Jazz address urgency and body language in lengthy film session from

Jazz address urgency and body in lengthy film session

New Orleans needs to defend the paint better and react faster to opponents’ actions, head coach Will Hardy said

After a 122-117 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday, the Utah Jazz held a lengthy film session Tuesday to address some of the issues that have plagued them early in the season. “We just weren’t physical enough,” Hardy said. “We didn’t do a good job of defending the paint, and we didn’t react quickly enough to their actions.” The Jazz have allowed opponents to shoot 52.8% from the field this season, which ranks 29th in the NBA. They’ve also allowed opponents to average 46.8 points in the paint, which ranks 28th in the league. “We have to be better at protecting the paint,” Hardy said. “We have to make it tough for teams to score inside.” The Jazz also need to do a better job of communicating on defense. “We’re not talking enough,” Hardy said. “We’re not helping each other out. We’re not rotating quickly enough.” The Jazz will have a chance to put their new defensive principles into practice Wednesday night when they host the Los Angeles Lakers.

Here are some of the specific things the Jazz need to do to improve defensively:

-They need to be more physical in the paint. -They need to communicate better on defense. -They need to rotate more quickly. -They need to be more aware of their opponents’ actions.