![]() ![]() The biggest reason that the question persists, however, may be because of how Utah has played with a different lineup. “It’s not so much a thought for us, ‘Oh we have a non-shooting big at the four, that’s why we’re playing like this.’ We get along very well, we stay connected and move the ball very well. “It’s easy to say that’s not the traditional NBA lineup, but look where we are with it,” Mitchell said. And players often feel more that Favors and Gobert are helpful rather than hurtful together. ![]() Favors and Gobert often shoulder that criticism anyway.ĭonovan Mitchell said the team doesn’t feel that way. When guards aren’t making 3s, defenses can collapse to the paint. While critics will point to the interior spacing when the Jazz offense slumps, interior spacing on offense is just as affected by Utah’s 3-point shooting. There’s a tendency, some players in the locker room feel, to blame the Favors-Gobert combination when the five-man lineup does poorly. And while his per-game stats (12.1 ppg, 7.2 rpg) don’t pop off the charts, he’s been undoubtedly productive, and he’s factored heavily in Utah’s run toward the postseason. In fact, Favors has 136 dunks this season - more than any other season in his career. When defenders leave him open, Favors has developed a knack for making a cut to the rim, often finishing with a dunk. Favors still hasn’t evolved into a reliable 3-point shooter (23 percent) but is just dangerous enough in the corner that sometimes defenders will drift toward him, which opens the lane. Why has it worked? In a recent article on stat site Cleaning The Glass, author Ben Falk pointed out that the Jazz have tweaked the scheme slightly. When we do it right, people are going to shut up, and when we do it wrong, people are going to talk again.” We just got to do what we do on the court. At the end of the day, people are always going to talk. “So I think we’ve won a lot of games together this year. When you win, they can’t forget about it,” he said. “I think when you lose, people find things to doubt. Even as Utah (43-33) has surged, observers question: It may work in the regular season, but can it work in the playoffs? The Jazz have made it work with two big men who aren’t feared long-range shooting threats while the rest of the NBA chases the small-ball revolution. 24, when the Jazz have gone 24-5, with the Jazz starters outscoring opponents nearly 20 points per 100 possessions. Offensively, it’s been good enough (105.6 offensive rating). Defensively, the lineup has been very good (99.5 defensive rating). The Jazz have outscored opponents by 6.2 points per 100 possessions with Gobert, Favors, Joe Ingles, Ricky Rubio and Donovan Mitchell. While the Jazz didn’t start the season well offensively with both Gobert and Favors on the floor at the same time, near the end of the season, the starting lineup has been a success, and the numbers back it up. It’s been a humbling season for those anticipating a poor showing in Utah’s size-heavy starting lineup. So there’s no beef or anything like egotistic-type thing,” Favors said. ![]()
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