Utah Jazz TV voice Craig Bolerjack believes despite roster changes, team can maintain chemistry
The Utah Jazz roster of the last two years were very well-known for the on-and-off-court chemistry. So much so that the theme of last season’s squad was “Team Is Everything”.
Now the organization has changed much of the roster and team TV Voice Craig Bolerjack believes the players that were brought in will not mess up the dynamic of chemistry.
“The Jazz still have in their minds the way they like to build their team,” Bolerjack said. “Every player they signed, they fit. The last two years this team was very tight and I don’t see that changing much.”
He says the organization did lose some class players like Ricky Rubio. He called the team’s long time power forward/center, Derrick Favors, a “Jazzman through and through”. He believes despite losing these high-class players, the new ones will fit right in.
He also says this may be the best Jazz team in terms of talent since the 1990’s. He thinks what will make this team so special is the versatility of the roster.
“I think (Jazz head coach) Quin (Snyder) has a lot of ways he could play this,” Bolerjack said. “He can go big, he can go small, he can go three guards, he can put three-point shooters out on the floor.
“The Jazz, I think, are at that moment in franchise history where they have multiple players who can play multiple positions.”
He says there may only be a couple of players who are true to their positions and one is center Rudy Gobert. There’s one thing though that Bolerjack says Snyder will demand and that is defense.
“And that’s not going to change,” Bolerjack said.
One thing he is really looking forward to is seeing how new point guard Mike Conley, Donovan Mitchell, and Rudy Gobert fit together.
“Let’s make it clear, Mike Conley is absolutely one of the best guards in the NBA,” Bolerjack said. “I think what he does is give Donovan an opportunity to elevate his game even more into All-Star status.
“We know what Gobert is defensively as a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, so there’s a three man mix.”
He is also excited to see how new players Bojan Bogdanovich fits in along with Jeff Green and Ed Davis.
Despite all the talent acquired, Bolerjack believes the Jazz will have its work cutout for itself with a stacked Western Conference. The LA Clippers maintained many aspects of its team, but also acquired superstars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
The Los Angeles Lakers return Lebron James and acquired Anthony Davis over the summer. The Golden State Warriors still have Steph Curry and Draymond Green. The Houston Rockets also got Russell Westbrook.
That doesn’t even account for the second seed team in last year’s conference race in the Denver Nuggets along with the third seeded Portland Trailblazers.
“I tell you every night in the West is going to be a battle,” Bolerjack said. “It’s only going to make it so intriguing for the fans around the league.”
The Utah Jazz will play its first preseason game Saturday at 7 PM when it hosts the Adelaide 36ers out of Australia. The regular season officially tips off October 23rd for the team when it hosts the Oklahoma City Thunder.