Darius Bazley | Utah Jazz | Mar. 06, 2022
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00:00Darius, despite their shooting tonight,
00:02you all really ran through the finish line
00:04and put pressure on them throughout
00:05that entire second half.
00:07What was the mentality, the focus
00:09that you all had out there on the floor
00:11to keep you all in this throughout the end
00:13of the night?
00:14Um.
00:22I think from the jump, we, as far as like our effort
00:28and our like.
00:32Energy and will to do the things
00:34that we were trying to get done was really good.
00:37And usually when it's like that.
00:40It carries over.
00:43You know, they shot the ball great all night and.
00:49Well, we close the half, OK?
00:54So coming out to have.
00:56You know, we just.
00:59We knew it just was like a shot thing,
01:01like, you know, they were hitting everything,
01:04you know, and we were getting a lot of good looks,
01:06stuff that we wanted and.
01:08Stuff that we usually get and just,
01:10you know, the ball just wasn't going in.
01:14But.
01:16I think, you know, just.
01:19It all starts like on defense for us, you know?
01:23Um, we like locking in and trying to get stops,
01:27you know, rebounds like it wasn't perfect.
01:29Obviously, like the head shots and stuff,
01:31but like.
01:32When the effort is there like that,
01:34it's it's going to carry over and.
01:38Usually everyone just stays positive throughout
01:40it all, like optimistic.
01:42I mean, we came back from like crazy deficits before.
01:47You know, we just were going to keep trying to do
01:49what we was doing on defense and then.
01:52Coming down the offensive end, you know,
01:54just keep trying to generate good looks,
01:56getting touches in the paint.
01:58We thought, you know, shots eventually would fall for us,
02:00but it did.
02:05Because of the injuries tonight,
02:06you all were playing maybe a little bit smaller
02:08than you normally would.
02:09You all year have been able to kind of play up
02:13with your physicality.
02:14What was it like to have Poku next to you?
02:16And he seems to be starting to get some of that
02:19to get more and more physicality in the game
02:21and used to be able to kind of land some punches too.
02:25Yeah, I think it all just comes with like reps,
02:29like the more experience you get,
02:32you know, because at a point in time,
02:33like it was like super brand new to me.
02:36But I mean, with Poku's length,
02:39it makes up for whatever, you know, size he likes.
02:43I mean, if you're guarding a five,
02:44usually they're, you know, typically bigger.
02:45Same thing with me.
02:47You know, but coach, the coaches do a good job
02:51of, you know, kind of letting us know,
02:53like physicality and strength are two different things.
02:57You know, one's a mindset and one is like actual,
03:00you know, attribute, you know.
03:02You can't help if a guy's stronger than you,
03:04but, you know, physically wise,
03:07you know, give it all that you got.
03:09So, I mean, Poku's a great help down there.
03:10Like I said, super lengthy,
03:14he's able to block shots, alter shots at the rim,
03:17muck it up and get some steals down there.
03:21You know, I like playing with him.
03:24Like I said, I think the more he does it,
03:26the more he'll just get comfortable,
03:28the more he'll be able to learn from whatever mistakes
03:30he makes along the way,
03:31and the better he'll get with it.
03:35Darius, wanted to ask you,
03:36you talked about it starts on the defensive end
03:38for you guys.
03:39There were a lot of those kind of moment of truth
03:42opportunities at the rim tonight.
03:43You guys are playing under man,
03:44but seemed like everybody was able to get in on blocks
03:47and deflecting those shots.
03:49When you see guys like Lindy step up to the challenge
03:51like that, Poku, Olivier,
03:53just what does that say about this group
03:55that, you know, even under man, under size,
03:57you're going to answer that call?
03:59I mean, I just think it's like the habits
04:02we're trying to build,
04:05you know, it's not perfect,
04:06but coach always is telling us,
04:09you know, like those moments of truth,
04:12you know, you need to be doing something,
04:15you know, stick your nose in there.
04:17If you're going to, you know,
04:18if you're a shot blocker, block it,
04:19you know, take a charge,
04:21or, you know, get a steal, hard foul, something.
04:26And I think everyone is kind of like
04:28taking that attitude and mentality on.
04:32You know, seeing him go contest,
04:34Lindy go contest that dunk at the rim and transition,
04:38that was good to watch.
