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There were moments of brilliance. There were moments when inexperience shined through.
Like the vast majority of rookies, the first official NBA practice for Dante Exum and Rodney Hood featured a mixed bag. There were times Utah coach Quin Snyder sat back and marveled at the potential for the future. On the other hand, there were times when each made their coach cringe.
"They have a lot of talent," Snyder said. "But they have a long way to go. They made some plays out there today, but they just don't have the experience yet. It was a good first practice for them, overall."
The Jazz rookies need to develop, and fast, if the team is going to make a leap from last season. As it stands, Exum projects as the primary backup point guard to second year man Trey Burke. The No. 5 pick of the 2014 NBA Draft, Exum endured uneven performances in the Las Vegas Summer League and in the FIBA World Cup with Australia. Still, the Jazz have said they will take Exum and play him right away, in order for him to gain NBA experience.
"It was a good first practice for us," Exum said. "It's interesting because you can see how much coach stresses defense."
Hood projects as a rotation player at both wing spots. He will likely come off the bench to spell Alec Burks and Gordon Hayward. So, for the Jazz to be successful, they will need consistency from both.
"Today was everything I expected," Hood said. "Coach Snyder is real intense. He has a real attention to detail, so I just have to keep it all going with the two-a-days."
Getting back
A large portion of Tuesday's opening practice was dedicated to defensive transition, getting back and guarding against opponent fast breaks.
That was emphasized when Snyder yelled at his team, "I don't care if we get an offensive rebound all season."
Obviously, Snyder didn't mean that literally, and said so following the Jazz practice. But it's clear that he wants this Utah team to be a good one when it comes to defensive transition.
"You look at the Western Conference, and there are some really good point guards," Snyder said. "They are coming right at you, so I want our big men to form a wall, and I want us to be sound in this manner."
Snyder said it all starts with Burke at the point, his defense against pick-and-rolls and his defense against opposing floor generals. Burke struggled with that mightily last year. The Jazz expect him to be much better this time around.
A first injury
Jazz second year small forward Carrick Felix suffered a left shoulder injury and left practice. He is being examined. … The Jazz are hosting their annual preseason intrasquad scrimmage on Monday at EnergySolutions Arena. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. The Jazz will host the Portland Trail Blazers the following night in their preseason opener.
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