SALT LAKE CITY, UT – OCTOBER 30: Mike Conley #10 of the Utah Jazz reacts to a play against the LA Clippers on October 30, 2019 at vivint.SmartHome Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)
On Friday, the Utah Jazz will rock their throwback jerseys for the third time this season. How does this current team match up to the original team that donned the purple mountain colors?
It has already been nearly three months since the Utah Jazz announced they were bringing back the purple mountain jerseys. What was already a hyped up offseason seemed to brim over the top with hope and excitement when the epic video was released.
Older Jazz fans were able to reminisce the glory days of the franchise, and younger fans were able to get a feel of why these uniforms are remembered with such fondness. The team held a “purple mountain” party to celebrate bringing back the old colors and court and invited the public to get pictures on the court and re-watch the game where John Stockton hit “the shot” to send the Jazz to their first-ever NBA Finals.
And then the first game the Jazz wore the purple jerseys, the team released another video hyping up this team, comparing it to the most successful era in franchise history. The Jazz proceeded to run the score up on the hapless Sacramento Kings thanks to scoring explosions from Bojan Bogdanovic and Mike Conley.
https://twitter.com/utahjazz/status/1188260860508000256
If you can’t already feel the positive energy brimming from this retro throwback, then you should also know that the Jazz are undefeated this year when they play on the throwback court and in the purple uniforms. Sure, it’s only been two games on their home floor, but it is worth taking note of.
Since this might be the only season for a long time we get to see the purple mountain colors in action, I will analyze components of this team compared to the team from the 1990s, and see just how good of a shot the Jazz have at re-creating and even surpassing the achievements of yesteryear.
#wallpaperwednesday</a> pt1! 🎉❄️<a href=https://thejnotes.com/2019/11/22/utah-jazz-compare-purple-predecessors/"https://twitter.com/utahjazz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>@utahjazz <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2019/11/22/utah-jazz-compare-purple-predecessors/"https://twitter.com/unclejeffgreen?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>@unclejeffgreen <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2019/11/22/utah-jazz-compare-purple-predecessors/"https://twitter.com/JoeIngles7?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>@Joeingles7 @MCONLEY10 @44Bojan <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2019/11/22/utah-jazz-compare-purple-predecessors/"https://t.co/fkbUcuLKNr">pic.twitter.com/fkbUcuLKNr
<p>— The Colonel (@colby_colonel) <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2019/11/22/utah-jazz-compare-purple-predecessors/"https://twitter.com/colby_colonel/status/1189581341563609088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>October 30, 2019</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>What is unique about the Jazz is the stability in ownership, front office and head coaching roles of the team. Since the Millers completed the purchase of the Jazz in 1985, they have only had four different head coaches something rare in today’s NBA, and something the Spurs copied from the Jazz as longtime coach Gregg Popovich is in his 23rd year on the sidelines for the same team.</p>
<p>The Wasatch Front was blessed to have Sloan as head coach for 23 seasons, and it was his replacing of Frank Layden that took the Jazz from a good team to a great team. That’s not a knock on Layden, as he helped put the Jazz on the map and stay in Utah; but Sloan was able to lead the Jazz past 50 wins and eventually to the NBA Finals, whereas the Jazz never cracked 50 wins under Layden’s watch.</p>
<p>In Quin Snyder’s case, he didn’t inherit a perennial playoff team like Sloan did. Coach Q received the reins to a 25-win team built around a young player forced into a star role he wasn’t cut out for, that of course being <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2019/11/22/utah-jazz-compare-purple-predecessors/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/haywago01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Gordon Hayward</a>.</p>
<p>Snyder was not only able to maximize Hayward’s development and help him become an All-Star, but he swapped out <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2019/11/22/utah-jazz-compare-purple-predecessors/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/k/kanteen01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Enes Kanter</a> and <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2019/11/22/utah-jazz-compare-purple-predecessors/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/burketr01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Trey Burke</a> in favor of Gobert and <a style="background-color: #ffffff" href=https://thejnotes.com/2019/11/22/utah-jazz-compare-purple-predecessors/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/e/exumda01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Dante Exum</a> to turn the Jazz into a defensive powerhouse.</p>
