Utah Jazz Are ‘Ringing the Bell’ This Season

After missed free throws contributed to several Utah Jazz losses last season, Gordon Hayward and Co. are owning the charity stripe in 2016-17.

For all the progress the Utah Jazz made last season, the team struggled in some key areas. Injuries were undoubtedly a factor, but regardless of the personnel they had on the court, clutch play was chief among them.

When the game was close and the clock was ticking away, there were things the Jazz just didn’t do well. In fact, they were pretty bad. Like…Birdemic: Shock and Terror bad. In games that were within five points in the final five minutes, the Jazz finished with a 14-28 record.

The reasons for their clutch failure are many. Their size notwithstanding, rebounding was often an issue. So too was defense; despite being a team that hangs its hat on getting stops, the Jazz regularly failed to keep opposing offenses in check in the final five minutes of games.

However, free throws were as much a problem as anything else that plagued them last season. In the clutch, the Jazz hit on just 69.9 percent of their foul shots, the fourth-worst mark in the league. But foul shooting was more than just a late-game issue.

On the whole, the Jazz were the seventh-worst free throw shooting team in the NBA last year, making 74.4 percent at the line.

Now, 74.4 percent may not sound that bad, but when you lost games by the fifth-smallest margin in the league, missing out on free points may have been the difference between making the playoffs and counting lottery ping-pong balls.

Fully aware of the problem at hand, the Jazz employed a creative method to motivate players at the line during training camp. Specifically, they installed bell at the practice facility; any time a Jazz player is able to rock it at the stripe (to the tune of 25 consecutive makes), they get to ring that bell.

In a way, the team continues to ring the bell during this season.

Against the Sacramento Kings on Saturday, the Jazz only missed one of their 18 free attempts. However, that performance was far from a fluke. It’s quickly becoming the norm in Jazzland.

Through 25 games, the Jazz have upped their foul shooting efficacy to 78.1 percent as a team. That mark puts them in a virtual tie with the Memphis Grizzlies and Brooklyn Nets for 10th best in the league.

It’s a historically high percentage for the Jazz. The last time the Jazz made 78.1 percent of their free throws for an entire year was way back in the 1994-95 season; a year in which they led the league.

They’re doing even better in the clutch. For the season, Utah is hitting on 86.4 percent of free throws in the last five minutes of games decided by five or less. That number puts them in the top five league-wide.

Somewhere out there, Anita Ward is smiling.

More from The J-Notes

• With the FIBA World Cup over for Simone Fontecchio, it’s clear he deserves minutes for the Utah Jazz
• Best, Worst and Most likely scenarios for the Utah Jazz this season
• Hoops Hype downplays the significance of the Utah Jazz’s valuable assets
• 3 Utah Jazz players who have the most to gain or lose this season
• Former Utah Jazz forward Rudy Gay is a free agent still and it shouldn’t surprise anyone

The big hero here is Gordon Hayward. The Jazz captain, a career 82-percent foul shooter, is taking more than seven free throws per game and has upped his rate to just under 89 percent (15th in the league). Although he’s missed much of the season, George Hill is just behind him at 88.4 percent.

On the whole, the Jazz have six players hitting above 80 percent, while Trey Lyles and Joe Johnson are toeing the line at 79.

Having said all of that, I’d be remiss in my duties if I didn’t mention Rudy Gobert. In years past, he’s often been the target of intentional fouls. This year he’s making it harder for teams to effectively employ that strategy. After shooting just 56.9 percent last season, Gobert is creeping up on 70 percent from the line in 2016-17.

If Gobert is making free throws, the rest of the league is in trouble.

Of course, free throws are just one aspect of a game that usually demands a lot of things to go in your favor for you to win. But with uncontrollable situations like the team’s insane injury bug biting hard, Utah needs to show well in the areas that can be controlled.

By taking care of their business at the line, the Jazz are doing just that.

They’re also giving themselves a better shot at success in the long run.