RealGM

Which Jazz player has surprised and disappointed you with his play thus far this year?

Even though Miles may even win 6th man of the year or most improved playerin the NBA, I knew he had the ability to do this, but Francisco Elson has been a HUGE surprise for me. He is a professional back up center/PF who does his job every night. His defense has been awesone along with his ability to hit the open shot. I thought he would be an end of the bench guy collecting a check when he was signed but he is an intregal and extremely important part of the teams rotation.

Disappointing? not really anyone maybe Hayward bc of his lack of playing time and the fact that he looks a little clueless on the floor when he is suppose to be a smart player. I still think he will be a very good player when he gets his shot but it wont happen for 1-2 years from now.

Surprising: Elson
Disappointing: Bell

Can't say anyone is really extreme either way. I'm pleased with the team as a whole.

HolyToledo wrote:Even though Miles may even win 6th man of the year or most improved playerin the NBA, I knew he had the ability to do this

Those two scenarios are pure fantasy.

Bells total lack of a jumpshot has been the most disappointing, followed closely by Hayward's inability to get on the court.

Most surprising has been the whole team's ability to fight through adversity on the road, which is something we've never seen from the post Stockton and Malone Jazz.

Surprising = the whole bench, namely Watson, Price and Elson. They have been outstanding since the first few games.

Disappointing = Miles inconsistency. Luckily, it hasn't been that much of our undoing. A close second would be playing time for the rookies, but what do you expect?

Beyond players, here are my overall team observations:

Most surprising: Every aspect of the success on the road, ft % proficiency, defensive fg % allowed ( tops in the league), Millsap's 3 pt range , Watson and Elson's play, the gritty determination to win no matter the deficit, Sloan's sub patterns seem more erratic and successful than normal..

Most disappointing: Virtually nothing out of Fes and Hayward, rebounding woes ( I bet we're on pace to set a record in games won despite being outrebounded,) chronic slow starts, DWill's slightly subpar fg%, not enough pt for Jeremy Evans, near-blowout home losses to OKC and Phoenix and having sold my tickets to the Lakers game.

I'm not too down on Raja just yet - I think he's a big reason why our defensive %'s are the best in the league, and his 2 pt% is better than Miles, AK and Hayward, and reasonably close to DWill's... I don't think that the Jazz need him to score 18 pts a game on 55% and 45% from three. Wouldn't hurt, but unrealistic to expect it..

Yeah, Bell's been fine. I really just want him to play well on defense and instill a defensive mentality and toughness in the other guys, and that's happened so far.

Most Disappointing = Fes

After last year's playoffs and knowing that Memo was going to be hurt for the beginning of the season, I really was expecting him to come ready to play and excel. That and given that he basically held out all summer expecting a big contract has left me wanting more from him.

Most surprising = Elson + bench

Elson has filled the hole left by Fes. He has been able to fill in quite well in big games and done what we needed Fes to do.

I'm also shocked at our ability to win on the road this year against +.500 teams. In the past you could bank on not being able to win many (if any) of these games. Already we are 7-2 on the road this year.

Most disappointing: Hayward (or Haywood, if you speak Bolerese). I thought he'd be more like Matthews and seize the bench minutes that were clearly there for the taking. I still think he can be a good player for this team, but I had thought he'd contribute this year and that looks very unlikely at this point.

Most surprising: The Watson/Price backcourt. If you had told me before the season that Sloan's bench unit would be led by this backcourt I would've screamed obscenities but they've been very effective. I give a lot of credit to Sloan and his staff for being open to experimenting with different lineups until they find one that works. One of the old criticisms of Sloan was that he was very rigid in his lineups and substitution patterns. Anyone who watches the Jazz this season can't accurately make that claim.

Keeping in mind that less than a quarter of the season is over.......


Surprising: Elson, really didn't think much of the pickup, but the guy is perfect for this team. He's tough, smart and knows his role.

Disappointing: Al. I expected too much I think when I imagined him tearing it up with DWill. He has done ok, but I am disappointed with his rebounding (boxing out). He was the centerpiece of our offseason, I was hoping for someone who could come in and be a go to guy, but thus far, he is a nice "complementary" player.

(Hayward would be here, but honestly, how can you disappointed with a guy would looks so young that he should be playing on the Jr. Jazz? I didn't expect much from him and in the little time that he has played, he hasn't shown much.)

GP wrote:Keeping in mind that less than a quarter of the season is over.......


Surprising: Elson, really didn't think much of the pickup, but the guy is perfect for this team. He's tough, smart and knows his role.

Disappointing: Al. I expected too much I think when I imagined him tearing it up with DWill. He has done ok, but I am disappointed with his rebounding (boxing out). He was the centerpiece of our offseason, I was hoping for someone who could come in and be a go to guy, but thus far, he is a nice "complementary" player.

Same. I'd just like to add that D-Will has had to carry more of the load to make up for the decline in offensive production and frankly, I know he'd rather rack up assists than points.

I would also like to add Fes to my most disappointing list. He is not taking advantage of Okur being out, and is being heavily outplayed by Elson when he does get minutes. He is just too lax to be what many of you think he can be in this league.