +10.
It was a much needed night for worrying fans and likely for Hendricks himself as he continues to find that rhythm.
Not to be outdone by his frontcourt running mate, Kyle Filipowski turned heads for the first time this offseason.
Drafted as a big with some passing chops and the ability to hit the open three, Kyle wasn't overly dominant at one thing, he just did a lot of things well.
When Utah scooped up the 7 footer early in the 2nd round, many snapped back to reality and wondered why someone with his skillset would be available in round 2.
Maybe it was his wingspan, lack of offensive rebounds or something else, but many still thought Filipowski could be a contributor immediately for the Jazz.
The Salt Lake Summer League squashed some of that early hope, or at least reset expectations when Filipowski went 3/15 in three games for 6 points while failing to net a single three on 9 tries.
Las Vegas proved to be a bit better as Filipowski moved back into that comfortable center position and the nerves settled.
In the two games prior to yesterday, “Flip” had totaled 23 points on 50 percent shooting (9/18) and hit his first NBA three with a 1/3 mark.
But yesterday felt different, if the first two games were Filipowski waking up, the win over Toronto was him walking out the front door.
Kyle had a determined confidence not yet seen, and took 16 shots, more than any other player in the game.
He was handed the reins and took off at full speed.
Making 9 of those 16 tries, Flip put up 20 points and regained consistency beyond the arc going 2/3.
Creating, finishing, throwing down in traffic, Filipowski didn’t get his 20 by taking set shots, he was simply making it happen in a way that caught many fans off guard.
It’s the type of single game experience in summer league that will have a few asking “was he one of the biggest steals of the draft?”
On the other side of the ball, Filipowski had 3 steals and a block, remaining impactful elsewhere with his 7 rebounds.
It was a coming out party, and next to Hendricks and Cody Williams with 15 points, it provided some much needed hope for the young Jazz and their future progression.
Will the play keep at an even pace is now the question and fans wont have to wait long to find out as they take on the Clippers at 8:00 tonight on NBATV.