<p>In Coach Quin’s first six years of running the helm, he’s helped the Jazz improve from a rebuilding, to competitive, to playoff team, and hopefully a title-contending team this year. Pairing a great coach with great players is how sustained success is achieved in this day and age, otherwise star players will run their coach out of town and eventually leave the city the play for (<em>ahem <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2019/11/22/utah-jazz-compare-purple-predecessors/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jamesle01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">LeBron James</a>)</em>.</p>
<p>So far the ’19-20 Jazz appear to be on pace to match the ’90s Jazz, as long as Gobert, Mitchell, and Snyder keep on performing at the top of their games.</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/2019/11/22/utah-jazz-compare-purple-predecessors/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Reloaded Rosters </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-80332 size-large" src=https://thejnotes.com/2019/11/22/utah-jazz-compare-purple-predecessors/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fthejnotes.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2019%2F11%2F51640087-850x560.jpeg" alt="Utah Jazz, purple jerseys" width="590" height="389"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">SEATTLE, UNITED STATES: Seattle SuperSonic Gary Payton (L) checks the drive of Jeff Hornacek (R) of the Utah Jazz during first quarter action of their game on 31 March. AFP PHOTO/Dan Levine (Photo credit should read DAN LEVINE/AFP via Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>Reloaded Rosters</h3>
<p>In addition to building a core and foundation, NBA teams must find the right supporting cast to become a championship team. Acquiring such a group of players is never easy, and more often than not NBA teams fail to add sufficient talent around their Hall of Fame player(s) to get them over the hump. It is a process of trial and error and needs constant tinkering to get it right.</p>
<p>The old rendition of the Jazz had their Hall of Fame core in place as early as 1988 when Sloan took over, but the Finals appearance didn’t happen until 1997. The team had an elite defensive anchor in <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2019/11/22/utah-jazz-compare-purple-predecessors/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/e/eatonma01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Mark Eaton</a>, and they even had <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2019/11/22/utah-jazz-compare-purple-predecessors/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/baileth01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Thurl Bailey</a> and <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2019/11/22/utah-jazz-compare-purple-predecessors/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/malonje01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Jeff Malone</a> averaging near 20 points per game to complement Malone in that department.</p>
<p>Eaton retired because of his age, and Thurl was traded for <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2019/11/22/utah-jazz-compare-purple-predecessors/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/corbity01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Tyrone Corbin</a> in 1991.</p>
<p>Jeff Malone was declining and becoming ineffective, so the Jazz traded him in a package for a slightly younger <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2019/11/22/utah-jazz-compare-purple-predecessors/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/hornaje01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Jeff Hornacek</a>, who was a significant upgrade as a 3-point shooter. That trade, followed by a slew of other savvy moves, was what helped take Stockton and Malone from the playoffs to the NBA Finals.</p>
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<p lang="und" dir="ltr"><a href=https://thejnotes.com/2019/11/22/utah-jazz-compare-purple-predecessors/"https://t.co/JX7niBwzBH">pic.twitter.com/JX7niBwzBH
<p>— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2019/11/22/utah-jazz-compare-purple-predecessors/"https://twitter.com/utahjazz/status/1192179065093910529?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>November 6, 2019</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>Also, don’t underestimate the difference support players can make. <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2019/11/22/utah-jazz-compare-purple-predecessors/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/carran01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Antoine Carr</a>, <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2019/11/22/utah-jazz-compare-purple-predecessors/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/e/eisleho01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Howard Eisley</a>, <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2019/11/22/utah-jazz-compare-purple-predecessors/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/russebr01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Bryon Russell</a>, and even <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2019/11/22/utah-jazz-compare-purple-predecessors/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/o/ostergr01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Greg Ostertag</a> chipped in to help the Jazz reach the Finals. It took years of trial and error for then-GM Scott Layden to get the right help in place.</p>
