Checking in with the Salt Lake City Stars

Right now the Utah Jazz are on a 9-game win streak. But it’s not just the Jazz who are having a great season. Right now the the Salt Lake City Stars are the #1 team in the G-League Western Conference. They showed why tonight with another solid win against the Northern Arizona Suns.

Talking with Jarrell Brantley after the game, I asked him what he’s looking to improve on this season and he said consistency and making shots.

It’s definitely showing. Right now the Stars have the #1 defense in the G-League and Brantley is a big part of that. On defense he does a little bit of everything whether it’s contesting shots, guarding the post or filling lanes. Tonight Brantley and the Stars were also really good at playing team defense forcing turnovers and contesting shots. With that level of defense, there’s no reason their exciting season can’t continue.

To me probably the most exciting thing about Brantley’s game is all of his tools. Brantley does a little of everything on the floor. On offense you’ll see him in one possession post up and on another he’ll handle the ball and initiate the offense. Tonight he had 4 assists. That gives the offense a lot of versatility to find open shots. If Brantley can improve his three point shooting the Jazz have a really versatile player that can help in a lot of ways.

The other player that has to be talked about is Miye Oni. Oni has great size and athleticism on the perimeter and uses it well. When you see plays like these, it’s easy to see why the Jazz gave Oni his contract.

Like Brantley, the next step for Oni is consistency with his shot, especially from three. His shot looks nice (tonight he was 3/7) but for the season, he’s at 32%. Some of that can be attributed to just 12 games played, but it would still be nice to see higher percentages.

It was nice to see that when the ball is in his hands good things happen. Oni is a willing passer and sets up teammates for good shots within the offense. Tonight he had 6 assists.

At the beginning of the season, Martin Schiller said he thinks Oni could become the next Royce O’neale. If his shooting can become as consistent, I don’t see why not because he has all the tools to do it.

It’s great to see the development of the Jazz’s young prospects and seeing those talents produce a great season for the Stars. The Jazz organization is strong from top to bottom and the Stars are a great example of that as both teams continue to ascend in their respective leagues.