How will the arrival of Kyle Korver impact the Jazz?

When the news broke that the Jazz had acquired sharpshooting Kyle Korver from the Cleveland Cavaliers for the second time in Korver’s career in exchange for two second-round draft picks and Alec Burks I was hit with differing emotions. Burks was a fan favorite from day one. While the guard was never an all-star level player and he never played a huge role in the success of the team, his high flying dunks and mind-boggling layups never failed to get fans out of their seats and he will certainly be missed by all of Jazz nation. But on the other hand, I couldn’t ignore the fact that the trade made perfect sense for Utah and the most important thing of all; the Jazz got better.

Burks was certainly exciting, but it’s hard to think of something that the Colorado product does differently, or better, than other members of the Jazz such as Donovan Mitchell, Royce O’Neale or Jae Crowder. Sure, Burks was exciting but so is Mitchell. Yes, Burks can make the occasional three but so does Crowder. And of course, Burks can be a pest along the perimeter but O’Neale fulfills that need. So the decision to make a change hinged upon one thing; none of Utah’s guards were above average shooters. So they went out and added one of the best shooters in NBA history.

Korver is not only one of the best outside shooters in the NBA today, he may be one of the best outside shooters in the history of basketball. Korver, a 43% shooter from deep for his career, has a better career mark than notable shooters Steve Nash, Klay Thompson, Dell Curry, Dennis Scott and Reggie Miller. In fact, Korver currently ranks sixth in NBA History in career three-point percentage. And if there is one thing that the Jazz desperately need, its shooting.

Currently, the league average for three-point percentage sits at .350, which puts the Jazz three notches below the NBA average at .320, which ranks second-to-last in the league. Additionally, the Jazz do not feature a single player that ranks in the top 60 among NBA players in three-point percentage this season (Joe Ingles is the closest coming in at 64th). Kyle Korver? He ranks ninth.

So its safe to say that Korver will drastically help the Jazz when it comes to three-point shooting, but Korver’s potential contribution doesn’t end there. The Jazz rely heavily on the outside shot as a way of opening up the paint so that their bigs (Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors) along with play makers like Donovan Mitchell can have easy looks at the rim.

The Jazz are 9-12 on the season, with seven of their losses coming when the Jazz fail to shoot over .300 for the game.

So while Korver should be relied on heavily in terms of shooting, the longtime NBA vet will also be relied on to serve as a teacher of sorts to the young Jazz players. With young talent such as Mitchell, O’Neale, Dante Exum and Grayson Allen, the Jazz can only benefit by having a proven shooter like Korver in the locker room and will ideally help younger players to improve their shooting from the perimeter.

Now on his second time in Utah, Korver will fill a similar role as he did in his first stop in Salt Lake. Korver joins a Utah team that has huge potential, led by two of the rising stars in the league much like when he first arrived in Utah, joining Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer in an attempt to take the Jazz to the Finals. Only this time around Korver’s lasting impact may come off the court.