Big Al

[Neon Black]

I'm looking for a shred of hope from you guys...especially those who've been able to follow Jefferson this year.

I don't remember him missing this many shots before being in Utah. I thought he was unstoppable in the post? Funny thing is, his jumper is good and he's passing the rock very well. All big concerns coming into the season. But, unexpectedly, he can't hit at a high % or rebound to save his life... he misses tons of easy grabs. He doesn't box out. He hasn't set a screen all year.

I've noticed he seems extremely timid when attacking the hoop. He has tons of opportunities, thanks to the Jazz offense, to get wide open dunks. But, instead of putting the ball down for one dribble and going at the rim, he'll shoot a (Please Use More Appropriate Word) little push shot from 10 ft and miss.

How much of this is just an adjustment and how much should Jazz fans be concerned over?

[shangrila]

You should be concerned. If you didn't remeber him missing shots while he was here, well, you probably only saw his good games. He's one of the lowest efficiency bigs in the entire NBA and I doubt that's going to change.

But they're stuck with him now SUCKAS!!

[Steve_Holiday]

his shooting % will likely go up a tick as the year goes on....he's at 46% right now vs a typical season of 50. no need to panic. his boards are down a bit. maybe it's because millsap is gobbling them up?

unstoppable in the post? sure he is. but not like dwight howard with the furious finishes. expect to see Al pivot 100 times and then lay in a scoop that makes the defender look silly. sometimes, he will get swatted into the third row...

most t'wolves fans were sad to see him go, but if Al were a true all-star caliber player, we wouldn't have finished with 15 wins last year. if you view him as a #2 or #3 option and try to bask in his offensive footwork, you'll enjoy him a whole lot more than if you expect him to beast every night.

[collin_k41]

I don't think I've ever seen Al Jefferson set a screen period. His scoring stroke will come around and I think the same can be said about his rebounding. That being said, the numbers he put up here in Minnesota aren't realistic for the Al Jefferson that helps a team win. He can put those numbers up, obviously, but I don't think it's super advantageous to a team. 17/10 is about where you want him to be and he's just short of that. I think most of the things you mentioned aren't anything to get too worried about, after all we're only about a dozen games into the season.

On a side note: Now that Al is with the Jazz he is listed as a forward on the All-star ballot and with us he was a center? What gives?

[younggunsmn]

Al has never been terribly efficient, but I expect him to improve on the 46% shooting into the 48-49 range. He's never shown much ability or desire to draw fouls or drive strong to the basket. His strength has always been his sick post game and ability to score against the double team. He was a much better offensive rebounder than defensive rebounder when he was here, but he was fairly adequate on the defensive end. I suspect Sloan asking more of him defensively is hurting his rebounding a tad.

Milsap is the better player. Honestly you are seeing pretty much the same player we saw here, except he is passing the ball now, so be thankful for that. He plays best at PF next to a strong defensive C. It is a good thing you guys have good defenders at PG and the wings, because he will be useless defending against drivers. How is he defending the pick and roll? He was absolutely terrible defending the P&R while he was here.

[Krapinsky]

He looks exactly the same as he did last year. He still hasn't regained the confidence (in his body) or strength he had before his injury.

I'll reiterate what youngguns said too, he's best as a PF on offense which allows him to exploit smaller players on the post. RIght now you guys are exclusively playing him in the middle.

[Foye]

I watched just one game of the Jazz this season but in that game he looked pretty much like last season. Far away from pre-injury Jefferson.

[the_bruce]

Put al on low block. Give him ball. Watch 2-3 defenders swarm to him. Watch him make the shot 50% of time and avoid contact

Put al on low block watch defender front him to deny ball.

-fin

He's amazing/fun to watch, but you need to find a way to exploit the way he's defended by every team.

[Peezo]

Al is about where he is going to be, but I would expect his numbers to go up a little bit. He pretty much is what he is, a highly skilled low post player who needs a lot of shuts to put up high scoring numbers. Part of the problem is he does draw a double so often and yet still shoots (he has the ability to beat double teams and knows that).

[Calinks]

Al is definitely not being the player he was right now. People who say this is who is are wrong or they just somehow forgot how dominant he was in the low post. When you are averaging 20 points on 50% shooting that isn't being non efficient.

Right now Al is looking much like he did last year. I think he's physically fine but mentally, he's not where he needs to be to be a great 2nd option. The NBA game is probably 50 percent talent and 50 percent mental. He's clearly not as confident as he was a couple of years ago where you could nearly put your offense on his back. I don't know for sue he will ever be the same player, but I would be surprised if he doesn't get any better than this. He needs to get his head together and get his confidence back. It does wonders for a player. He missed a lot of time while being out and his game is largely predicated on timing and trickery. It's not easy getting all of that back down.

All you can do is give him time and hope for the best. IF he does get back to old form you will be very happy because you will have an inside bull on your hands. If not then at least you got Milsap and Al isn't totally worthless out there. Hopefully you wont be worrying about this by all-star break though. I don't think the guy is done, he just has work to do.

[moss_is_1]

yeah, Al before his injury was what like 23 points on 50% shooting? too bad...

[Devilzsidewalk]

he'll be fine, this system is unlike anything he's been apart of, he'll find his place. Most important thing is the Jazz are playing well. And Big Al outplayed Dwight Howard couple weeks ago...I don't remember him ever doing that in MN.

[cjs55]

I just want to know what the hell happened to his rebounding? The Jazz are getting crushed on the offensive boards every night, and Al Jeff can't get a defensive rebound to save his life. Currently, the Jazz are a much worse team with him on the floor (just take a look at 82games.com), and a big part of it has to do with the rebounding troubles.

[Klomp]

he'll be fine, this system is unlike anything he's been apart of, he'll find his place. Most important thing is the Jazz are playing well. And Big Al outplayed Dwight Howard couple weeks ago...I don't remember him ever doing that in MN.

1. He never "found his place" in the triangle either.
2. http://www.basketball-reference.com/box ... 60MIN.html