Game 23: Utah Jazz (12-10) vs Chicago Bulls (8-11)

[Inigo Montoya]

Markkanen is listed as day-to-day, don't know if he'll play.

[FJS]

We need to win this one.

I hope we'll do.

[Rauxcee]

Won tickets to the game. Hope to see a good game in person.

[red4hf]

Lauri is answering his critics tonight.......

[Crunch 99]

Markkanen came out of the gate on fire --- 19 pts on 8 fga in the first 15 mins of the game.

[red4hf]

Clarkson needs to stop playing so selfish......

[AingesBurner]

What a disappointment!! Trade Clarkson and Olynyk and let’s tank this bitch. Keep Conley.

[mg]

Clarkson needs to stop playing so selfish......

I don't mind so much if he's making his shots but he was 3 of 15 tonight.

People are going to harp on the late turnovers but the Jazz's biggest problem the past few games is they couldn't grab defensive rebounds and kept giving the Suns and Bulls 2nd chance opportunities.

[Inigo Montoya]

Did Kessler get injured? Why was Dok getting minutes over him?

Markkanen was balling but it was mostly due to the team setting him up very well for open shots, which he made. In the second half, Caruso did a good job on him defensively.

Our defense sucks. Often times we don't even have a man in the paint, and we also need to rebound a lot better.

We are now one game over .500. Things could get interesting.

[zero24gravity]

Did Kessler get injured? Why was Dok getting minutes over him?

This is pretty much all I want to know about this game. The rest is background noise to me. (Did enjoy seeing Lauri crush the first half.) No way Kessler played his way behind a useless Dok. I hope Walker isn't hurt, of course, but if he didn't get banged up then that rotation move is baffling. (.... and playing Dok isn't going to help his trade value, which is probably 0 regardless, so that reasoning won't suffice in my eyes.)

[FranchisePlayer]

Did Kessler get injured? Why was Dok getting minutes over him?

Markkanen was balling but it was mostly due to the team setting him up very well for open shots, which he made.

Which another player could they "set up very well for open shots" who would score as efficiently, too?

[FranchisePlayer]

Clarkson needs to stop playing so selfish......

This is what happens when a career bench player gets his share of limelight.

[Inigo Montoya]

Did Kessler get injured? Why was Dok getting minutes over him?

Markkanen was balling but it was mostly due to the team setting him up very well for open shots, which he made.

Which another player could they "set up very well for open shots" who would score as efficiently, too?

I would rather Markkanen get as many shots as possible, as he can score from pretty much anywhere. I was attempting to say, perhaps poorly, that he didn't create most of the shots he made, and instead that others set him up. If he is to take the next leap in his game, he needs to be able to create his own shot more regularly. Having said that, it's always good that a good scorer gets easy points within the offense by his teammates setting him up.

As an aside, since most of Markkanen's points came from open 3s, I'd say the one player I'd like to be set up well for open shots, especially threes, would be Beasley (and perhaps Fontecchio, those guys are automatic when they're open).

[FranchisePlayer]

Did Kessler get injured? Why was Dok getting minutes over him?

Markkanen was balling but it was mostly due to the team setting him up very well for open shots, which he made.

Which another player could they "set up very well for open shots" who would score as efficiently, too?

I would rather Markkanen get as many shots as possible, as he can score from pretty much anywhere. I was attempting to say, perhaps poorly, that he didn't create most of the shots he made, and instead that others set him up. If he is to take the next leap in his game, he needs to be able to create his own shot more regularly. Having said that, it's always good that a good scorer gets easy points within the offense by his teammates setting him up.

As an aside, since most of Markkanen's points came from open 3s, I'd say the one player I'd like to be set up well for open shots, especially threes, would be Beasley (and perhaps Fontecchio, those guys are automatic when they're open).

Not that I'm arguing he shouldn't be able to create more on his own but I really do feel Jazz fan base don't seem to appreciate the level he's playing at the moment. He's a very efficient scorer. For example the Bulls has no-one who is as efficient (with Lauri's volume) as we speak.

He's not merely a 3p shooter, he is a versatile scorer. And he's no lackluster in D either, above average by many accounts. He might not be a super star and never will be but the negativity surrounding his season and performances is an enigma.

[Inigo Montoya]

Not that I'm arguing he shouldn't be able to create more on his own but I really do feel Jazz fan base don't seem to appreciate the level he's playing at the moment. He's a very efficient scorer. For example the Bulls has no-one who is as efficient (with Lauri's volume) as we speak.

He's not merely a 3p shooter, he is a versatile scorer. And he's no lackluster in D either, above average by many accounts. He might not be a super star and never will be but the negativity surrounding his season and performances is an enigma.

