The Utah Jazz held practice today as they continue to prepare for their season opener on Wednesday as they will tip-off the season against the Houston Rockets. The game will get underway at 7:00 PM from EnergySolutions Arena. The Utah Jazz also welcomed in 2 new players today in fourth-year player Jordan Hamilton and rookie Joe Ingles.
Derrick Favors returned to practice after missing yesterday’s practice with a sore left leg. He is listed as probable for tomorrow night’s game. Trey Burke did not practice today due to left patella tendinitis. He is also probable for Wednesday’s season opener.
The media was able to catch up with Quin Snyder, Derrick Favors, Jordan Hamilton, and Joe Ingles after practice today.
Utah Jazz Head Coach Quin Snyder knows that there is still a lot of work to do. This team will learn new things everyday. Snyder knows he at times needs to slow things down, but he also knows how important it is for his guys to pick up the plays on offense as well as on defense. Here is Quin Snyder with the media after practice:
Derrick Favors talked at practice today about how tough the Rockets are with great players like James Harden and Dwight Howard on the team. He says he is 100% and he feels great. Derrick Favors will have to perform well this year for the Jazz to be successful. He is one of the veterans on this team, and he will need to perform like it. His plays well on defense and his offensive games continues to get better. Here is Derrick Favors with the media after practice:
Jordan Hamilton is coming to the Jazz after being with the Toronto Raptors. He is glad to be in Utah. Here is Jordan Hamilton after practice with the media:
Joe Ingles has been teammates with fellow Australian and rookie Dante Exum. It will be interesting to see if that helps either of the players progress and develop this season. Here is Joe Ingles from after practice with the media:
The players and coaches are ready to get the season going. The Houston Rockets will be a good test for the team. They are a great defensive team. The Jazz will have a challenge. It will be interesting to see how well this team will perform. They are a very young team. It won’t always be pretty, but if they play with as much energy and desire as they did during the preseason, the games will be fun to watch.
