Chemistry May Be Revamped Jazz’s Biggest Challenge

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Utah Jazz front office made big moves this offseason to position themselves as a serious championship contender but big moves have potential to throw a wrench in one of the most important aspects of a championship team – chemistry.

The most notable move by the Jazz was a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies for guard Mike Conley Jr. The trade cost the Jazz Jae Crowder, Kyle Korver, Grayson Allen and two first-round picks.

The team also signed forward Bojan Bogdanovic.

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Today, Justin Zanik, General Manager of the Jazz and Dennis Lindsey, executive vice president of the team, held a conference to introduce the new Jazzmen.

During the conference, Zanik mentioned the next step for the team in their hunt for a title is to “gel and spend time together.”

Jazz GM Justin Zanik speaks on the importance of having the team "gel" @utahjazz #TakeNote pic.twitter.com/UvM0HJiiXA

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) July 8, 2019

Last Year’s Chemistry

Last year’s Jazz team nailed chemistry.

Young star Donovan Mitchell was finding his stride in his second season and veterans like Ricky Rubio, Derrick Favors and Korver all seemed to be on the same page with the same goals.

UTAH will always be a second home for me!!! 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾 https://t.co/UljkKmbW1q

— Derrick Favors (@dfavors14) July 7, 2019

Now, most of those veterans are gone along with Raul Neto and Crowder.

One of the big question marks on this new Jazz lineup is whether or not they will be able to create that chemistry again.

Teammate of the Year

Conley potentially brings a lot more than points and assists to the Jazz team. He is known around the league for his sportsmanship and ability to gel with teammates.

He will likely be a positive influence on team chemistry after winning the “Teammate of the Year Award” at this year’s NBA Awards for his work with the Memphis Grizzlies.

🏆🏆 @mconley11 x Sportsmanship x Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year! #NBAAwards pic.twitter.com/OVAKM2Js9U

— NBA (@NBA) June 25, 2019

“I am really just excited for the opportunity to be amongst the culture that the Jazz have already put in place,” said Conley.

Conley was already complimenting his new teammates during the press conference, specifically Utah’s favorite – Donovan Mitchell

“I am really just impressed with how mature he is, a guy in his situation, the face of a franchise. He has everything at his feet but he is willing to learn, willing to get better,” Conley said.

. @mconley11 praises @spidadmitchell on his willingness to learn and his athleticism #TakeNote #TeamIsEverything

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) July 8, 2019

Expectations

Expectations for this year’s Jazz team are possibly higher than they have ever been with many NBA Analysts picking them to finish top four in the Western Conference.

“We embrace the expectations because we are trying to fill the most competitive team we can in pursuit of a championship,” Zanik said from Las Vegas.

On paper, the aggressiveness of the front office during this offseason seems to have paid off. Now it’s time for the players to get together and see what they can accomplish on the court.

Watch the full conference below.