Wild Turnover Stat Puts Jazz on Wrong Side of History

The Utah Jazz have had no shortage of ball security struggles across this season.

Nov 14, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson (left) and Dallas Mavericks guard Jaden Hardy (1) go for a loose ball during the fourth quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Over the past two seasons, the Utah Jazz have been among the league's prevailing leaders in turnovers allowed.

They're on pace to lead the league in turnovers for the second straight year at over 17 a game this season and have been among the NBA's top three in turnovers allowed since Will Hardy took over as head coach in 2022.

And for the 2024-25 campaign, it seems their turnover marks have now reached some historic marks.

According to a stat from NBA.com, the Jazz have committed 5.6 more turnovers a night than opponents, the worst differential in the 48 seasons for which turnovers have been counted.

While the Jazz are giving up nearly 18 turnovers a game this season, on the defensive end, they're forcing a league-low 11.9 a night. That's almost a difference of an absurd six turnovers a game, so it should be no surprise that it puts Utah among some of the highest differentials in NBA history.

The wide separation between turnovers largely is a glaring representation of the Jazz's weakness on the defensive end, along with their inexperience and youth on the offensive end.

The mistakes are all a part of the growth and development process for Utah's rebuild, and with a roster with just one player over 30, those lapses are bound to happen with that inexperience. But of course, those turnover numbers don't make for many wins to be piling up on the board.

As we move past the All-Star break, the second chunk of this season for Utah should be extremely focused on developing their ball control and mitigating giveaways, while also trying to take some steps forward on their defensive tenacity and consistency.

The next time the Jazz are set to suit up comes at the end of the week on Friday when the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder come to the Delta Center as a tough challenge for this young Utah squad.

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