Fresh off of a dominant win over the Los Angeles Lakers, the Raptors travel to Salt Lake City to take on the Jazz. The Jazz, who have fallen out of a playoff seed in the west, look to bring their record back to .500. The Raptors are looking to flex their collective muscles and get to 10-1 on the season. Coming off of a back-to-back, the Raptors will have a bit of fatigue, but their star player, Kawhi Leonard looks to be back in tow.
To prep for this game, I spoke to the editor over at J-Notes, Jared Woodcox. He also previewed the game over there. He was kind enough to lend some words (a lot actually) to this preview. He’s a pretty busy guy, so the questions didn’t carry out like a conversation, more so, him getting back to me all at once when he had a moment. Get ready, because there’s a lot of good stuff coming your way.
Samson Folk: Thanks for taking the time, Jared. Is Joe Ingles one of the best equipped defenders in the league to deal with Kawhi Leonard? How do you think that matchup effects the game?
Jared Woodcox: I wouldn’t say he’s one of the best-equipped, but he’s certainly solid in that regard. Joe Ingles has gone from an afterthought to a stingy defender capable of causing issues for even the most prolific of wing players, just as he did against Paul George in last year’s playoffs. What he lacks in speed and athleticism, he makes up for in craftiness, footwork and discipline. Assuming Kawhi is able to go despite the foot injury, Joe Ingles will definitely make life difficult for him. And if all else fails, you can always count on him dishing out some good trash talk!
As far as how that matchup affects the game, I’d say it’s critical. The Raptors showed against the Lakers how good they are even without Kawhi, but shutting him down would still go a long way in the Jazz stealing an upset win. If Ingles can play masterful defense and fluster Leonard, it may be Utah’s only hope at winning, especially with Donovan Mitchell out with an ankle sprain.
Folk: Are you expecting Rubio to break out of his funk soon? What does he need to do?
Woodcox: Honestly, I’m probably not the best one to ask about Rubio, as his streakiness and inconsistency have long been issues that have gotten under my skin, but I’ll do my best here to answer without bias. I certainly hope that Rubio is able to break out of his funk soon, but I’d need to have a crystal ball to tell you if or how he will. He certainly was able to last season, and he was spectacular to close out the year, and that’s coming from someone who’s been a frequent critic of Rubio.
Last year, it was as if a switch just flipped inside him and he played with a new-found confidence. He slowed down, made better decisions and somehow found his shooting stroke to become an instrumental part of this Jazz team. Unfortunately, so far this season he’s looked much like he did to start out last year and that’s far from encouraging.
If he is going to reverse it, the biggest thing he needs to do is simply slow down, let the game come to him, take better shots and make better decisions. Aside from his poor shooting, his frequent turnovers have been one of the worst aspects of his game so far this year, especially since it was presumed that he’d have much better continuity with his teammates this time around. He needs to clean that up drastically to turn his overall game around.
Folk: What do you think is the Jazz’ biggest advantage vs. the Raptors?
Woodcox: I honestly think the Raptors are a much more complete and daunting team than the Jazz, especially based on what we’ve seen so far this year, and that Toronto has few weaknesses. However, one area where the Jazz may be able to take advantage is in their 3-point shooting.
The Raptors have been among the worst in the league in opponent 3-point percentage so far this season, and while Utah hasn’t exactly burned down the nets from deep, they certainly have guys that are capable of that beginning with Joe Ingles. Also, Jae Crowder is off to a good start from deep and guys like Georges Niang, Alec Burks and Grayson Allen can also really fill it up. The Jazz are going to need to shoot the ball well if they hope to beat the Raptors, and lighting it up from the perimeter may be about their only chance.
Folk: Is there a player in the league who you would compare Mitchell too?
Woodcox: The obvious comparison that we’ve heard time and time again is a young Dwyane Wade, and I think there’s a lot of merit to that comparison. Donovan is athletic, quick and a creative finisher around the rim. Beyond that, I wouldn’t say there’s many other players that come immediately to mind because Donovan is so unique. He can score in a number of ways, is underrated as a passer and has a leaping ability that makes him play bigger than his size.
He has a killer instinct that allows him to take over, as evidenced by his incredible clutch stats from last season, but he also needs to improve several aspects of his game, including his consistency. Since he’s not just a shooter or slasher, for example, but possesses a combination of so many different traits, it’s hard to put him in a comparable bucket with most other NBA players.
Folk: Lastly, I’ve always really liked Alec Burks as a bench piece. What’s your take on him?
Woodcox: I like Alec Burks but definitely have some mixed feelings about him. Many NBA fans saw how well he played in the playoff series against Houston last year and wondered why he didn’t have more playing time leading up to that. The answer is that while he has his flashes of brilliance, he’s often fallen out of the rotation due to poor decision making on offense and lack of discipline on defense. The latter of those two faults is one that particularly irks head coach Quin Snyder to no end.
Burks looked great in preseason and the regular season opener, but a hand injury has held him out of recent contests. I imagine he’ll be back in action soon, and I hope he can get back to those earlier ways. When he’s playing in control and looking to make the right basketball play rather than just put up points (he’s notorious for trying to get to the rim in 1-on-3 situations where he has little to no hope), he’s a great weapon off the bench. However, when he’s unfocused and making ill-advised decisions, he’s more of a detriment to this team. That, along with injuries, is why his minutes with this Jazz team have been so sporadic in recent seasons.
Big thanks to Jared for the words. Once again you can find him over at the J-Notes.
Game Info
TV: Sportsnet One
Radio: TSN1050
Raptors Updates
It looks as though the Raptors will have the full squad available for the game against the Jazz. Nothing listed so far, and it seemed like Leonard would play against the Jazz after resting against the Lakers.
PG: Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, Delon Wright, Lorenzo Brown, Jordan Loyd
SG: Danny Green, Norman Powell, Malachi Richardson
SF: Kawhi Leonard, OG Anunoby, CJ Miles
PF: Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby
C: Serge Ibaka, Jonas Valanciunas, Greg Monroe, Chris Boucher
Jazz Updates
With Donovan Mitchell’s ankle injury he has been listed as “out” for the game against the Raptors. Raul Neto is still out from weeks previous (hamstring). Alec Burks is listed as probable (hand) for the Raptors game.
PG: Ricky Rubio, Dante Exum
SG: Grayson Allen, Alec Burks
SF: Joe Ingles, Jae Crowder, Royce O’neale, Thabo Sefelosha
PF: Derrick Favors, Jae Crowder, Georges Niang, Tyler Cavanaugh
C: Rudy Gobert, Ekpe Udoh
The Line
The Raptors are two point favourites over the Jazz. The over/under is 217.
Have a blessed day.
