After letting several players battle for the role in training camp and preseason, the Jazz made Talen Horton-Tucker their starting point guard on Wednesday. According to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune, head coach Will Hardy explained that a domino effect related to two other starters was a major factor in the decision.
“Talen pairs well with Jordan (Clarkson). Jordan is very much a good pairing with Lauri (Markkanen), because he provides a second threat offensively, a second ball-handler, a second play-maker, a second focal point of the offense,” Hardy said. “When we made the determination that Jordan was going to play with Lauri, Talen was the best fit to play with Jordan.”
As Larsen notes, of the players on Utah’s current roster, No. 16 overall pick Keyonte George is the best bet to be the point guard of the future. George had a solid debut, scoring eight points on 3-of-5 shooting in 19 minutes (Horton-Tucker had eight points on 3-of-9 shooting in 22 minutes), but Hardy isn’t ready to throw the rookie in the deep end by starting him and playing him heavy minutes.
“I think that Keyonte is a good player. I think we have high expectations for Keyonte and his future,” the Jazz coach said. “But in no way are we going into these games just saying, ‘Hey, we’re going to play Keyonte to play Keyonte.’ I thought he was reading the game well, he made some really good decisions. He made some great passes to shots that didn’t go in. But, I thought that in the flow of the game, he had a good thing going.”
Here’s more from around the Western Conference:
- The Kings were the feel-good story of 2022/23, winning 48 games and snapping a 16-season playoff drought, but head coach Mike Brown isn’t satisfied with their achievements, telling the team entering this season that “good is the enemy of great,” as Anthony Slater and Sam Amick of The Athletic detail in an in-depth piece on the team’s desire to reach the next level. “I feel like he’s erased everything we did last year from his memory, from our memory,” Domantas Sabonis said of Brown. “He only brings up that we lost against the Warriors (in the first round of the playoffs). He’s definitely pushing us harder, and I love it. It’s fair. That happens usually (where) guys get complacent or think, ‘Oh, whatever we did last year.’ But if we don’t do all the little details, nothing’s going to change, you know?”
- Suns guard Devin Booker missed Thursday’s game due to what has been diagnosed as a left mid-foot sprain, according to TNT’s Jared Greenberg (Twitter link), who says the injury occurred during Tuesday’s win over Golden State. Booker will undergo an MRI upon returning to Phoenix and is aiming to return to the court on Tuesday vs. San Antonio, a team source tells Greenberg.
- When the Thunder announced on September 20 that Aleksej Pokusevski had sprained his right ankle in a workout, they said he would be reevaluated in six weeks. However, Pokusevski was active for the team’s regular season opener on Wednesday, beating a recovery timeline that would’ve sidelined him until November, tweets Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. The fourth-year forward may not be part of Oklahoma City’s regular rotation at this point though — he only played two minutes of garbage time in Wednesday’s victory over Chicago.
We’ll see how long these lineups last for the Jazz. There’s rumors of trade options out there. Plus, they could lose a bunch of games to start. However, the Jazz’s schedule is pretty rough to start. I’d wait 10-20 games before making any decisions.
Jerry Sloan was a big supporter of the idea of only focusing on one game at a time. He also tried to get his players to snap out of feeling sorry for yourself at any point in a game or after a loss.
Essentially, he taught to just play.
Don’t put your head down after a mistake. That’s how mistakes get compounded. That’s quite often how you lose the game or at least momentum.
Just do what Stockton would do. He would hustle and focus harder to make up for the mistake. He almost always did on the very next play.
Mike Brown’s philosophy sounds similar to Jerry Sloan’s. He’s showing the NBA that he’s a great coach, not just a good one. He wants his team to be great, not just settle for good. I like it!
Hopefully these other young coaches in the league incorporate that into their mindset. Helps the NBA stay competitive and more fun!
Besides, the worst thing a player can do is give up. Stick with it and become a greater version of yourself.
Mike Brown has MORE THAN deserved this opportunity. He got a really bad wrap his first go around with the Cavs, which most of LeBron’s coaches get.