04:40It felt good to like see it through Ma's,
04:43you know, usually it's me,
04:45but it felt good to see it,
04:49you know, but everyone, you know,
04:52just tries to take on that attitude,
04:55you know, even you see like Trey,
04:57like a lot of times big guys
04:59will get it in the post or,
05:00you know, somebody brings the ball down,
05:02like he's snatching it away
05:03or he's smacking down, swiping down,
05:05getting those steals,
05:06Shay does it, he helped out some.
05:08So, you know, in those moments of truth,
05:11just go try to make a play.
05:16Joe Masato, The Oklahoman.
05:18Darius, you guarded Donovan a lot tonight.
05:21You guarded both Donovan some, Rudy Gobert some.
05:24All three of those guys
05:24have very different styles and strengths.
05:27Like what is it like to go from matchup to matchup?
05:29And it seems like Mark and the coaching staff
05:32is just sort of stretching you defensively
05:34and seeing how many different things
05:35you can do out there.
05:36Yeah, I think it's fun, honestly.
05:41You definitely have to be like locked in mentally.
05:44I mean, Bogdanovic hit a lot of shots,
05:47you know, more than we would have liked to given up.
05:50You know, some of it was just him hitting over contests,
05:53you know, but after a while,
05:54I think we could have did a better job of like,
05:57you know, closing out,
05:57making him put it on the floor.
06:01With Mitchell, you know, just about pursuits,
06:03he's in a lot of picking roles.
06:06You know, trying to get my length involved.
06:12And then, you know, with Gobert guarding the five,
06:15it's just trying to be physical,
06:17getting him out of the paint.
06:20I mean, it's fun to kind of like bounce around.
06:24It just keeps, to me,
06:25it just kind of like keeps you engaged too
06:27because you're like, you're always on your feet.
06:28Like you never, you know, I could start off on Gobert,
06:32switch off on Mitchell or, you know,
06:34we get back in transition
06:35and I'm closing out to O'Neal or Bogdanovich.
06:38So it just keeps you on your toes,
06:41but it's fun.
06:42It's a challenge, but it's fun.
06:45They're so different.
06:46Like, do you, I guess,
06:49take more pride or like have more fun,
06:51like taking on the challenge of guarding a guy
06:54like Gobert inside or guarding a guard
06:56like Mitchell on the perimeter?
06:58Like, is there something that,
07:00one of those challenges you like better?
07:04I kind of get the same feeling
07:05when it's like one-on-one type of situation,
07:06like late clock.
07:07You see like on the wing,
07:08a guy like starts backing the ball out.
07:11In my head, I'm like, all right, like,
07:13it's a one-on-one, you know, no screen, anything,
07:16you know, get a stop in the post, same thing,
07:18you know, if he posts up and,
07:20you know, trying to back you down.
07:24It's really the one-on-ones
07:25that like really like get me amped up.
07:29It's kind of tougher,
07:32like when you just in pursuits
07:34or guard and pick and roll
07:36because you're just worried about so many different,
07:37you know, actions and stuff like that.
07:39But like when it's one-on-one,
07:40it's just you and him.
07:42So,
07:44I would say just the,
07:45just like the one-on-one aspect,
07:48whether if it's on the wing or the post.
07:52Andrew Schleich to The Athletic.
07:54Shea's had quite a stretch
07:56since he's come back from his ankle injury.
07:58Just from your vantage point,
07:59like what are the things that he's improved on most
08:01since you guys started playing together a few years ago?
08:03Shea's had quite a year
08:07since I've been playing with him.
08:08He's had quite a second year.
08:10He's had,
08:11you know,
08:12quite a third year.
08:15But,
08:16I mean, he's
08:18it's amazing to play with him.
08:20Just
08:20watching him, he's closing the games better.
08:25You know, his,
08:26he's adding more stuff to his game,
08:27like, you know, mid-range.
08:28I remember like my second year,
08:30he put up a lot of floaters.
08:31But,
08:32you know, now he's,
08:33you know,
08:34stepping to the mid-range,
08:37you know,
08:38shooting off the three.
08:41Shea's really good.
08:43You know, his game just keeps getting sharper,
08:45just keep getting sharper.
08:48You know, the biggest things I would say,
08:50the skill is there.
08:50Everybody sees that,
08:51you know, it's just kind of like
08:54game within a game,
08:55you know,
08:56he's becoming a good leader,
08:59you know, in the locker room,
09:00just talking to guys,
09:01pulling guys to the side.
09:03You know, he kind of leaves more examples
09:05than he does,
09:05you know, by talking.
09:06But,
09:08you know, just becoming a good leader,
09:11you know, and then,
09:12like I said,
09:13you know, closing games.