<p>Much like the Hornacek addition was a catalyst to the Jazz making the leap, I’m hoping Bogdanovic and <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2019/11/22/utah-jazz-compare-purple-predecessors/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/conlemi01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Mike Conley</a> can be the co-champions of that missing piece award. Bogey has been sensational for the Jazz in his first 14 games, and while Conley is yet to impress on his individual stat line, there’s no doubt his presence has helped Mitchell improve into a better all-star candidate.</p>
<p>The real X-factor for the ’19-20 version of the Utah Jazz to surpass their purple mountain predecessors is the bench. As it has been mentioned all week, Utah’s bench has been abysmal to start the season. If <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2019/11/22/utah-jazz-compare-purple-predecessors/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/mudiaem01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Emmanuel Mudiay</a>, <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2019/11/22/utah-jazz-compare-purple-predecessors/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/greenje02.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Jeff Green</a>, and <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2019/11/22/utah-jazz-compare-purple-predecessors/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/i/inglejo01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Joe Ingles</a> can find a way to be effective without Mitchell or Gobert on the floor, then the Jazz can run a deeper and fresher team to the playoffs than they did in the ’90s.</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/2019/11/22/utah-jazz-compare-purple-predecessors/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> The Accolades </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-80328 size-large" src=https://thejnotes.com/2019/11/22/utah-jazz-compare-purple-predecessors/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_449,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fthejnotes.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2019%2F11%2F52023237-736x560.jpeg" alt="Utah Jazz, purple jerseys" width="590" height="449"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">SALT LAKE CITY, UT – MAY 19: Karl Malone of the Utah Jazz holds the Maurice Podoloff Trophy for being named the NBA’s Most Valuable PLayer 19 May before game one of the Western Conference championships against the Houston Rockets at The Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. (ELECTRONIC IMAGE) (Photo credit should read DOUG COLLIER/AFP via Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>The Accolades</h3>
<p>The Utah Jazz have never been in the limelight of the NBA as far as awards, and it takes years of quality work to get a little recognition for our players. However, the purple mountain era does have some hardware to show off.</p>
<p>Karl Malone won both of his MVP awards when the Jazz were rocking the purple mountain-themed jerseys.</p>
<p>This year Mitchell is a dark horse for that award, <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2019/11/22/utah-jazz-compare-purple-predecessors/"https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2862225-introducing-the-nbas-2020-mvp-race-sleepers#slide3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to Bleacher Report</a>.</p>
<p>Through the first 14 games, the 1996-97 Jazz were 12-2. They went on to win 64 games as the first seed in the West.</p>
<p>The current Jazz are 9-5, and shooting for 64 wins seems like a long shot for anyone in the NBA this year. They are still only projected to win 48 games this year according to Basketball Reference, but that number should go up once the schedule induces less travel on the players.</p>
<p>Stockton and Malone were All-Stars. Could Gobert and Mitchell both play in the Sunday night special this February? We are yet to see that happen, but that would be great for both players.</p>
<p>Jeff Hornacek won two 3-point shootouts in the purple-mountain era, and Russell was a participant in 2001. No Jazzman has participated since then, but perhaps Bogdanovic could be the one to snap that streak.</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/2019/11/22/utah-jazz-compare-purple-predecessors/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> The Differences </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-80329 size-large" src=https://thejnotes.com/2019/11/22/utah-jazz-compare-purple-predecessors/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fthejnotes.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2019%2F11%2F450331538-850x560.jpeg" alt="Utah Jazz, " width="590" height="389"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">SALT LAKE CITY, UT – JUNE 07: Dennis Lindsey General Manager and Quin Snyder Head Coach of the Utah Jazz during the announcement of Quin as the new Head Coach at a press conference at the Zions Basketball Center on June 07, 2014 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2013 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>The Differences</h3>
