The Jazz were blown out by the Kings Tuesday night 124-106 to remain winless four games into the season.
Cody Williams replaced the injured Taylor Hendricks and Jordan Clarkson started over Collin Sexton. It wasn’t clear, however, that any conceivable Jazz line-up could have competed with the talented Kings last night. With Markkanen leaving the game at halftime with back issues, the Jazz may not have had anybody on the floor that could start for the Kings.
You see, the Jazz are bad. They’re playing poorly. Taking the under on the Jazz Vegas odds win total of 28 seems like a very safe bet right now. Utah has been the worst offensive team in the league to start the season… by a long shot. They have the third-worst defense in the league right now. They have the largest points scored v. points given up differential in the league… by a long shot.
We thought it would be tough for the Jazz to score a top draft pick with Markkanen playing… we are rethinking that.
And yet. We’re just four games into the season. Anything could happen.
So, let’s focus on the few, tiny, itsy-bitsy, bright spots that appeared (briefly) under the dark cloud of the Hendricks gut-punch injury and amidst the gloom of the 18-point beat down.
Kyle Jared (Flip) Filipowski appeared! Did you see the brightness?
Justin Zanik, Jazz General manager, has said that that Jazz brass knows they are not going to go 7-7 with the young players they are testing this year. We agree. Right now it’s not clear that they haven’t gone 0-7. But we must admit that Flip showed folks something last night.
While Keyonte was bricking three-pointers and Cody Williams was figuring out how he might get a shot off, Flip, the second-rounder, was boarding, and dishing, and muscling his way to the rim. Twelve points, eight rebounds, a couple of assists, and only one turnover in 25 minutes. Put him in coach. Keep it up Flip. Let’s start him at PF and see what he can do.
Did we say bright spots… as in plural? Eh… Flip was about it. Cody Williams did finally hit some threes, but the catch-and-shoot corner trey is about all he can get off right now.
Nope. It’s just Flip pretty much. The rest was (is) ugly. If they sit Markkanen with the back thing, it may be a while before the Jazz break into the win column. And maybe that is just as well.
We’re coming for you Detroit—worst record or bust.