4 takeaways from a strange, long road trip for the Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz, tasked with one of the hardest early season schedules in the NBA, hit the road on a seven-game-in-11-day road trip across the United States. This early season East Coast tour turned into one of the most interesting yet puzzling trips in recent Jazz history.
The trip included a few offensive explosions, a complete implosion in the Big Apple, Shaq versus Rudy Twitter beefs, multiple big leads given away, and one postponed game in the nation’s capital due to COVID-19.
For a team that should be benefiting from continuity, the Jazz struggled with inconsistent performance and moments of unknown identity. Utah showed their what their ceiling could be by beating perhaps the best team in the NBA (Milwaukee), and also how low it can get with back-to-back losses to both the short-handed Brooklyn Nets and the inferior New York Knicks. It was perhaps the most frustrating and confusing 4-2 road trip you could ask for.
The performances were so erratic that even Quin Snyder stormed out of the huddle after a dismal third quarter against Detroit saying “You guys figure it out!” But Utah ended the trip strong and could be ready to make a series push to the top of the Western Conference standings. Here were my takeaways from the road trip.