This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Quin Snyder won't do anything extreme, like starting a training camp practice without a basketball. He readily admits that isn't his nature, and he feels such a gesture is counter-productive.
At the same time, defense is of paramount importance to the Utah Jazz coach. It may not be everything he has his team focusing on during camp two-a-days this week, but it's a big chunk.
Snyder feels like this team should be one of the best defensive outfits in the league. The key pieces are certainly there on paper. George Hill and Dante Exum have proven to be very good individual defenders at point guard. Derrick Favors almost as good as it gets for a power forward. Gordon Hayward is above average. And, of course, there's Rudy Gobert in the back, ready to swat shots away like a goalie.
Some teams have to be greater than the accumulation of their parts. The Jazz don't have that issue defensively. The talent is there. The issues now, Snyder says, are growth and continuity.
"Our defense has to become the staple in what we do," Snyder said. "It takes time, and we're focused on that. For us to be successful, we have to play on a string. We have to be solid on the ball. The guy on the ball has to be accountable, and if that doesn't happen, the other guys have to have his back. This can't just happen once. It has to happen throughout the possession. We have to be a unit."
As a team, the Jazz defensively have infiltrated the upper-echelon of the league in the last two years. It has truly become an identity for Utah. The Jazz were 12th overall in 2014-2015. Last year, that number climbed to seventh in the league.
Even so, if you look beyond the numbers, the argument can easily be made that Utah slipped defensively last season. The Jazz were far and away the best team defensively in the league after the all-star break two years ago. And, while very good, the team didn't reach those heights last season.
There is context to this. Exum spiked his rookie season value by becoming a very good defender at the point, deterring opposing point guards from getting into the lane. Of course, he was hurt last year. Also, Favors and Gobert each missed big chunks of last season with injuries, disrupting the defensive continuity of the frontcourt.
With better health, better depth and internal improvement, getting better from last season is clearly the goal of the franchise. General Manager Dennis Lindsey essentially said as much during Monday's media day.
"Communication is a big key," Jazz forward Joe Johnson said. "We have to be talking, and communicating with each other at all times."
Did he or didn't he?
The end of each practice is reserved for shooting free-throws. And the person who hits 25 consecutive shots from the line rings a special bell for recognition.
For the first time in recent years, Derrick Favors rang that bell, following Wednesday's practice. Players and coaches were skeptical.
Assistant coach Antonio Lang was the first to question Favors, all in good fun, of course. Favors' teammates followed. Favors, for his part, was defiant and completely confident in the legitimacy of his free-throw shooting.
"They are going to talk smack every time," Favors said, while laughing. "So it's not something I worry about."
Climbing the ladder
Johnson, who is entering his 16th season, is now fourth on the NBA's active career minutes list with 45,070 minutes during his 15 seasons.
He was fifth, but Kevin Garnett retired last week. The first three? In order, Dirk Nowitzki, Paul Pierce and LeBron James.
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