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Final Grades Are In!… A Look Back.
Posted by: Ryan Walker on April 7th, 2011
The author's views are entirely his or her own and may not reflect the views of the Utah Jazz.Here’s my player by player recap of what turned out to be the wildest season in Utah Jazz history. Obviously these grades aren’t a comparison to other teams and their respective counterparts league wide, but more of a fans perspective, taking into account the special circumstances that this year presented. So— acknowledging that the year was a disappointment, but still optimistic about the future, here are my end of year marks. Also, remember that i’m not comparing them to each other, each grade is based on the corresponding player and his personal performance compared to past performance, and potential.
Al Jefferson A- 18.8pts, 9.7reb, 77%ft, 50%fg, 1.9 blocks
Big Al really came into his own the second half of the season, often times carrying the Jazz completely. He is very skilled offensively, and his almost 2 blocks per game was a breath of fresh air on the defensive end. While I believe that he can be an important piece going forward, I worry that he may be too comfortable losing night in and night out.
Paul Millsap B+ 17.4pts, 7.7reb, 2.4ast, 76%ft, 53%fg
To me, Paul is the heart and soul of this team- at least on the court. In a world where corners are constantly cut, and people get by solely on talent, Millsap leaves every ounce of energy on the court on a nightly basis. His jump shot has improved drastically, and his ability to score consistently in the paint when he is almost always undersized is truly impressive. He will continue to get better, and in my opinion is one of the few Jazzmen that the front office should strive to keep for the duration of his career.
CJ Miles B 13pts, 3.3reb, 1.7ast, 81%ft, 40%fg, 32%3 pt
While still consistently inconsistent, this was CJ’s best year of his young career. It’s easy to forget that he is still only 23 years old, and maturing as a person and a basketball player. I have always been a fan of his and believe that he has the potential to be a very productive player in this league. With our undersized frontcourt, I was disappointed in his inability to pull down more rebounds, but offensively he is a dangerous, albeit streaky shooter with explosiveness around the rim. For the right price, I truly believe we should continue to develop him into a cornerstone of the franchise.
Andrei Kirilenko C+ 11.7pts, 5.1reb, 77%ft, 47%fg
Andrei has always been such a polarizing figure to me. When healthy, and playing at his best it’s easy to see that he is a huge key to our success on the floor. His length and skill on the defensive end is a great weapon, and his vision and ability to facilitate offensively is dynamic. The problem is that over the last few years we have only seen that AK for about 20 games per season, which is frustrating at best. After getting a glimpse of Gordy’s potential and skill set (which is similiar to AK’s) it might be time to part ways with the last remaining link we have of the Stockton and Malone days.
Raja Bell D- 8.0pts, 2.6reb, 89%ft, 40%fg, 35%3pt
I can’t remember a time when I was more disappointed with the performance of a single player. His complete and total lack of anything resembling a consistent jump shot this year was infuriating. What Raja was supposed to bring to the table i.e. perimeter shooting and defense, was non-existent all year long and often times I felt like he was a liability on the defensive end. It seemed as if the only time he found his stroke was in games that had already gotten out of hand, or against inferior teams and I don’t remember a single “big shot” all year long. We should look to trade Raja, or dump him for anything that even resembles a decent shooting guard. P.S. Take a friggin step back and get that toe off the line!!!
Gordon Hayward B 4.7pts, 1.9reb, 1.1ast, 67%ft, 47%fg, 45%3pt
Early on in the season Hayward didn’t get a ton of time and was struggling to find his niche and play within the system, while also dodging some serious “chin music” from our estranged All-Star point guard. It was really exciting to see Gordy’s progression as the year went on, and to see him begin to play at a high and comfortable level. Blake Griffin is as exception, not the rule when it comes to rookie production and I feel as if all things considered, Hayward should be happy with his play. He is very raw, but has an extremely high basketball IQ and is quite dynamic when it comes to his skill set. He can shoot, put the ball on the floor, is an excellent passer, and shows surprising athleticism at times. Hopefully he will be around for a while, and that way we can all become as “fond” of Gordy as Kobe is 
Derrick Favors B+ 7.6pts, 5.1reb, 55%ft, 51%fg, 1.1 blocks
If we cut Hayward some slack for being a youngster, we’re going to that and then some for Derrick Favors. As the youngest player in a league filled with mature, experienced, and tough players, I’m not sure you could expect a better year than the one Favors just had. He is big, strong, freakishly athletic, and RAW, with the basketball world at his fingertips I think it’s clear that he is something truly special. With a good work ethic and coaching, he WILL be an All-Star at some point in his career. Speaking about areas of improvement is pointless because he can, and will improve in every facet of his game. Look for the Jazz to do anything and everything in their power to keep him in Utah for as long as possible.
