After losing 1st round pick Trey Burke to injury, the Utah Jazz have been forced to start the ancient Jamaal Tinsley or the incredibly undersized former Bulls chucker John Lucas III. Don't get me wrong, I think JL3 is a decent spark plug to have coming off the bench, but he is not anything close to a starting caliber NBA guard. In his increased role, Lucas is taking 4.4 3's a game a shooting 18%! Jerry Sloan would not allow this.
Anyways, let's take a look at some key Utah players.
Gordan Hayward: The Great White Hope
Gordan Hayward has developed into a very solid NBA player, and one who is likely to get overpaid in the offseason. I really like Hayward as your classic jack of all trades player. He's a solid three point shooter, ok defender, decent rebounder, and a good passer. He's not great at any one thing, but you'll watch the game tonight and see that Hayward somehow ends up with 19 points 7 boards and 5 dimes.
Still, I'm not worried about him. The Bulls duo of freak wing players did a great job on Paul George in their previous game, so I'm not worried about Hayward dominating the Bulls tonight. It certainly doesn't hurt that Derrick Rose will be able to do whatever he wants tonight since he won't actually have to defend any of Utah's point guards.
Enes Kanter
Enes Kanter is an intriguing player, having shown so many flashes that Utah was able to let both Stormin Normin-fave Paul Milsap (the most underrated player in the league FOREVER) and Al Jefferson (ok, a black hole) walk away.
Kanter's off to a great start this year, averaging nearly 19 points per game on 55% shooting while adding nearly 10 boards. That's all well and good, but I think the Bulls will defend him well. Los Bulls have plenty of size in the inside, and they can throw a combo of Taj/Noah/Nazr at him all game. With fellow big Derrick Favors struggling a bit offensively, Kanter will get his shots and some points, but every single bucket will be earned.
What? I'm picking the Bulls?
Yes, after totally underrating an Indiana team that will contend for an Eastern Conference loss to Miami, I'm pretty confident the Bulls will be able to dismantle the Jazz. The Bulls have had a knack for leaving three point shooters wide open this year, but Alec Burks' 13% success rate from downtown and Al Jefferson's nearly as pathetic 24% three point shooting , the Bulls can afford to let Utah put up some threes. And when Utah bricks these threes, the Bulls will get out on the break, allowing for some easy buckets.
Offensively, the Bulls should easily outplay the Jazz, particularly if they can make some three point shots. For the love of God, Derrick, PLEASE DESTROY WHOEVER GUARDS YOU!
Bottom line: Bulls 101 Jazz 85
*Note- why I love the Internet: sommeone compiled Enes Kanter highlights!!!
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