Either you won because of LeBron, or you lost because it was your fault and you were never the right coach to begin with.
It’s funny how LeBron has received all the credit for the majority of his titles, yet very few recognize the fact he’s had some GREAT coaches along the way. Sadly, those coaches never really get their dues until they continue to have success after coaching LeBron, much like Eric Spoelstra, Mike Brown, and, if they haven’t already, I think people will eventually come around and realize what a great coach Frank Vogel is as well.
Ham is another excellent coach, but if the Lakers don’t win a title, he’ll most likely be used as the scapegoat. People even question Pelinka, even though it was LeBron that demanded and orchestrated two of “Pelinka’s” biggest mistakes as a GM, the Westbrook trade and the THT contract. Pelinka has done an AMAZING job basically working on a limited budget and with little to no current or future assets…
The amount of talent he was able to acquire at the last deadline and this past offseason alone deserves him Executive of the Year Award. Now, even if LeBron leaves, this Lakers team will actually still have a future with a very competitive roster moving forward, and even WITH some further room to grow.
The job Rob Pelinka has done is absolutely insane, especially for a first time GM being put in almost a lose-lose situation. Plus, the fact he’s done it for the Lakers, the most popular NBA franchise, you’d think people would be bowing down to him as some genius, but he gets little to hardly any credit whatsoever from most people. Idk, it is crazy.
BTW, this isn’t some LeBron hating comment, far from it, I’m just simply acknowledging some excellent coaches and an excellent executive that I don’t think have ever truly gotten their fair level of respect they’ve deserved.
How about LeBron though!?! Good lord, even if you don’t like him, the dude has been in the league for 20 years and looks like he’s reversed time by ten years!! lol WTF!?!
Dude is just an animal the way he’s kept his body and athleticism top notch over the years. Absolutely unprecedented, especially when you add up the total amount of minutes he’s spent on the court throughout the years. INCREDIBLE he can even still jump, much less fly through the air and make blocks, jumping and seemingly just gliding in for layups, and not to mention the dude can still throw it down with his head above the rim…For all that time, for him to be doing what he’s doing, that’s some Benjamin Buttom type #%$@.
He’s had a huge impact on and off the court, but one thing most people don’t give him credit for is how he has inspired and educated the entire sports entertainment industry and all players worldwide on the importance of taking care of yourself mentally and physically. Props to him, one of the absolute best careers ever.
Plus, don’t let it get lost that the Man has done it with the biggest and brightest spotlight any player has ever had to deal with. That’s especially in this generation, where there is no such thing as privacy, AND everything you do as a professional athlete is scrutinized and out there for the entire world to pass judgment on. He’s done it since his JUNIOR YEAR of High School, non-stop!!
Let a bunch of cameras follow 99% of the population around at 16 on, and I can almost guarantee your career would likely be over before it even started…This dude has pretty much been the perfect role model the entire time.
He may not be my personal greatest of all-time, that will almost always likely be MJ, and I may not have liked or agreed with every decision he’s ever made from a competitor’s viewpoint, but you cannot deny his greatness as a human being and as one of the all-time greatest to ever step onto an NBA floor.
(In the round of the playoffs) lol what
Maybe Mike doesn’t even mention what round it was… lol
Pokusevski is still young 21yrs old. Imo he should have been in G-league for his first two yrs. You can stunt growth by rushing talent. Unfortunately it happens too often in NBA. With the pressure of winning. Still like his potential. But he needs to add 40 LBs.
Yeah AP is listed at 7’0 190, but he looks and plays more like 6’9″ 170. He just doesn’t use his body well, and that’s likely due to his frail frame.
I’m honestly surprised that OKC hasn’t already had him put on at least an extra 20 pounds. Idk, some people just cannot seem to gain and hold weight no matter what they do. That might be this guy’s downfall, but he’s another uninspiring year away from likely either going overseas or fighting for a two-way deal.
Some guys can’t put on extra weight even when they try. Then there are other guys that shouldn’t put on extra weight or they’ll be more leg and feet injury prone. There’s a balance. Look at KD. Perhaps he put too much weight on his frame and wore it down.