Devin Harris B- 14.6pts, 5.2ast, 2.5reb, 79%ft, 41%fg, 33% 3pt
I don’t think we can accurately grade Harris’ performance as he only played in 12 games and wasn’t exactly healthy in those either. I really, really like Harris and I think he can be a great transition guard for the next couple seasons while we try and rebuild the team. His perimeter shooting was an area I expected to see a little more out of, but again, it’s hard to critique when we saw so little of him.
For the sake of time i’ll grade the rest of the bench quickly and succinctly. Ronnie Price, Francisco Elson, and Kyrylo Fesenko are all in my mind extremely expendable. I love Ronnie P and his heart, but it’s not working on the court. Elson…….enough said. Also, I for one am sick to DEATH of expressions like “One day” or “give him time” concerning Fes. It’s NEVER going to happen and it’s time to realize that and cut our losses.
Earl Watson was a very pleasant surprise, and while he didn’t put up great numbers I feel like he brought an edge and toughness to the game that was much needed. He is a solid back up point guard who is a positive asset for any team he is on. Likewise, Jeremy Evans was extremely impressive and the sky is the limit(literally) for this explosive young player.
The future is bright for Jazz fans and I’m excited to see how we rebound from such a crazy year. GO JAZZ!!!
Replies: 8
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8 Responses
For his youth and being new and always doing what the coaches want I think Evans should get a B. Watson filled in the best he could but I think next year Weaver could do just as well if not better.Elson started out pretty good and could hit a outside jumper but his body just plain said no. I guess Okur gets a incomplete but due to circumstances. Price just did not have it. Fess is like a battery operated flashlight that you have to smack just to get a dim light. Of this group Okur who is under contract and Evans who I think will someday be a key player and Weaver should be the keepers. If Weaver is kept through the end of the season Jazz will own first crack at him.
I think CJ scored quite high. I would have done B- to a C+. He did turn 24 this yr, but he is in his 5th season if I am correct. Looking at him you hope that he becomes more consistant, but you wonder. Still he will be a steal at his price next season if he continues to improve.
Okur would get an E for effort and hopefully he will be back for what will be termed as the whole season next yr.
I wish we could put Milsap in Fes’s body, he would be an unstoppable force.. Because of his effort and because you really cant fault him his size, I give Milsap an A. He comes out every season improved in some part of his game, and will play what ever part you give him. He is all heart and definately the heart of the team..
I will stick with the rest of your assesment though. Nice job.
You can have up to 15 guys on your roster and you’re required to have at least 10. At 15 players you have a starter, a backup and a scrub at each position. The players mentioned – Fes, Elson, Price – are all scrubs and are all paid like scrubs. At $1M salaries per year, you keep those guys unless you find better. For me, its well worth $1m a year to have a big body like Fes. He gave Bynum fits when he started against him. He also had some good contributions early in the year in some games. You don’t just boot guys, you have to replace them with better guys, otherwise you’re worse off.
That said, if Okur comes back healthy, or we draft a Center, Elson should be sent packing. Weaver could replace Price as he has similar hustle but more size and better passing. Bell should probably be traded so we have Hayward/CJ/Weaver.
@LK ya I agree that Evans would get a B, I didn’t grade those guys individually cuz I already felt like it was a really long post. Thanks for the comment!
@Patrick If CJ were to get a C I think that would only be because of his trouble with the 3 ball but other than that I felt like he improved in almost every other area. Yes it’s his 5th season but that’s my point, he’s just coming into his own and we should stick with him as long as he continues to improve. As a starter this year, he was terrific.
