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Kragthorpe: Why is this Jazz team so popular? Donovan Mitchell is only part of the reason

Fans love their personalities, unselfishness and effort.<br>

(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell (45) smiles as he gives an interview, after the Jazz defeated the Spurs 101-99, in NBA action in Salt Lake City, Monday, Feb. 12, 2018.

Winning a bunch of basketball games would make any team more lovable. Yet something about the Jazz is causing people to embrace these guys to an even greater degree.

And only about half of the explanation involves Donovan Mitchell.

This is the most popular Jazz team since the franchise’s NBA Finals era of 20 years ago. Stemming from conversations with fans during the All-Star break, here are 11 reasons — one for each game of their current winning streak, with the schedule resuming Friday:

Gordon Hayward

My personal theory is that people like this team because they made a conscious decision to like it, having been disappointed and disgusted by Hayward’s departure to Boston in free agency and the way his move went down. The best method of forgetting about Hayward was to latch onto the new relationship.

Mitchell’s personality

Hayward was cooperative in interviews, but rarely engaging. Mitchell is thoughtful, expressive and eager. He’s socially conscious and wants to blend into the community. Fans feel as though they already know him. That goes a long way.

Camaraderie

The players seem to like one another, creating almost a collegiate atmosphere. That carries over to the way they play together.

Blue-collar backgrounds

Derrick Favors, Ricky Rubio and Mitchell were lottery picks, but the fabric of the Jazz always will include players who were overlooked to some extent. Rudy Gobert was picked late in the first round, Royce O’Neale was an undrafted discovery and Joe Ingles was cut by the Los Angeles Clippers before developing into an NBA starter.

Low expectations

Some of the fans’ favorite teams in Jazz history were not expected to do much. The franchise’s first playoff team of 1983-84 and the Andrei Kirilenko-driven group that went 42-40 in the absence of John Stockton and Karl Malone are revered as overachievers. This team is playing its way into that conversation, standing 30-28 with a good shot at making the playoffs after being nine games under .500 a month ago. In that sense, Hayward’s exit helped.

Mitchell’s star power

Utahns crave national recognition, and Mitchell is attracting it. He’s not an All-Star yet, but he has star power with a nice blend of charisma and humility. Wow. How amazing is it that the Jazz landed him in June? I’ll give myself credit for this pre-draft forecast: “The Jazz could move up to about No. 12 and take the likes of Louisville guard Donovan Mitchell. …”

The next day, though, I qualified my endorsement of Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey’s move by saying, “Lindsey must hope that sending [Trey] Lyles to Denver and grabbing Mitchell turns out like the last time he made a draft-night deal with the Nuggets and took Rudy Gobert — and not like his other trade in June 2013, moving up to get Trey Burke.”

Yeah, I’d say that question has been answered.

Jazz DNA

That’s the expression Lindsey uses for unselfish, team-oriented players. This team shares the ball, shows effort and plays defense. Those are valued traits in this market.

Jazz DNA, Part II

And now the Jazz have forward Jae Crowder, who biologically fits that description. The son of 1991-92 Jazz forward Corey Crowder really does play in the classic Jazz style, with a hustling, defense-oriented attitude.

If anything, Lindsey’s work at the trade deadline made his team more embraceable. I often wish fans would be less dismissive of departed players, and they should remember how Joe Johnson and Rodney Hood played major roles in the Jazz’s first playoff series victory in seven years. But it’s true that Crowder’s approach plays better around here than Hood’s smooth demeanor and Johnson’s isolation game.

They’re relatable

Thanks to social media interaction, fans feel attached to Mitchell, Gobert and other players. The Deron Williams/Carlos Boozer teams deserve more credit than they get for having won an average of 51.5 games and four playoff series in a four-year span. Even so, Kyle Korver was the team’s most popular player in that era. Mitchell and Gobert are stars and likable personalities. That’s a good combination.

Hope for what’s to come

The backdrop of the Jazz’s breakthrough season of 2016-17 was fans’ agonizing about the future. The uncertainty about Hayward’s commitment was well founded, as it turned out. This is different. Favors’ future is in question, but Gobert and Mitchell are sure to stick together for a few years. Their words and actions suggest they want to be here for even longer, and other pieces also are in place. Plus, there’s the continued hope that Dante Exum can get healthy and develop into something.

The Jazz might miss the 2018 playoffs, having made up remarkably little ground during this winning streak, but their resurgence lately has shown what they can become.

Player development

Coach Quin Snyder and his staff keep proving they can maximize their talent, with O’Neale being the latest example. Amid everything Mitchell has accomplished as a rookie, fans believe there’s more to come from him. That’s an inspiring thought.


UPCOMING JAZZ SCHEDULE:<br>Friday: vs. Portland.<br>Saturday: vs. Dallas.<br>Feb. 26: vs. Houston.<br>March 2: vs. Minnesota.<br>March 3: at Sacramento.