This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

As practice ended this weekend, Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward ran through a drill with a coach. Hayward, his team's best player and leading scorer the last three seasons, would start near the left corner, run right behind a set of cones, anticipating a bounce pass, after which he would plant, spin and cut back the other way for a baseline jump shot.

Hayward looked quick and agile as he made his cuts. His form looked good as he jumped and followed through with his right hand. The only problem: Hayward, with a splint on the fractured ring finger of his left hand, wasn't allowed to use a basketball. So while those watching could see the potential, it was impossible to know how good he really looked.

That's true for the Jazz as a whole as they prepare this week for their final two contests of the preseason.

"There aren't enough core guys out there," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. "It's hard to get a feel for who we are."

As his players limp toward the start of the regular season, Snyder is still searching to learn his team's identity with time winding down before games start to matter.

The Jazz haven't taken as many 3-pointers as Snyder would like. Their veteran offseason additions are still getting a feel for their new teammates. And too many of the team's youngsters have been stuck on the sideline.

"Our bench is our starters right now," Snyder said.

As Hayward ran through his drills at the end of practice, shooting guard Alec Burks was moving through a drill to strengthen the knee on which he had surgery in June. Guard Rodney Hood stood with a group of his teammates, but wasn't wearing his practice uniform as he recovered from a hand injury. Forward Derrick Favors, sidelined by a knee injury, hasn't played or practiced since the Jazz's first preseason game.

Point guard George Hill would certainly like more reps with his regular starting five before the season starts, but knows that's unlikely.

"We've just got to keep working on our craft," Hill said. "… I don't think you're always going to have a perfect situation out there on the court with the rotations you may be with."

Hood and Favors are both expected to miss Monday's game against the Clippers. Hood's injury is reportedly a minor one and the Jazz have kept him sidelined out of an abundance of caution, but Favors' iliotibial band syndrome has lingered longer than the Jazz had hoped.

"Anytime a player isn't able to practice for a couple weeks, you're concerned," Snyder said. "But we're doing everything we can and he's getting closer and closer."

The Jazz's final tuneups of the preseason — Monday night against the Clippers and Wednesday night against the Portland Trail Blazers — may not provide much more insight into the team's true identity. Short on players, Snyder has had to use veterans Boris Diaw, George Hill and Joe Johnson in practice more than he might like and so he has had to cut their minutes in preseason games.

"These guys are in their 30s," Snyder said. "I don't want to play them the whole game just so we're working on continuity."

In the meantime, the Jazz have tried to develop chemistry and cohesion with a short-handed crew. Even practices, however, have posed difficulties.

"There are other ways to get better. That's where we have to figure out ways to do things to help our team get better," Snyder said. "… [But] it's hard to practice because we don't get as much of a feel when you're missing three starters."

afalk@sltrib.com Twitter: @aaronfalk —

Clippers at Jazz

P NBA preseason, Monday, 7 p.m.

TV • ROOT