@KC obviously I agree that you don’t just dump players for nothing. If things happen that way and we keep Price, Elson, Fesenko etc. That’s totally fine I guess just besides the second to last LA game I thought Fes was a total non-factor. Thanks though!
Al Jefferson- B+ (He’s had a stellar second half, but that doesn’t make up for the first half, still has issues passing out of double and triple teams, needs to improve rebounding)
Paul Millsap- A- (Paul Millsap does just about everything his smaller body allows him. He showed great strides in his offensive game this year with extending his jumper all the way out to the 3. Has not been as agressive on the offensive boards as usuall, but everything else is all we can ask of him.
CJ Miles- B- (CJ has had an interesting season. We all had high hopes for CJ which he never truely reached. However, CJ has never had consistent minutes, if he misses his first few shots he sits the rest of the game, you don’t see that with harris or paul. Since starting he has done much better.)
AK47- C- (AK47 is perfect for the Jazz when he is healthy and on his game, unfortuanately (sp) he is not always healthy, and even when he is, alot of the time he is not focused. when he did great, it was great, but how much great ak did we see?)
Harris- B+ (He hasn’t played many games for us, and he is no dwill, however he stepped up as a leader since he got here and I have been pretty impressed with his game. will be better next year)
Watson- B (Started the year off awesome, one of the best back up pgs in the nba, then went all brevin knight/jason hart on us for a while. he’s been playing alot better of late tho. he shoots the 3 at a higher % then derrick rose and deron williams. does not make good decisions on fast breaks)
Price- C (Asides the energy bunny he was at the begining of the year he has done little to nothing. been sidelined with toe injury for much of second half of season. he more inconsistent then miles)
Bell- D- (I would give him an F but he inspired us to the Miami win, and its been nice to see him talk to the rookies..everything else has been horrid.)
Elson- C (Great at beggining of the season, non factor second half.)
Fez- D+(Fez has been fez)
Favors- B (He has shown us lots and lots, and is probably playing better in utah then he did in NJ. very excited, like david locke says, he makes alot of WOW plays. he also gets into foul trouble all the time and makes rookie mistakes, remember he is only 19)
Evans- B+ (EARLY OOP FTW! Being so skinny he hasn’t been able to defend many bigs and has been forced to play out of position, but he does all he can, very happy with him)
Memo- C+ (I’d give him a C but he showed great effort in trying to make a comeback)
OG Time- B+ (He has made HUGE strides as the season has progressed. beating kobe and the lakers as the main offensive facilatator and having to guard kobe show how far he has become. he is looking like a very smart KOC draft pick)
*sorry for the bad spelling
If CJ misses his first couple of shots, he keeps shooting and missing that is why they take him out. If he would learn to start his game inside out he would have a better chance, but he has never learned that and even when you think he has he comes out the next game and messes it up all over again. C.J. needs to learn he isnt this great shooter he thinks he is. He is always doing step backs and fade aways and mostly he misses. He needs to get solid at driving it to the hoop and working on his nice midgame instead of trying to be an outside shooter because he always fails at that other then the occasional hot game. Yeah his points are up this year but most of his %’s are down.
Good discussion going.
I almost want to give Al Jefferson two separate grades. He’s was probably a C in the first half of the season. But since the beginning of February, the guy has been such a warrior. He’s the only Jazz player to play in every game this season (starting all of them), he’s got 335 more minutes, 218 more points, 202 more rebounds, and 72 more blocks than the next closest Jazz player. He’s also second on the team in FG% (among regulars, so not counting Evans, or Favors who got here late). I’m impressed not only with his production, but also with his effort. Jefferson carried the team many nights during these dark couple of months. He’s out there pumping his fists, showing emotion, and looks completely spent by the end of the game. He’s truly been leaving it all out there. You know, several weeks back (I’m trying to remember which game), right after the game Jefferson said that was the first time he truly felt 100% since his knee injury. It takes some guys longer than others to recover, so I’m hoping this 100% Al is the one we’re going to see for years to come.
Fes owned Bynum