Listen: I understand that the Jazz came back in that game, to make the Jazz’s 29-point deficit they had early in the game look a little bit better.
That means, when the other team is throwing two to three guys at Donovan Mitchell, you need to have a bigger influence on proceedings.
In particular, you need to get the ball, and make quick, decisive, aggressive decisions: either force a switch you want, or attack with the space you have — especially if it’s Mitchell passing it to you.
Jordan Clarkson, you are also a very talented offensive player.
It is the end of the quarter, and you want to use as much clock as possible.
Derrick Favors, you can’t be so passive defensively.
But on other plays, if you can get your work done early, you’ll have a lot better shot of making an impact, especially given how the athleticism seems to have waned again.
In those situations, you have to be absolutely dominant on the glass.
Joe, the answer in that situation is you — it’s time for a step-back three or a drive with your left hand.
When the defense collapses on you, you need to be able to trust your teammates, even if they haven’t been super helpful — doing this will allow them to gain some rhythm and confidence.
Clarkson’s open for the first part of this possession, and then O’Neale has to take the bad shot at the end of it over swinging it to the open Bogdanovic because it’s the end of the shot clock.
Georges Niang, I understand that this has been a rough shooting series for you.
If you’re engaged, if you can keep the opposition in front, the team can stay alive defensively.
This isn’t brain surgery, but look — in order to have success in this series, the Jazz need to play better.
Playing Gobert at the end of the third quarter and beginning of the fourth, in particular, was incredibly useful in the regular season.
So then, at 6:34 in the third quarter, can not be the time to sit Gobert and instead play Favors — regardless of what you’ve been doing all season.
But due to that foul trouble, he’d only played 13 minutes in the first half.
I also think it’s time to do what it takes to reduce Niang and Clarkson minutes — which means playing Ingles more, and maybe even someone like Ersan Ilyasova.
And heck, by any reasonable standard, you’re outperforming in this series: 2-2 without Conley and with the Clippers shooting like this is probably a result Jazz fans would have taken before the series began.
You have no point guard options behind Mike Conley besides two-way Trent Forrest — a point guard is exactly what this Jazz roster needs right now, as they struggle to execute a hint at an offense when the going gets tough.
It also would be nice if you could play switchable basketball, just some small-ball to give the Clippers another look.
Instead, you used a first-round pick on Udoka Azubuike and your trade deadline acquisition was Matt Thomas — in a season in which you said your goal was championship contention.
Ultimately, we’ve known about holes in this Jazz playoff roster since the Nuggets loss last season — no depth at guard, poor perimeter defense, and a lack of defensive versatility at the forward and center spots.
And yet, this is a competitive business, where top-5 or 10 isn’t good enough — only one team goes home happy.
The Clippers exposed some of the Jazz’s weaknesses in Game 4, and will need to improve from top-to-bottom to bounce back in this series.