Jazz Blown Out by Raptors in Preseason Debut: What we Learned
The Utah Jazz kicked off the Will Hardy era in a pre-season game against the Toronto Raptors in a 114-82 loss at the Scotiabank Arena.
Laurie Markkanen led Utah with 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting in his debut with his new team.
Utah kept it close in the first half, but the Raptors broke the game wide open by outscoring the Jazz 32-15 in the third quarter. The Raptors were led by Chris Boucher with 11 points and Precious Achiuwa with 10.
Jazz fans got their first look at a possible starting five that may start the season. Hardy chose to go big and long at the wings, with Malik Beasley starting at the two and Markannan at the three. Veteran Mike Conley started the game at point guard, while Jarred Vanderbilt and Kelly Olynyk rounded out the starting five at the four and five, respectively.
It’s worth noting that second-year pro Jared Butler did get into the game, while Leandro Bolmaro didn’t play. Is Bolmoro on the bubble of making the roster?
Veteran Rudy Gay also had a bad performance, scoring only two points on 1-of-6 shooting. Utah might want to cut ties with Gay if he can’t pick it up on the court or at the least contribute in the locker room.
The Jazz will look to rebound from the blowout when they go on the road to play the Portland Trail Blazers on October 4.
Follow Patrick on Twitter @pbyrnesNBA.
