CJ Miles: The X-Factor

The Jazz right now are coming out of their most horrid slumps in recent memory. An East Coast road trip that we'd all like to forget in Jazz Nation. We all remember that great road trip early in the year in which Miami, Orlando, Atlanta, and Charlotte were all dispatched and destroyed by the Utah Jazz. The Jazz then were playing the best basketball that they've played in years, and certainly had the best road trip in franchise history. But now they've recently lost to the likes of Washington, New Jersey, and Philadelphia on the road. A disgusting trip for sure 2 weeks ago, and certainly one that they'd like to forget about. But with all that being said they are 29-20, still safe for a playoff spot and only 2 games back of the northwest division leading Oklahoma City Thunder. Despite playing like dog vomit over the past 2 weeks they are still in prime position to get a top 3 seed out West. The Lakers are having problems of their own right now. Right now, the Lakeshow are trying to get Pau Gasol, Ron Artest, and every Laker not named Kobe Bryant to stop playing like slothful over-paid cry babies.
The Jazz have a chance to get ahead of Dallas, LA and OKC and get the 2 seed. It's not out of reach by any means. But there are things that the Jazz need to do to get that 2 spot (I've given up on the one seed, the Spurs are spanking everybody right now, and are a lock to end up first in the West). The Jazz need Deron Williams (once he's back on the court) to play at his all-star level every night. He needs to be scoring around 20 points and dishing out 10 assists every night.
Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap need to continue to dominate the paint. They need to both be able score around the basket and not settle for outside jumpers. Andrei Kirilenko and his "Go-Go Gaget Arms" as Matt Harpring likes to put it, needs to continue to wreak havoc like a Russian Spy. Raja Bell needs to develop a more consistent offensive game. I want to see Raja Bell scoring around 12 points per game. That's what I want out of Raja Bell, a consistent 12 points every game. Mehmet Okur needs to return to his usual self, hitting 3's, stretching out the defense, and cutting to the basket like he did last year. So far he's been close to a non-factor. I expect the other bench players like Gordon Hayward, Earl "The Squirrel" Watson, Ronnie Price, Francisco Elson, Jeremy Evans, and Kyrylo Fesenko to come in and provide energy, and keep the ship afloat while the starters rest.
I've mentioned 12 of their 13 players. The one player I haven't yet mentioned is the player who I have labeled the "X-Factor" of the Utah Jazz. That would be CJ Miles. CJ Miles has had some games where he's on fire, hitting 3's, scoring at will, and really changing the whole dynamic of the game from an offensive stand point. He's also had games where he's gone quiet, only scoring in the single-digits and not contributing much to the offense and honestly being a detriment at times because his shot isn't falling and his missed shots lead to fast breaks and free points for the other team. The Golden Stat for the Utah Jazz is the following: The Utah Jazz are 12-0 when CJ Miles scores 19 or more points this year. 12 of their 29 wins have come with CJ's 19 + points. The other 17 have come when he has less than 19 points. That means that the Jazz are a sub .500 team when CJ Miles has less than 19 points. 17-20 to be exact. In games where CJ gets 10 points to 18 points, they are 11-9, a little better than .500 and a crappy 6-11 when he has less than 10 points. This is a huge tell tale stat about how important CJ Miles is to this team. When he's playing at a high level, the Jazz are unbeatable, and when he's not, they are sub.500.
Why is CJ Miles so important to the Utah Jazz? Because he can provide three key things for the Jazz. #1 He provides scoring off of the bench. The rest of the Jazz bench is pretty flaky when it comes to scoring. Fesenko, Evans, Elson, Price, Watson, and even Hayward are rarely good for more than 8 points each. Hayward has had the highest scoring game of the bunch with the 17 point game that he notched against the Clippers. Hayward has the potential to become a Jeff Hornacek type guy. But back to CJ, he is by far the best scoring option off the bench. 12 times he has posted 19 points or more and every time he does that, the Jazz win. When CJ Miles doesn't score points off the bench, the rest of the bench is hard pressed to even match 20 points as a collective unit without CJ. CJ is Utah's bench from a scoring perspective. This isn't to knock the other bench players, because they all have different strengths, but it is true that CJ Miles is the only really good scoring weapon that comes off the bench for Jerry Sloan.
#2. CJ Miles stretches the floor in games where he's effective. When CJ Miles is scoring points, and that often is from the outside, the defense stretches out and gives more room for the Jazz to get the ball into guys like Jefferson and Millsap. If Miles is not playing well and is off the floor, the defense can play better interior defense because the long ball isn't a big threat. But if CJ is on the court, and he's playing well, then the defense has to guard him and give up more space in the painted area which creates more options for the low post players of Utah. Deron Williams can drive to the hole, get to the line, and create more for the team. If the defense isn't stretched out, a lot of those great cuts and attacks to the basket that the Utah Jazz do isn't happening as easily. CJ Miles gives the defense a reason to get out of the paint. It has a Randy Moss effect to it. Randy Moss is a great Wide out because he stretches the field and opens things up. CJ Miles does the same thing for Utah.

#3. CJ Miles takes pressure off the starters when he's hitting his shot. I think that this is the best aspect of CJ getting his 19 points or more. When he's scoring in bunches, Williams, Millsap, and Jefferson don't have to do as much. There isn't as much pressure on them. If they have a 2 guard that is scoring a lot of points, that means that there is now a fourth guy to share the scoring load with them. That is huge. If he is putting up massive amounts of points, then the whole offense clicks a lot better. The Jazz are a championship caliber team when CJ gets his 19+ points. The Jazz are one elite player away from a championship, and the position needed is shooting guard/small forward. A shooting guard that gets 20 points is just what the doctor ordered when it comes to prescribing a remedy or an answer to what the Jazz need to do to contend. Think about the Jazz teams that went to the Finals. They had reliable shooting guards. Jeff Hornacek and Bryon Russell were perfect complimentary players to John Stockton and Karl Malone. CJ Miles can be the same for Deron Williams and Al Jefferson. The real scary part of all this is that he comes off the bench no less. Having a 6th man that scores like that is a rare luxury that not many coaches have.

All in all, if you had to give me one player that dictates how the Jazz do, it's CJ Miles. The numbers don't lie. Williams, Jefferson, and Millsap have to play well and do their part, but when CJ Miles comes in and shares the spotlight, the Jazz are a scary team to watch. CJ gives them more points, more rest/relief, and more space on the court to work with. I always check to see if CJ Miles "Gets his 20" (I could say 19, but 20 sounds better). If he "Gets his 20" look out, because the Utah Jazz are a championship caliber team. What can the Jazz do to help CJ "Get his 20"? This is the hard part to figure out. I think a lot of has to do with CJ himself. It really is up to CJ. Some nights he just doesn't have it. He's clanging shots, he's missing 3s and in the process giving up long rebounds to help the opposition get in transition and score fastbreak points. Not a whole lot you can do to help a guy get out of a shooting rut. You don't want to go to him if he's cold. But the one thing that the Jazz can/need to do is to get CJ shots early in the game. Get him touches. Design plays to get him an easy layup or a dunk so that he can get rolling. As a fellow basketball player, I always find that my shot goes down more readily when I've hit a couple of quick little close shots. Getting even a layup in the hole can fix a shooting slump, and prevent one from ever happening. If they design plays to get his motor running they will be much more successful as a team. CJ Miles is "The X-Factor".