Drawing Answers From the Jazz’s Bubble Experience

Clarkson went to Orlando with a chance to improve his stock ahead of free agency. (Matthew Stockman via espn.com)

Ever since the Utah Jazz’s Game 7 heartbreak concluded their fun, competitive series against the Denver Nuggets, the club and its fans are now in forward-looking mode, trying to learn fro m the early exit and answer questions about their future. Before the Jazz’s bubble experience began, we discussed what the Jazz’s front office needed to learn from the Jazz’s time in Orlando to help them prepare for the offseason. Now it’s time to circle back and find the answers to those questions.

Free agents

The Jazz only have two unrestricted free agents this offseason: Jordan Clarkson and Emmanuel Mudiay. Both of them were going to have a great opportunity to earn nice new contracts this fall. With Bojan Bogdanović injured, the Jazz needed to have others step up to help replace what he brought to the team. And with Mike Conley missing the first two games to meet his newborn son, Clarkson and Mudiay would have even more opportunities to make their respective cases to Jazz brass.

Before Clarkson was traded to the Jazz, he had only ever played in the playoffs once, with the Cavs in 2018. His playoff appearance left much to be desired and he didn’t play often during the NBA Finals. Clarkson played well in his second playoff appearance, averaging 28 minutes and scoring 16.7 points a game during the series. The Jazz needed Clarkson and he delivered. Expect the Jazz to try to bring him back on a long-term deal.

Mudiay’s playoff appearance didn’t go as well as Clarkson’s. More than anyone else on the team, Mudiay had the most to prove during the bubble. In my bubble preview I wrote that Mudiay had perhaps the best chance to “improve his stock the most for this upcoming free agency period.” By the end of the season, Mudiay was out of the rotation despite playing well while the team was without Conley in the regular season. Mudiay was going to get first crack at Bogdanovic’s remaining minutes in the postseason, but he didn’t meet the challenge, averaging just 11 minutes a game and was -1.3 on the court. This might not have been the best scenario for Mudiay to succeed since he is better with the ball in his hands than as a spot up shooter. Don’t expect to see him return to the Jazz’s roster next season.

The future up front

Another question we explored pre-bubble was about the Jazz’s future depth up front. During the extended break in action, rumors came out that former Jazz big man Derrick Favors was interested in returning to Utah next season. This set up an interesting situation for Tony Bradley. During the bubble run, he could make the Jazz’s decision an easy one and show he was capable of being Rudy Gobert’s backup. The results were just so-so. The Jazz bled points during the time Gobert was on the bench. Comparing Gobert, who is a world class defender, and Bradley isn’t fair. Another thing to consider is that the Jazz perimeter defenders aren’t world class and if Bradley had more help from them he wouldn’t have looked as bad. Having Favors back would be a much better option but the Jazz will have to consider Favors’ asking price and whether it makes sense financially. (Bradley is already under contract for next season at just over $3.5 million.)

Bradley is a good rim roller and has nice touch around the basket. Throughout the entire season he did show growth as he looked to make the case that he can become the long term answer at backup center. If the Jazz do sign Favors back, look for the Jazz to trade Bradley, maybe packaging him with Ed Davis to help unload his contract.

The Conley question

Conley’s first season in Utah was a bit of a roller coaster. First, he got injured at the beginning of the season and upon his return, it took him a while to adjust to his new role on this team. By the time the season was suspended, Conley was playing some solid basketball. But was it enough for someone making over $32 million? Basically, the Jazz needed to figure out if Conley, who will make $34.5 million next season unless he unexpectedly opts to terminate his contract early, is worth it. Conley played great in the bubble, averaging 19.8 points a game while shooting 53 percent from three. With the injury to Bogdanovic, Conley went from third banana to second, meaning he got to have the ball in his hands more — similar to his role in Memphis.

When the ball isn’t in his hands, he is an elite catch-and-shoot guy. During the season, he averaged 42 percent on catch-and-shoot threes and in the playoffs he upped it to 58 percent. Conley can play with or without the ball in his hands and affect the game in a big way. The only concern left on Conley is if a backcourt with two small guards (Conley and Donovan Mitchell) can defend at a high level. Expect to see Conley back in a Jazz uniform.

All-Star chemistry

When the league suspended play, the strained relationship between Gobert and Mitchell became a huge story. Both players eventually tried to put the story to bed, but seeing them play together was the only way to end this saga. Even though they lost the series, both players played well together, easing fans’ worries. The Jazz brass must feel good about how things are, because reports are that they will try to lock up both Mitchell and Gobert with contract extensions this offseason.

Wing defense

With Bogdanovic out, the Jazz got really small, really fast. They started Royce O’Neale at power forward who is just 6-foot-4. What we learned is the Jazz need to add more defensive to the wing position. Dennis Lindsey confirmed this during his end of the year press conference: “Anyone with defensive integrity who is an active and athletic defender will be someone who is of interest to us,” Tony Jones tweeted out. The Jazz going small wasn’t the issue, it was having a lack of defensive minded players at the wing position. Lindsey got a clear answer on this and look for him to address it this offseason.

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The Jazz’s season ended in heartbreak but with stars Mitchell and Gobert in place, they are set up for long playoff runs for the foreseeable future. A few tweaks around them is all that is needed.