Player of the Week: Week 13

Written by Kyle Kirkham | 27 March 2012

*This post doesn’t include any stats or insights from the Jazz/Nets game.

What a week for the Utah Jazz. It started off with a win vs the Thunder, then they beat the Kings on the road in the final seconds, followed that up with one of the most complete wins of the seasons as they whooped Denver, and capped it off with a 4 OT (Yes, FOUR OVERTIMES) loss to the Hawks. While the Hawks loss was just plain demoralizing (and ended our 6 game win streak) the Jazz had yet another really solid week.

Devin Harris

Last Week’s Line: 13.3 points (40%), 7.3 assists (1.8 TO’s), 2.3 rebounds

Devin has continued to play great. He didn’t have the best week in shooting, but he has done a much better job at scoring within the offense and controlling the tempo. The best part of Harris’s week was obviously his playmaking, which hasn’t been that good this year. He led the team in assists and had an assist to turnover ratio of 4.1:1. Devin will have to keep this play up in the team’s push towards the playoffs.

CJ Miles

Last Week’s Line:  10.5 points (46%), 4 rebounds, 2.3 assists (1.3 TO’s)

Thanks to Howard’s season ending injury Miles has been inserted into the starting lineup; where he hasn’t done that bad of a job. Now he hasn’t been great either, but I do think that starter CJ is > bench CJ. His stat line looks pretty mediocre, but that’s not where he recent improvements show up. Miles has been playing much better defense lately, and has been just more active overall. He definitely deserves some credit for the poor performances of Kobe and Durant. Like I said, he isn’t playing great, but we don’t need that, just some consistency 

Gordon Hayward

Last Week’s Line: 15.8 points (40%), 7.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists (2.5 TO’s), 1.8 steals, 1.8 blocks

Hayward quietly had himself one of the best weeks of his season. Sure his shooting may have been CJ like, but he was still able to score nearly 16 points a game thanks to his ability to get to the free throw line, which he did 28 times last week (7 times a game!). And it just gets better from there. Hayward was third on the team in rebounding, second in assists, second in blocks (paging Sam Mitchell), and first in steals, Andrei who? Without Gordon the Jazz don’t win the Kings game, and don’t have a chance vs Atlanta.

Paul Millsap

Last Week’s Line: 17.3 points (53%), 7.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists (1.8 TO’s), 1.3 steals, 1 block

Millsap played last week to the level that he actually is; if that makes sense. He didn’t play really bad, but he didn’t play unbelievably either. Paul has shown that he is an above average power forward despite having less tools than most. You’ve heard this a thousand times, but what Millsap doesn’t have in height and length he makes up for in hustles and hard work, his progression throughout his career is a testament to this. My question is, has he peaked yet? Millsap literally has improved his game every single year, can he add more to his game next year?

Al Jefferson

Last Week’s Line: 23.3 points (57%), 9.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists (1 TO), 2.3 blocks

Big Al had another really solid week. Not only did he average a near 20 and 10, he also shot a scorching 57% from the field to go along with a couple assists and a few blocks, that’s awesome. Jefferson struggles to get to the free throw line, so it is extremely important for him to shoot a good percentage for him to be an efficient scorer, he did that this week. Unfortunately Al wasn’t nearly as good on the defensive side of the ball. Now of course you are going to be frustrated watching Jefferson playing defense when you compare it the defense of someone like Favors, who simply has the physical tools need to dominate. But it’s the effort that makes me cringe. Al doesn’t always give up on defense, but when he does it is simply disheartening. The jogging on fast breaks, the standing around, that’s what kills me. Now let me note that I think Jefferson has made some pretty big strides this year defensively, he’s actually some really good defensive games, just not as much lately.

Jamaal Tinsley 

Last Week’s Line: 6 points (41%), 4.8 assists (1.3 TO’s), 1.8 rebounds

Every additional game Tinsley plays, the smarter KOC looks for picking up the veteran point guard. He does a fantastic job at running the second unit, and continued to do that last week. One of my favorite things about Tinsley was the fact that he was ready when his name was called upon, despite playing very little in the first half of the season. The only problem with Tinsley’s play is that it means we will, and are already seeing less of Earl Watson, who was taken out of the main rotation after a sprained ankle. As Earl gets completely healthy it will be interesting to see who is set as the primary backup.

Alec Burks

Last Week’s Line: 8.8 points (37%), 3.3 rebounds, 1 assist (.8 TO) (21.5 minutes)

With Howard out, and Bell not playing (whether it’s injury or internal issues…) Burks has become our primary wing off the bench. Alec started the week slow, scoring just 10 points in his first two games, but then stepped it up the next two giving the Jazz 25 points in just 40 minutes. I know it hasn’t been long, but I think he is already ready to be the primary scorer off the bench, he’s that talented. We could know this by the end of next week.

Derrick Favors

Last Week’s Line: 11.3 points (63%), 8.3 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, .8 steals (22 minutes)

Favors had yet another really good week. Not only did he put up a great line, but he did it in a very small amount of time. I’ll make this simple, translate Derrick’s stats from last week and you get 18.5 points, 13.6 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks, that’s really good. But he isn’t just putting up good numbers, he is really impacting games. Almost every time Favors steps on the floor, he brings the defense to another level, then uses his strength and athleticism on the other end to force the other team into fouling. Right now his only issue is staying on the floor, and in this case it’s not something he can control.

Enes Kanter

Last Week’s Line: 1.8 minutes (50%), 1.8 rebounds (10.8 minutes)

Kanter has hit a rookie wall, as some would call it. He spent most of his playing time (which wasn’t much) on the floor making little impact. He took 4 shots the entire week, and even his rebounding is down. This isn’t fun to watch, especially when you factor in the fact that he was a top 3 pick. I probably say this every week, but we need to patient with him; it could be a while before he fully develops. Anyways, hopefully the Turk bounces back this week.

DeMarre Carroll

Last Week’s Line: 4.8 points (42%), 1.5 rebounds (11.8 minutes)

Carroll has gone from last man on the roster to second wing off the bench. He still doesn’t get loads of time, but I am really liking what I am seeing. DeMarre may not have a whole loaded with talent, but his hustle alone allows him to see time on the floor. He played almost no time prior to last week, but came in to average about 5 points, get multiple hustle plays, and has even hit some pretty big shots. Carroll will likely never be a top 5 player on a team, but he is still an awesome guy to have jump off the bench and make plays.

Not often will your team beat a contendor, win on a last second shot, crush a divisional rival, and lose in quadrupal OT all within 7 days, so lets just say I had a fun time picking this week's winner.

Player of the Week: Week 13

Gordon Hayward is tired. He's also the Player of the Week. (Photo via AP)

Gordon Hayward: 15.8 points (40%), 7.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists (2.5 TO’s), 1.8 steals, 1.8 blocks

Runner up: Al Jefferson

Special Mention: Devin Harris, Paul Millsap

Players who didn’t play (very much): Jeremy Evans, Earl Watson, Josh Howard, Raja Bell

T
hanks to @sproul13 for weekly stats