The Utah Jazz signed Rudy Gay with the obvious goal of maximizing their positional versatility. The Los Angeles Clippers eliminated the Jazzmen in the Western Conference semi-finals with their consistent use of small-ball, five-out spacing lineups, using Nicolas Batum frequently at the center position. Gay was acquired primarily to counter similar lineups as a small-ball 5 option.
Gay is qualified for the role, but Paul Millsap may have been better.
A head-to-head comparison of the two veteran forwards certainly suggests as much. Millsap’s Player Efficiency Rating (PER) of 16.4 from 2020-21 is indicative of a slightly above-average rotational NBA player, whereas Gay’s 14.7 mark is slightly below the adjusted league average of 15.0. Meanwhile, Millsap’s 0.2 Defensive Box Plus/Minus (DBPM) is also a superior mark to Gay’s -0.2.
Reuniting with Millsap over signing Gay wouldn’t have just had more sentimental appeal: it may have produced a better on-court impact, as well.
Utah Jazz faithful need not sound any alarms: Gay was a strong signing. His 38.1% three-point accuracy from 2020-21 surpasses Millsap’s 34.3%, and three-point shooting is an integral component of the role he’ll be asked to play. Still, it’s worth noting that Millsap shot a blistering 43.5% in 2019-20. Furthermore, beyond DBPM, Millsap’s reputation as a defender is definitively stronger than Gay’s.
Paul Millsap is still looking for his next NBA home: the Utah Jazz should have offered him a place in his first one.
Rudy Gay</a><span style="font-size: 17px">, </span><a style="background-color: #ffffff;font-size: 17px" href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/09/01/utah-jazz-2-free-agents-pursued/2/"https://thejnotes.com/2021/08/05/utah-jazz-grading-eric-paschall-trade/">Eric Paschall</a><span style="font-size: 17px"> and </span><a style="background-color: #ffffff;font-size: 17px" href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/09/01/utah-jazz-2-free-agents-pursued/2/"https://thejnotes.com/2021/08/04/utah-jazz-free-agency-hassan-whiteside/">Hassan Whiteside</a><span style="font-size: 17px"> represent three solid, low-risk acquisitions that should add wins to the Jazz’s ledger.</span></p>
<p>This current iteration of the Jazz is fundamentally built around three components: backcourt offense (specifically, from the talented trio of Donovan Mitchell, Mike Conley Jr., and Jordan Clarkson), Rudy Gobert’s defense, and depth. As demonstrated by their previously mentioned league-best 2020-21 regular season record, the model works. The largest questions surrounding the Utah Jazz heading into this offseason revolved around their ability to counter small ball formations, and they answered them all with the acquisitions of Gay and Paschall.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, there are always nits to pick in the National Basketball Association, and the Jazz cannot escape scrutiny any more easily than 29 other teams that did not win the NBA championship last season. They never profiled as a team likely to broker a blockbuster acquisition this season, however, there is a case to be made that they could have made more significant improvements to their 2021-22 outlook.</p>
<p>Here are 2 players the Utah Jazz should have pursued in free agency this offseason.</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/2021/09/01/utah-jazz-2-free-agents-pursued/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 1. Paul Millsap </a>
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<a href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/09/01/utah-jazz-2-free-agents-pursued/2/"https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/imagn-images/2017/07/14813354.jpeg">
the rotation thins out considerably.</a></p>
<p>Recent draft pick <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/09/01/utah-jazz-2-free-agents-pursued/2/"https://thejnotes.com/2021/08/26/utah-jazz-3-comparisons-jared-butler/">Jared Butler</a> and Summer League standouts Trent Forrest and <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/09/01/utah-jazz-2-free-agents-pursued/2/"https://thejnotes.com/2021/08/17/utah-jazz-jazz-sign-macio-teague/">MaCio Teague</a> are all options to complete the rotation as Quin Snyder’s fourth guard. However, each is lacking the NBA experience one might expect from a rotation regular on a title contender. If only a talented, veteran point guard with playoff experience and an ability to consistently drive to the basket were available for $5.9 million dollars this season…</p>
<p>Admittedly, the Jazz almost certainly did not have Dennis Schroder on their radar heading into this offseason. No matter how highly one values the German floor general, there would have been a league-wide consensus that he’d have been too pricey for Utah to seriously pursue. Nonetheless, Schroder’s market value plummeted like a pale lager in a boot-shaped mug at Oktoberfest, as he agreed to a <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/09/01/utah-jazz-2-free-agents-pursued/2/"https://www.si.com/nba/2021/08/10/dennis-schroder-contract-celtics-one-year-deal#:~:text=Dennis%20Schr%C3%B6der%20has%20agreed%20to,story%20he%20is%20Boston%2Dbound." target="_blank" rel="noopener">one-year, $5.9 million dollar pact with the Boston Celtics. </a></p>
<p>That’s a price point the Utah Jazz would have at least mulled over. Schroder’s market value, of course, did not sink without cause. He’s slightly prone to inefficiency: his 2020-21 54.3% True Shooting (TS%) is subpar. Moreover, his advanced metric simply do not portray an impactful player. He finished last season with a 13.8 PER and -1.1 Box Plus/Minus (BPM).</p>
<p>Still, his basic counting stats of 15.4 points and 5.8 assists per game suggest that Schroder can at least generate offense. Some Utah Jazz fans may protest that, with an addition of Schroder to the triumvirate of Mitchell, Conley Jr. and Clarkson, Snyder’s rotation suddenly becomes <em>too </em>crowded. There is validity in that concern, however, 3-guard rotations are increasingly popular in today’s NBA, and would have allowed each man to find sufficient minutes. It’s particularly easy to envision Donovan Mitchell playing spurts at the 3 spot.</p>
<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="dark" data-text="3 Rudy Gobert trades that absolutely will not happen" data-url="https://thejnotes.com/2021/08/30/utah-jazz-3-rudy-gobert-trades/" data-call-to-action="Next"
> <div class="story-link-next"> <a class="story-link-next-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-next-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2021/09/01/utah-jazz-2-free-agents-pursued/2/"https://thejnotes.com/2021/08/30/utah-jazz-3-rudy-gobert-trades/"> <span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> 3 Rudy Gobert trades that absolutely will not happen </a> </div>
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<p>As it stands, the Utah Jazz are hoping that a fourth rotation guard will emerge from a hodgepodge of talented-but-inexperienced rookies and sophomores. That’s a fine gamble, but the addition of Dennis Schroder at $5.9 million dollars next season would have represented a safer bet.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">