Rebounding and paint presence are aspects of the game that the Utah Jazz are surprisingly excelling during the span of the NBA Preseason. They are looking to build on the recent experiences of Walker Kessler on Team USA and Lauri Markkanen on the All-Star team. But, their frontcourt will only be useful if they are given the proper breathing room near the paint. So far, there have only been wrinkles in their offensive schematics in their matches against the Los Angeles Clippers, and Portland Trail Blazers. All of them require guards like Jordan Clarkson, Keyonte George, and Collin Sexton to step up in shooting the lights out.

Jazz and their perimeter problems

Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler will only ever thrive if given the proper driving lanes and one-on-one matchups inside the paint. However, the current state of the Jazz offense in the NBA Preseason does not seem to be conducive to their style of play. It is all because they have yet to show that they are a stable threat from outside.

In their first game against the Clippers, they attempted 37 shots from beyond the arc. Knocking down only 11 of them is way below league average and would make it easier for their offense to stall. Los Angeles does have a strong perimeter and wing defenders. However, there have not been enough schematics thrown to make them conclude that their sets that revolve around the three-point line do not work. Nonetheless, it still remains a big concern for the Jazz.

It happened again when they faced the Clippers a second time in the NBA Preseason. A lot of their issues from three-point land got worse. Los Angeles had caught on and shut more driving and passing lanes inside the paint. Now, they had to face defensive schemes that forced them to shoot in perilous places. This only allowed them to dart nine out of their 39 three-point attempts from outside. A 23.1% average shooting percentage from far out in the three-point revolution will surely end their playoff hopes early.

They did significantly better against the Blazers. Shooting the lights out with 51.7% from outside is more than impressive. The Jazz would surely need more of these performances from everyone if they do not want to fall below .500.

Their additions may need to step up

It is way too early for the Jazz to hit the panic button and conduct a roster overhaul. But, players like John Collins are not exactly known for their outside shooting. With a decently-spaced Atlanta Hawks team, Collins only knocked down a 29.2% average on his three-pointers.

Keyonte George has the ability to step up in this department of their offense. He notched a 33.8% shooting percentage from the three-point land. But, this was in his final season of college with Baylor. The NBA is usually hell for shooters fresh out of the draft. Rookie mistakes are to be expected and his shot may not be as impactful early on.

Jordan Clarkson remains to be an elite scorer for the squad but his efficiency needs to go higher. Getting his outside stroke to as high as 37% may allow him to attract more defenders out of the paint. This is to make Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler thrive. Collin Sexton, on the other hand, can revert back to his volume shooting ways like he was in the Cleveland Cavaliers system. His three-point attempts went all the way down to 2.5 from a decent 4.1 attempts. Attempting more shots while shooting a 39.3% clip from way out could spell the difference between them being a play-in team to a playoff contender.