Our culture contains a number of phrases and idioms that, despite their bizarre nature, are commonplace in our vocabulary. Remember, “there is more than one way to skin a cat”? Or “don’t look a gift horse in the mouth”? While disconnected from modern society, these sayings have hung around to communicate a meaning valuable to society. Here’s another one:
“Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.”
The meaning of this phrase goes back to the 16th century, when a German satirical publication used it. The concept was simple enough: bathwater is dirty after it is used, and must be thrown out and replaced with better, cleaner water. But don’t be too quick to toss out the water, or you may throw out your baby instead!
While the likelihood of German parents chucking babies out of bathtubs is fairly low, the phrase was relatable and would have been understood by the people of the day. Thankfully, the meaning is simple enough that it can be understood by 21st century Americans as well.
That is, conceptually at least, because a number of NBA teams seem to be missing this simple truth: when trading something out for something better, don’t be too hasty in discarding everything else with it. The modern NBA is changing rapidly, and teams that refuse to adapt and grow are going to be left in the rear view mirror. Memphis stayed soaking in its dirty bathwater for too long, and are watching the league pass them by. The Lakers’ Byron Scott apparently is drinking the stuff.
Memphis and L.A. aside, most NBA teams are embracing the change, opening up their offenses and putting an emphasis on spacing. Playmakers and scorers who cannot shoot from distance are being swapped out for gunners. Traditional power forwards are being relegated to bench duty as smaller, “stretchier” forwards are slotted in.
Golden State is clearly the poster team for this movement, with 6’6” Draymond Green starting at power forward and often sliding down to center. But the rest of the league is not far behind, from Luol Deng starting at the four in Miami, to Toronto signing DeMarre Carroll to play power forward, to the Clippers enjoying success swapping a shooter out for the injured Blake Griffin. David Lee is shoved out of a rotation for Jonas Jerebko; David West leaves Indiana and is replaced by C.J. Miles. Teams are getting smaller as they try to surround a pick and roll with shooters.
The problem is, these teams aren’t Golden State. And they are throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
Taking advantage of the three-point line and focusing on spacing is valuable, no question. But this rush to “downshift” and play small forwards at the four and power forwards at the five, or not at all, is dangerous. Teams without talent on the wings are allotting minutes to unworthy players, and they are worse off on both ends of the floor for it. That’s not even mentioning the defensive loss of trading a big for a small, which is significant and few teams are able to compensate for.
In this race to emulate Golden State and play “small” and pace-and-space, one notable team paused before it threw out the bathwater. The Utah Jazz are applying contemporary principles to a more traditional roster, and while they are not experiencing the level of success that Golden State and others are, they are set up as well as any team to be successful over the coming years.
There are many ways to a championship. The Warriors have seemed to perfect one. The Jazz have decided to pursue a different one. Will it work?
How Things Stand
The Utah Jazz are currently 28-32, a game and a half behind Houston for the 8th and final playoff berth in the West. After ripping off seven wins in a row to leap into the 7th spot, a 2-7 stretch since has seen Portland and Houston pass them by. Only eight of their final twenty-two games are at home, and the odds of the Jazz picking in the lottery again are increasing.
But looking past this year, Utah has plenty of reasons for optimism. Gordon Hayward is averaging a 20/5 /3.7 line with 1.2 steals and 1.8 threes a game — the only other players hitting those benchmarks this season are Steph Curry, Kyle Lowry, James Harden, and Paul George — all All Stars. Hayward is 7th in RPM among small forwards, and 15th in the league in offensive win shares. Hayward is not an elite player, but he is a star.
The cast around him is solid as well. Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors form a stout defensive frontcourt, with Gobert leading the league in Defensive Plus/Minus. Favors has also taken an offensive step up, averaging career highs in points, assists, and steals. Alongside Hayward, the Jazz have watched second-year player Rodney Hood blossom into a secondary playmaker and a late-game shot-creator, and Alec Burks headlines a bench group that includes Trey Lyles, a rookie out of Kentucky with range and athleticism. While potential starter Dante Exum was lost for the season before any games were played, the Jazz have recently addressed the point guard situation by bringing in Shelvin Mack. Although stuck on the bench in Atlanta, Mack has jumped straight into the starting lineup in Utah and shown improvement over the Trey Burke – Raul Neto rotation Utah had been using.