<p>The modern Jazz have an advantage over the ’96-97 Jazz, and that is because of age and league parity. They just have to make the most of this opportunity. <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2019/11/22/utah-jazz-compare-purple-predecessors/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jordami01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Michael Jordan</a> was one to snag many of those opportunities away from deserving NBA legends, as he simply couldn’t be stopped from winning titles in the ’90s.</p><div class="widget fs_ads"> <div class="fs_ad_widget-ad" style="margin:0 auto; width: 300px;"> <div class="fs-ll-ad" data-ad-type="minutemedia_slideshow_inline_300x250__desktop__tablet" data-vendor="minutemedia">
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<p>Several great teams of the past have been forgotten because of MJ’s three-peat that he accomplished twice.</p>
<p>Fortunately for the Jazz, there appears to be no giant favorites in the NBA title race this year. Some think that the two Los Angeles teams are favorites to win it all, but even they have their roster flaws that can be exposed in a seven game playoff series.</p>
<p>Utah is built on Gobert (27) and Mitchell (23), who are only getting started in their best years of basketball. Malone and Stockton were in their late 30s by the time Utah made it to the Finals.</p>
<p>Additionally the modern Jazz have a deeper roster, where they don’t have to rely on two guys in their late 30s to play at a hall of fame level. It can be Conley’s night one night, Bogey’s night the next, Don’s night the game after that, and then Rudy’s.</p>
<p>Another advantage the ’19-20 Jazz have is Snyder’s advantage offense. It generates tons of open looks, and allows several players to handle the ball and even make plays of their own (Bogey’s game-winner was drawn up by himself). Gone are the days of where the point guard has to orchestrate every play, and also gone are the days of a predictable Jazz offense.</p>
<p>Furthermore, this Jazz team is superior defensively to the old school Jazz. When shots aren’t falling, defense always travels to keep your team alive, and Gobert isn’t getting any less intimidating as a post defender.</p>
<h3>Verdict:</h3>
<p>While the new Jazz roster is certainly exciting with all the new pieces added to budding stars Mitchell and Gobert, they still haven’t proven themselves to be as good as the old school Jazz. A lot of that has to do with the dominance of Stockton and Malone, as they were both legit top 15 players in the league in their time.</p>
<p>In theory, the modern Jazz should have a potent offense, but let’s not forget that Stockton piloted the Jazz offense to the second best and best ratings the two years they made the Finals. The Jazz right now are tied for 23rd in offensive efficiency.</p>
<p>For Gobert and his squad to climb the same mountains that Stockton and Malone did, the Jazz must find a way to stave off opposing teams when Rudy sits on the bench. They simply need Conley to out-duel most point guards in the league, and Rudy and Donovan must be able to match the heroics of other duos in the NBA, such as <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2019/11/22/utah-jazz-compare-purple-predecessors/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/leonaka01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Kawhi Leonard</a> and <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2019/11/22/utah-jazz-compare-purple-predecessors/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/georgpa01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Paul George</a>, or <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2019/11/22/utah-jazz-compare-purple-predecessors/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/hardeja01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">James Harden</a> and <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2019/11/22/utah-jazz-compare-purple-predecessors/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/westbru01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Russell Westbrook</a>.</p>
<p>If Coach Snyder can find a way for his players to accomplish all these tasks and fire on all cylinders come April, then you know what’s coming. Another <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2019/11/22/utah-jazz-compare-purple-predecessors/"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fy1RAtluwak%22 target="_blank" rel="noopener">“uh-oh”</a> moment for the rest of the NBA.</p>
<p><em>*All stats are a courtesy of <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2019/11/22/utah-jazz-compare-purple-predecessors/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Basketball Reference</a>.</em></p><!—pageview_candidate—></p>">