Utah Jazz: 3 candidates to make biggest leap next season
by Jakob Perez
Candidate to make the biggest leap for the Utah Jazz: Miye Oni
Having been the 58th overall pick in the NBA Draft, expectations were low when Miye Oni came to the Utah Jazz in 2019. However, now that the 23-year-old out of Yale will be entering his third year, he is going to need to start producing if head coach Quin Snyder is to continue giving him minutes in big games, as he did in five of the team’s playoff games against the Clippers.
Oni shot 34.1 percent from three this season. While that number is not alarming, it does become more worrisome when you look at the shots that he’s taking. According to NBA.com, 86.9 percent of his 3-point attempts came when the closest defender was four or more feet away from him.
For the Jazz to rely on Oni, he simply must knock down open looks.
At 6-foot-5 with a 6-foot-11 wingspan, he has the physical tools to be a great defender. Oni’s defense coupled with an improved 3-point shot could turn him into the perfect three-and-D player to spell Royce O’Neale, who usually takes on the toughest defensive assignments.
!["Utah](https://thejnotes.com/2021/06/29/utah-jazz-3-biggest-leap-next-season/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1280,w_1600/https%3A%2F%2Fthejnotes.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fimagn-images%2F2017%2F07%2F16266169.jpeg")
the Jazzmen</a> could have hoped, winning their first two games.</p>
<p>After that, however, their dream start turned into a nightmare.</p>
<p>An ankle injury slowed down Donovan Mitchell, and the Jazz had no answer for Clippers stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Los Angeles went on to win four in a row, knocking out Utah and crushing its title aspirations.</p>
<p>This matchup with the Clippers exposed a handful of Jazz weaknesses. And while the 24-year-old Mitchell has proven <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/06/29/utah-jazz-3-biggest-leap-next-season/2/"https://thejnotes.com/2021/06/22/utah-jazz-donovan-mitchell-offseason/">ready for the bright lights</a>, other players will have to make a leap next season if the franchise is going to make it to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1998.</p>
<p>So the question is, which Jazzman needs to make the biggest leap next season? Well, let’s look at three candidates, one at a time…</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/06/29/utah-jazz-3-biggest-leap-next-season/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Miye Oni </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div class="embed "><iframe loading="lazy" width="500" height="281" src=https://thejnotes.com/2021/06/29/utah-jazz-3-biggest-leap-next-season/2/"https://www.youtube.com/embed/fd_-Ja8dwlE?feature=oembed%22 frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<h2>Candidate to make the biggest leap for the Utah Jazz: Miye Oni</h2>
<p>Having been the 58th overall pick in the NBA Draft, expectations were low when <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/06/29/utah-jazz-3-biggest-leap-next-season/2/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/o/onimi01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Miye Oni</a> came to the Utah Jazz in 2019. However, now that the 23-year-old out of Yale will be entering his third year, he is going to need to start producing if head coach Quin Snyder is to continue giving him minutes in big games, as he did in five of the team’s playoff games against the Clippers.</p>
<p>Oni shot 34.1 percent from three this season. While that number is not alarming, it does become more worrisome when you look at the shots that he’s taking. According to <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/06/29/utah-jazz-3-biggest-leap-next-season/2/"https://www.nba.com/stats/player/1629671/shots-dash/?Season=2020-21&SeasonType=Regular%20Season&PerMode=Totals%22 target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA.com</a>, 86.9 percent of his 3-point attempts came when the closest defender was four or more feet away from him.</p>
<p>For the Jazz to rely on Oni, he simply must knock down open looks.</p>
<p>At 6-foot-5 with a 6-foot-11 wingspan, he has the physical tools to be a great defender. Oni’s defense coupled with an improved 3-point shot could turn him into the perfect three-and-D player to spell Royce O’Neale, who usually takes on the toughest defensive assignments.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/06/29/utah-jazz-3-biggest-leap-next-season/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Rudy Gobert </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div class="embed "><iframe loading="lazy" width="500" height="281" src=https://thejnotes.com/2021/06/29/utah-jazz-3-biggest-leap-next-season/2/"https://www.youtube.com/embed/qzkKAdeU08w?feature=oembed%22 frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<h2>Candidate to make the biggest leap for the Utah Jazz: Rudy Gobert</h2>
<p>Yes, <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/06/29/utah-jazz-3-biggest-leap-next-season/2/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/goberru01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Rudy Gobert</a> had a phenomenal season. He won his third Defensive Player of the Year Award, made his second All-Star Game, and was voted All-NBA Third Team. While these are all remarkable achievements, certain holes in his game shouldn’t be overlooked. There’s always room for improvement.</p>
<p>The whole world saw how the Clippers were able to <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/06/29/utah-jazz-3-biggest-leap-next-season/2/"https://www.sltrib.com/sports/jazz/2021/06/19/rudy-goberts-struggles-vs/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expose Gobert on the perimeter</a>, hitting 12 of 16 attempts from deep when he was the primary defender in Game 6. Having said that, I don’t think there is much more he can do defensively than he is already doing. His primary responsibility is and should be to protect the rim.</p>
<p>Where the 29-year-old needs to improve is on offense.</p>
<p>If teams are going to go small against the Jazz the way the Clippers did, then Utah’s 7-footer needs to make them pay. In a series where the Clippers started 6-foot-8 Nicolas Batum at the center position, Gobert averaged 12.5 points per game.</p>
<p>That is simply not enough for the Jazz to beat top playoff teams in the Western Conference.</p>
<p>If Gobert were able to develop consistent post moves to take advantage of smaller defenders, then it would go a long way in helping the Jazzmen lift the Larry O’Brien trophy.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/06/29/utah-jazz-3-biggest-leap-next-season/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Elijah Hughes </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div class="embed "><iframe loading="lazy" width="500" height="281" src=https://thejnotes.com/2021/06/29/utah-jazz-3-biggest-leap-next-season/2/"https://www.youtube.com/embed/pH9NIVYh4hA?feature=oembed%22 frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<h2>Candidate to make the biggest leap for the Utah Jazz: Elijah Hughes</h2>
<p>Utah Jazz fans didn’t see much of rookie <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/06/29/utah-jazz-3-biggest-leap-next-season/2/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/hugheel01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Elijah Hughes</a>, as he appeared in only 18 games this season. And while he wasn’t particularly efficient in the G-League bubble, where he averaged 14.2 points per game while shooting 33.8 percent from the field, the 23-year-old still has the potential to be a solid scorer off the bench.</p>
<p>He averaged 19.0 points per game in his last year at Syracuse, so it’s reasonable to assume that Hughes’ scoring average will go up from his 1.7 points per appearance this year.</p>
<p>Jazz fans should keep an eye on him during the <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/06/29/utah-jazz-3-biggest-leap-next-season/2/"https://www.nba.com/news/jazz-announce-dates-for-2021-salt-lake-city-summer-league">NBA Summer League</a> action that will be held in Salt Lake City on Aug. 3-6. Hughes could prove then that he deserves to be a part of the rotation.</p>
<p>Hughes’ progression could be a huge relief to Jordan Clarkson, who had a great season but was often asked to carry all the bench scoring on his own.</p>
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<p>Utah’s championship dreams aren’t out of reach next season. And if these players could seriously improve their game, they could see themselves atop the Western Conference once again.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">
