As a lead-in to the new Utah Jazz season, each week Salt City Hoops will count down the very best games by Jazz players in 2017-18.
Rankings assessed both traditional and advanced stats but also considered the competitive importance of the game, caliber of opponent, and other such factors. Thus, rankings are holistic and not just numeric — truly the best and most important games of the year.
To prime the pump, this week recall these excellent performances that fell just short of the top ten:
28 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 65% field goal, 4 of 6 from three, 2 of 2 free throws. [24.9 PIE, 25.6 GmSc]1
Take Note: While Burks’ erratic play later in the season would cost him a regular role in the rotation, early in the year he showcased how fine a basketball player he can be when healthy — the key being healthy.2
27 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 47% field goal, 6 of 14 from three, 3 of 4 free throws. [19.5 PIE, 20.6 GmSc]
Take Note: Crowder’s resurrection upon donning a Jazz uniform was immediate, profound, and carried into the playoffs, where he overcame periods of poor shooting to be Utah’s leading scorer in what nearly become a playoff series closeout on the road.
24 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 3 blocks, 75% field goal. [28.9 PIE, 26.3 GmSc]
Take Note: Favors’s long awaited return to health combined with early-season injury to Rudy Gobert combined to showcase just how important Favors is to the Jazz, both at the four or, as in this game, as the best backup center in the league, one capable of dominating Nikola Jokic.
17 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 6 blocks, 67% field goal, 9 of 12 free throws. [28.4 PIE, 24.6 GmSc]
Take Note: Early in the year Gobert showcased his ability to completely dominate a game while only taking six field goal attempts — and traumatized high-flying rookie Dennis Smith Jr. in the process.
18 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, 47% field goal, 4 of 8 from three. [20.6 PIE, 18.9 GmSc]
Take Note: Already known as one of the league’s better three-and-D players, this game marked Ingles’ blossoming into a triple-double threat, and he would post games with at least seven rebounds with seven assists three more times that month3.
27 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 50% field goal, 3 of 7 from three, 2 of 2 free throws. [20.9 PIE, 22.8 GmSc]
Take Note: Mitchell offensively led a team to the playoffs, the first time an NBA rookie had done this in a decade, and in his first playoff game cemented his fearlessness by going off for 27 on the road — while setting a career-high mark for rebounds in the process.
Not bad for appetizers. Later this week, the countdown starts in earnest when we start the list of the 10 best Jazz player performances last season.
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