The Jazz lost in Cleveland 124-116 in December. Markkanen had 26 points and 10 boards while Collins had 16 and 5. The Cavs were without Mitchell, Garland, and Mobley, but put up 124 points anyway. The Jazz rank 27th in scoring defense.
Markkanen averages 23 points and 8 rebounds so his loss has an impact. The Jazz are 11.1 points better when he’s on the court - best on the team. Collins and Clarkson, however, are both in the negative.
Walker Kessler, age 22 and in his second season, will start at center. Kessler is 7’0”, 245, so he’s the one guy with good size in the starting lineup. Omer Yurtseven is the third string center.
Their starting “power” forward, rookie Taylor Hendricks, is 6’9”, 215 pounds, and just turned 20. Their starting small forward, Brice Sensabaugh, is also a 20-year-old rookie. Collin Sexton and Keonte George, who is (you guessed it) a 20-year-old rookie, start at the guard positions. So they have three 20-year olds, a 22-year-old, and Collin Sexton starting.
Sexton is averaging 19 points and 5 assists on 49% from the field and 40% on 3’s. But he’s a defensive liability as the Jazz give up 4.1 points more when he’s on the floor. Overall he’s a +4.7, putting him in the 77th percentile in on/off. From the numbers it looks like he’s playing very well.
George averages 13 points and 5 assists from his point guard position while Sensabaugh and Hendricks average 5.6 and 6.6 points in 16 and 21 minutes. Sensabaugh only hits 37% of his shots.
The Jazz rank 11th in scoring but with three of their top four scorers out they will be really low on bucket makers.
In the last two weeks Utah is 25th in point differential at -14.0 The Cavs are 24th at -7.8.
The Jazz crash the glass hard, ranking 2nd in offensive rebound percentage and leading the NBA in putback points per missed shot. This will be a major problem for the Cavs. The downside for Utah is that when they go for offensive boards and don’t get them it leaves them vulnerable to the fast break. In fact they allow more fast break points per game than any team in the NBA. Kessler leads the team in offensive rebounds despite not being a starter.
The Jazz are last in turnovers per play. They play faster than average, ranking 10th in pace and 9th in assists per possession. But they commit more turnovers than any team; nearly 15 per game, which is understandable for such a young group.
Defensively they don’t defend shots well, ranking 28th in effective field goal percentage, and they don’t get turnovers, either, ranking 28th in forcing turnovers and 29th in steals. They are just bad defensively all over, including bringing up the rear in opponents’ 3-point percentage at a whopping 39.6%. Maybe Garland can knock down some 3’s and get his confidence back. Darius is 7-for-31 from deep his last six games.
Wade, Okoro, and Porter are still out for the Cavs.
The Cavs need this win against a team that has lost 9 in a row, 12 of 13, and 20 of 23. They are also missing easily their best player in Markkanen and three of their top five. If the Cavs lose this one then they should pack it in and play the summer league team the rest of the way. Might as well get them some experience.
Injury report
CLEVELAND
Dean Wade - OUT (knee)
Ty Jerome - OUT (ankle)
Isaac Okoro - OUT (toe)
Craig Porter Jr - DOUBTFUL (illness)
Donovan Mitchell - OUT (knee)
UTAH
Jordan Clarkson - OUT (back)
John Collins - OUT (back)
Lauri Markkanen - OUT (shoulder)