Team Needs:
Obviously much depends on what Gordon Hayward does. That said, as great as George Hill was when healthy, his absences from the lineup punctuated the need for a steadying hand to lead the offense.
Free Agents:
- Gordon Hayward UFA
- George Hill – UFA
- Joe Ingles – RFA
- Shelvin Mack – UFA
- Jeff Withey – UFA
Jonah Bolden:
As for Jonah Bolden in TI’s draft prospect preview his skills were highlighted as:
"Bolden serves up major contradictions. Most notably he shoots an impressive 41.9 percent from deep. But, then struggles from the charity stripe with a meager 58.5 percent efficiency. He’s grown this season which seemed to be directly related with his ability to play in his preferred perimeter location of the court. Diving into his background there is ample reason to be optimistic about his potential, especially if he’s in the right environment. That said, it feels like he’s perfectly suited for the Houston Rocket who’ll let him camp out on the perimeter and chose to play defense when it conveniently suits him."
Overview:
The Jazz did everything right. They built through the draft, nurtured their talent and treated their players well. When they were on the cusp last season, they went out and brought in three wily vets to take the next step. And for all that patience they may end up having to go back to the drawing board if they lose Hayward, Ingles, and Hill.
Utah is a perfect example of how teams rarely have the same fortune as the Warriors did. Curry continuous ankle issues ultimately allowed the Warriors flexibility. Consider if Golden State had to give Curry a more reasonable contract — if they do, they never get to sign Thompson and Green to the contracts they did ad bring in Durant after.
So, Utah finds itself at Hayward’s discretion. Continue to rise up the West ladder or be pushed backward to start rebuilding after just one season back in the playoffs. Ultimately, that question won’t be answered at least until July 1, but in the interim, the choices the Jazz make with their two, first-round picks could give hints to how likely they believe Hayward is to re-sign.