Utah Jazz 2022-23 Season Preview
Utah Jazz 2022-23 Season Preview
The Jazz will have a more free-flowing 5-Out with less ballscreens than usual.
Welcome to the 2022-23 previews for every NBA team! These breakdowns are designed to look at stats, film & anything I found interesting in my preparation for the upcoming NBA season.
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Film
5-Out
After ranking in the top 6 in pick and roll % of possessions every year since Quin Snyder took over, the Jazz appear to be switching things up more under Will Hardy, or at least that is what the preseason shows us. They primarily ran 5-Out offense with multiple actions and reads out of it.
One of the main advantages of playing 5-Out is spacing for backdoor cuts, although NBA teams don’t look for cutting actions (except Warriors/Heat/Nuggets), the Jazz have upped their cutting so far this preseason. Small sample size, but after ranking 29th in the NBA the Jazz ranked 8th in the preseason for possesions ending in cuts.
Drive & Kicks
If you have players who can dribble penetrate or create 1 on 1 advantages easily, then running 5-Out makes defending a nightmare. I do think this years Jazz team has some good individual penetrators (Sexton/Clarkson etc.) that can create good drive and kick opportunities.
With connectors like Olynyk/Beasley/Vanderbilt any advantage created can typically be continued and the Jazz can run a good 5-Out motion offense.
Flare
One action that stood out this preseason was the use of Flare screens, especially randomly in their 5-Out.
Ghost
I have talked about Ghost screens before, but adding them randomly in any offense is always great and with the 5-Out spacing it will create advantages.
Horns Flare Slip
Flare/Slip action is a great counter to switching and to run randomly in 5-Out offense, but the Jazz run this in a Horns look as well.
In early offense both bigs run into a Horns look and then run Flare/Slip action - I love this so much in the flow of the offense.
Quick Flare
The Jazz run two variations of “Quick Flare” with both running different entries than the original set I saw from the Mavericks.
To setup the first action, the big at the elbow sets a backscreen as the ball is passed to the wing.
Then the point guard comes off the flare screen into empty space - the goal of this is to force the player guarding the backscreen to react and sag off so it opens up no coverage on the flare screen.
Only one time they got to the Screen the Screener part but this will flow into that as well.
The other entry is a quick hand off on the wing and then the opposite wing sets a flare screen for the player at the top.
Ram Get Shallow
A great action that is similar to Spain, running Shallow action in a ballscreen is one of my favorite concept that I originally saw from Fenerbahce overseas.
The Jazz screen down for the player setting a ballscreen and then as the ballscreen is being set, the player who initially screened down cuts through underneath to the 3 point line.
When the player cuts underneath is what I call “Shallow” action to trick the tag.
SOB Hand Back Flare Slip
Another play where the Jazz use Flare/Slip action (noticing a trend?!) out of sideline out of bounds. The play starts off with an initial screen off the big toward the rim looking for a quick score.
Then the big opens up and receives the pass and hands it back to the inbounder.
When the ball is being handed back, the opposite corner sets a flare screen for the elbow and slips looking for a layup or blown switch.
Spain
When the Jazz did run ballscreen action the most common set they ran Spain action quite a bit. It seemed both random and called, but Spain action is one of my favorite ballscreen actions and is designed to create confusion for the defense.
Spain Empty
A variation out of their 5-Out offense is running Spain action on the empty side of the floor, what I just call “Spain Empty.”
Spain Leak
A read out of Spain is to have the player setting the backscreen leak out or cut out early out of the action, sometimes a read and sometimes a call this can create even more confusion since teams usually switch guards to defend this action.
If you liked this breakdown feel free to share it & if you have any other scenarios, plays, or thoughts on any future breakdowns let me know in the comments below!
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Outwork Yesterday.
Coach Pyper
Do they still run their 5-out when they have a non shooting big on the court? Or do the resort to mostly their Spain sets?