Concerns about effort and enthusiasm cloud Utah Jazz’s second Summer League game

You know what would be crazy?

If the Utah Jazz’s rookies, all-around players and non-guaranteed Summer League players showed up to a Summer League game without enthusiasm, it would be pretty insane for those types of players to feel comfortable enough to not give their best every time they’re on the court.

“It didn’t seem like anybody wanted to play tonight,” Jazz Summer League head coach Sean Sheldon said. “It’s disappointing because that’s all we’ve talked about for the last week and a half.”

The Jazz coaching staff has tried to make it clear that they don’t care if things aren’t perfect or if shots don’t go in. They know it’s going to be a little tough, especially with so many young players. But they expect stiff competition. They expect players to at least try to make the right decisions and show they’re willing to give 110 percent every minute.

But on Tuesday night, in the Jazz’s second game of the Salt Lake Summer League schedule, they seemed to pretend not to play for long stretches. The offense was stagnant, with players preferring to play a lot in isolation rather than share the ball.

“Offensively, we didn’t shoot well, but we didn’t shoot well in the first half either,” Sheldon said. “We didn’t pass the ball around, we tried to fight one-on-one. But credit to this group that finished the game. I thought they did a really good job moving the ball, making good decisions.”

That group included Kenneth Lofton Jr., who is not on a guaranteed contract for the upcoming season. Heading into his third season, Lofton has yet to find a stable, permanent home in the NBA. Much of the concern surrounding Lofton over the past two years has been his body and fitness. The reason he hasn’t completely disappeared from the NBA world is because he is so talented that everyone is hoping he will eventually return to NBA form.

Since joining the Jazz late last year, he has continued to slim down and appears to be making a lot of progress (being able to play longer and maintaining his endurance). And there is a lot of hope that he can continue that progression and become a key player for the Jazz in the future.

“He’s obviously very talented,” Sheldon said. “I think he’s got to find the right system. With the way Will (Hardy) plays — with the off-ball stuff and the stuff we would use a lot for Kelly (Olynyk) — Kenny could be really good at that spot. So that’s what we’re trying to figure out. I don’t know why he hasn’t stayed at other positions, but I think that’s a reason why he could potentially stay here.”

Lofton finished the night with 18 points, four rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block in the Jazz’s 98-75 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

While some of the Jazz players showed small signs of potential and interest (notably Brice Sensabaugh and Darius Bazley), the team as a whole looked flat throughout the first half. Is it fair to say that the players are tired, haven’t had enough time to build chemistry, and aren’t used to the system? Sure.

“I want to give them a little benefit of the doubt,” Sheldon said. “But we get paid to play basketball. So if you want to play if you’re tired, play hard and we’ll get you a replacement quick. But yeah, as coaches, I don’t know what we’re supposed to tell them. We can’t play the game for them. Hopefully things change tomorrow.”

The Jazz will wrap up their Salt Lake City Summer League schedule Wednesday night against the Philadelphia 76ers. The team will then head to the Las Vegas Summer League.