“Realistically, if we box out in those two games, we probably win,” he said at Wednesday morning’s shootaround. “… Not saying we definitely win, but it at least puts us in better position.”
With Derrick Favors no longer around to form a super-sized front line with Rudy Gobert, part of the issue, he noted, is that Jazz lineups now tend to feature “smaller guys, more guards.” Not that he’s using that as an excuse. In his estimation, the team simply wasn’t physical enough in those games. Whoever is on the court, he added, needs to make it a point to put their body on the line to secure the ball.