David Locke, radio voice of the Utah Jazz and Jazz NBA Insider, sounds the alarm on the defensive metrics that plagued the Jazz last season and demands immediate improvement. He breaks down the team’s last-place rankings in half-court defense and transition prevention, emphasizing that opponents had the fastest pace off makes, misses, and turnovers against Utah—highlighting an “Olay defense” with little resistance. Locke singles out glaring weaknesses at the rim, where the team allowed a league-worst 70% shooting, and struggles defending the floater. He points to promising rim denial percentages, yet laments that when teams got inside, they converted with ease. Can the Jazz reverse these trends and build a more resilient defensive identity?

Individual player performances come under the microscope, with Locke candidly assessing the pick-and-roll and isolation defense of Walker Kessler, Kyle Filipowski, Keonte George, Isaiah Collier, and others. Shocking numbers—like Filipowski’s bottom-tier isolation rating and Markkanen’s struggles—underscore the urgency for growth, especially as the Jazz eye development over immediate wins. Locke also teases possible lineup changes and questions about the starting point guard battle, pitting Keonte George, Collier, and Walt Clayton against one another, while reinforcing Ace Bailey’s pivotal importance to the franchise’s future. With new energy on the roster and a fresh defensive mandate, the Utah Jazz stand at a turning point—will hard coaching and revamped schemes flip the script this season?

00:00 "Utah Jazz Defensive Changes Needed"
04:05 Defensive Improvements Needed Urgently
07:34 "Defensive Impact Needed from Walker"
15:34 Defensive Struggles for Jazz
19:11 Bailey's Position Impact on Team
22:53 Potential Starting Point Guard Debate
26:43 Revitalized Team Dynamics
29:50 Reassessing Filipowski's NBA Potential

Locked On Jazz Podcast 💻 https://www.lockedonjazz.net

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