The Jazz are the revolution: 10-3, the first ten-win team of the season (they were joined hours later by the Bucks), and no one can talk about chance anymore. Yes of surprise: the team of the tankingthe one who was going to throw the house out the window (and almost every party with it, it was assumed) to chase the elongated shadow of Victor Wembanyama, is one of the best in the NBA in this first stretch of the season. Neither his calendar has been easy nor his victories have anything fortuitous. They are a great team, perfectly assembled by Will Hardy, a 34-year-old manager who is the early favorite (lots of running left) for the Coach of the Year award. come out of staff by Ime Udoka and how essential strategist in the Celtics who stayed two victories from the ring, Hardy has not found out that his team have to lose. In his locker room they don’t know anything either. Well, yes: Markkanen has acknowledged that they listen to the noise, they listen to the jokes about their wins and how that hurts the future of the franchise, and they basically make gasoline out of it. What to ask the Hawks, frozen (119-125) after three wins in a row, the last against the almost untouchables bucks.
The Jazz are a young team but with just the right amount of experience (Mike Conley, manager). They have offensive variants to resist in any type of game, players with many points in their pockets. Hardy doses and releases when it comes to those who know how to score but not so much make decisions (Clarkson, Sexton, Beasley), he has given gallons to Lauri Markkanen so that he strides towards the All Star (not an exaggeration at all) after playing poorly coached in Chicago and playing a minor role in Cleveland. And he uses a young workforce (Vanderbilt, Kessler…) to put energy into a team that is off to its best start since 2005. It is quickly said: after trading four starters, including his two stars: Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, Bojan Bogdanovic, Royce O’Neale. The Jazz are no longer a curiosity freakThey are an excellent basketball team.
In Atlanta, they took a 15-point lead in the first half (33-48), sank afterwards (32 points from the Hawks in eight minutes of the third quarter) but played the important moments better than a rival who was on their track and wants do important things in the East. A partial of 2-10 put a 92-95 that served as a launch pad for the final blow (98-108). Against the team that best defends the line of three (32.5% of their rivals until tonight), the Jazz gave a ball movement course to take free shots: 17/39 (43.6%). Markkanen signed a 6/8 and scored 32 points (16 in the first quarter) to which he added 8 rebounds. Beasley appeared in the last quarter, with a storm of triples (4/5 in that part) and 18 points. Clarkson (23) and Olynyk (14) scored, led Conley (13 assists) and rookie center Walker Kessler, 22nd draft pick…and born in Atlanta, worked hard.
The Hawks ended very badly. Trae Young did not get regularity at any time, he did not have a temperature: 10/28 in shots, not a trip to the free throw line and 22 points. Dejounte Murray finished with 26 points and Hunter with 22 in a game that left a feeling of missed opportunity for a team that had been on the rise and is now 7-4. But that he will not have headlines today. That’s all for the Utah Jazz, who are teaching a lesson. Of pride, of professionalism… and of basketballthat is the most important thing.