Like I said, I think he should get a lot more possessions because I agree with you, he's scoring very efficiently.

Not sure about your point regarding negativity from Jazz fans about him though. I think everyone, myself included, are very happy with his performance overall, as he has exceeded pretty much everyone's expectations. Personally, I think he should be an all-star this season.

[mg]

We like Lauri. We've only had him for 20+ games. Alot of fans are still getting used to not having Don and Rudy. There are some Jazz fans proposing to deal him on the trade board for KAT and getting laughed off the board so obv Jazz fans think very highly of him. From the outside people are going to say it's a small sample....This is is 6th season, he's not a creator, injury prone over his career, he's been a roleplayer to this point, etc, etc.

Personally I think it would be great if he made the ASG. It's a personality contest and tough sledding to get in as a frontcourt player in the WC. LeBron, AD, George, Doncic, Jokic types are locks. Kawhi and KAT are injured so hopefully that is an opening for Lauri.

[FranchisePlayer]

Not that I'm arguing he shouldn't be able to create more on his own but I really do feel Jazz fan base don't seem to appreciate the level he's playing at the moment. He's a very efficient scorer. For example the Bulls has no-one who is as efficient (with Lauri's volume) as we speak.

He's not merely a 3p shooter, he is a versatile scorer. And he's no lackluster in D either, above average by many accounts. He might not be a super star and never will be but the negativity surrounding his season and performances is an enigma.

Like I said, I think he should get a lot more possessions because I agree with you, he's scoring very efficiently.

Not sure about your point regarding negativity from Jazz fans about him though. I think everyone, myself included, are very happy with his performance overall, as he has exceeded pretty much everyone's expectations. Personally, I think he should be an all-star this season.

He should get more possessions. The 4th quarter against the Bulls was frightening; they stopped feeding the hot hand, why?

"Everyone" is a bit of a hyperbole. I've seen more than one poster here listing some of his shortcomings

Actually, I really would like to see the discussion concentrate less on the Finnisher and more on Clarkson, Sexton and Olynyk.

[Inigo Montoya]

Not that I'm arguing he shouldn't be able to create more on his own but I really do feel Jazz fan base don't seem to appreciate the level he's playing at the moment. He's a very efficient scorer. For example the Bulls has no-one who is as efficient (with Lauri's volume) as we speak.

He's not merely a 3p shooter, he is a versatile scorer. And he's no lackluster in D either, above average by many accounts. He might not be a super star and never will be but the negativity surrounding his season and performances is an enigma.

Like I said, I think he should get a lot more possessions because I agree with you, he's scoring very efficiently.

Not sure about your point regarding negativity from Jazz fans about him though. I think everyone, myself included, are very happy with his performance overall, as he has exceeded pretty much everyone's expectations. Personally, I think he should be an all-star this season.

He should get more possessions. The 4th quarter against the Bulls was frightening; they stopped feeding the hot hand, why?

"Everyone" is a bit of a hyperbole. I've seen more than one poster here listing some of his shortcomings

Actually, I really would like to see the discussion concentrate less on the Finnisher and more on Clarkson, Sexton and Olynyk.

I don't see the problem with listing the shortcomings of players. Everybody has shortcomings. I doesn't mean people aren't excited about certain players, and I think that bringing up Markkanen's shortcomings is totally fair. He did have health issues that kept him out in the past. He did have a tendency to play well and then disappear for a stretch of games, for example. If he is to take the next step, he'll need to find a way to address such issues.

[FranchisePlayer]

Like I said, I think he should get a lot more possessions because I agree with you, he's scoring very efficiently.

Not sure about your point regarding negativity from Jazz fans about him though. I think everyone, myself included, are very happy with his performance overall, as he has exceeded pretty much everyone's expectations. Personally, I think he should be an all-star this season.

He should get more possessions. The 4th quarter against the Bulls was frightening; they stopped feeding the hot hand, why?

"Everyone" is a bit of a hyperbole. I've seen more than one poster here listing some of his shortcomings

Actually, I really would like to see the discussion concentrate less on the Finnisher and more on Clarkson, Sexton and Olynyk.

I don't see the problem with listing the shortcomings of players. Everybody has shortcomings. I doesn't mean people aren't excited about certain players, and I think that bringing up Markkanen's shortcomings is totally fair. He did have health issues that kept him out in the past. He did have a tendency to play well and then disappear for a stretch of games, for example. If he is to take the next step, he'll need to find a way to address such issues.

It was probaly more about the tone of voice than anything other. And I do acknowledge and understand he has some aspects in his game that need improvement. Let's move on, shall we...