Utah has their core locked up through at least next year, with team control on younger players such as Hood, Lyles, and Gobert past then. Next season they could have as much as 35 million or more in cap space with only a few open roster spots. They own all of their future picks, as well as a plethora of second round picks (as many as eight over the next five years). Even with young players coming up for extensions down the road, Utah is set up as well as anyone with cap space and draft assets.
Steps to Take
#1: Don’t sacrifice talent and defense for spacing – On many teams, the push for modern spacing would force Hayward to play as a power forward, relegating either Favors or Gobert to the bench and forwards Booker and Lyles to spot duty. But Utah realizes the strength of their team is their frontcourt, with Gobert and Favors dominating teams that try to attack the basket. The recent Miami Heat super-team saw wild success as a small-ball spacing squad, but don’t forget that an Indiana team built much like this Utah one took Miami to the brink multiple years in a row. Cleveland was up 2-1 on the Warriors in the Finals trotting out two traditional big men over those three games. There is value for “zigging” when other teams are “zagging” and the defensive force the Jazz have assembled is impressive, and Favors has proven to be an effective passer inside to help with the spacing issue. If Exum returns next season and becomes the player Utah thinks he can be, this core can compete in the West down the road.
#2: Give Lyles run down the stretch – Keeping the baby is important, but clean bathwater is needed to. Trey Lyles looks like the true key to a modern offense, an offensive weapon who can hit from distance (shooting 40 percent from three for the season) while still providing size and strength down low. Coach Quin Snyder could use Lyles with Favors and Gobert as a dangerous frontcourt rotation down the road, with Favors sliding to center and playing alongside Lyles when Gobert goes to the bench. If the Jazz can unlock Lyles’ potential he could provide offensive benefit without the defensive sacrifice.
#3: Fight for the playoffs – Utah has a talented core, and the difference between pick #13 and pick #16 in a weak draft is miniscule. It Utah can give this group some playoff experience it will provide dividends down the road. Despite the road-heavy schedule in front of them, the win-percentage of their opponents is significantly lower than teams ahead of them in Dallas and Portland, and Houston has not shown consistency all season. They have a real chance to break into the playoffs and cut their teeth.
#5: Give Snyder an extension – Quin Snyder has been tremendous for this young Utah team, giving them an identity and overseeing the development of Gobert and Hood into solid pieces. He has been creative and free in trying out unique lineups, from the “Wing T” no-PG lineups to bench groups around Hayward. The team has clearly bought into his vision and are playing hard and smart, two words that didn’t seem to apply under Tyrone Corbin. Making him play out next season with a team-option for 2017-18 doesn’t make much sense. Pick up the option as a minimum, but Utah should just lock Snyder up for a few more years.
#4: Don’t rush this – Utah is going to be in an interesting position this summer, flush with cap space and tempted to spend it. Upgrading the team is a good idea in a vacuum, but the young players who will define their future will be up for pay raises in the near future. Joining the spending frenzy this offseason could generate issues down the road for a small-market team that has to keep costs from getting out of hand. Real stars, or valuable role players, are good pieces, but making a move in July 2016 that hurts them in 2017 and 2018 is probably not the best step.
#5: See what Mike Conley’s interested in – The above being true, Conley is a solid piece and fits their defensive identity while still providing shooting at the point. Exum could be their long-term starter, but the Jazz can’t know for sure if he will come back 100 percent or when he will be ready to provide above-average value. Conley is going to at least do his research, and he could see Utah as a younger, more athletic, more talented, and better-coached version of the Memphis team he’s leaving. If that appeals to him, the Jazz should strongly consider bringing him in.
Conclusion: The Jazz may or may not make the playoffs this year, and while missing out would be a disappointment for fans, the Jazz should be excited about what the future holds. Memphis, Dallas, and perhaps even Oklahoma City and Los Angeles are seeing time trickle out on their contending windows, and the next few years will see a new guard step up in the West. While the rest of the NBA tries to play copycat and fling three pointers from all positions, the Jazz are standing tall and copying the contenders of old. Whether they can break through and win a title is a question that won’t be answered for years to come. But for now, they’ve saved that poor baby and are watching it grow into a fearsome team.
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