SR – NBA Bubble Breakdowns: #9 Utah Jazz

With only 10 days left until the season resumes its only right that we take a closer look at the team that had the first player in the league to test positive for the COVID-19 Virus. Rudy Gobert had tested positive for the virus back in early March after showing symptoms prior to the Utah Jazz game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Since the Jazz center has recovered but did admit a few weeks back that he still hadn’t fully regained his sense of smell and taste. Gobert along with Utah Jazz all-star Donavan Mitchell both contracted the virus in the month of March but have both made full recoveries. They are in the Orlando Bubble and thankfully so because this Utah Jazz team, who will be without Bojan Bogdonavic for the rest of the season, will need huge contributions from their two All NBA Team selections if they hope to make something happen in the western conference playoffs.

The Utah Jazz have the 8th easiest schedule when the season returns next week. This team had an impressive showing in the first half of the year. They are in 4th place in the western conference and are only two games back of the 3rd seeded Denver Nuggets. If we were looking at the team they were for the majority of this year’s season they would have a real shot at competing for that 3 seed. However, with limited games and even worse, a limited roster, they will have more problems figuring out lineups than who they are even playing. As the season went on for the Utah Jazz they were finally starting to figure things out with guards Donavan Mitchel and Mike Conley were going to work. Conely and Mitchel are both gifted offensive scorers but for much of the year struggled to do so in unison. It has to be Utah’s hope that maybe with Bogdonavic out for the season with a wrist injury there will be more opportunity for Conely and Mitchel to find a consistent rhythm. Regardless The Jazz are going to need guys to step up in all positions on their roster. The Jazz have made some great additions and do have a roster of guys capable of stepping in for this team to produce similar to how they have all season. The problem though is that they just haven’t played with the lineups they are probable to throw out in Orlando. It will really depend on how quickly and consistently the Jazz will be able to form a defensive and offensive identity that will determine if this team is a depleted first round out or a reenergized western conference contender.

Utah Season In Review (41-23, 4th in the West)

Looking at what Utah has accomplished this year, it seems odd to even question if this team is a contender because of how well they have performed in a stacked Western Conference. They just are the same team however and will need to figure out how to replace the  21.2 points per game Bogdonavic provided for them all year along with his strong perimeter defense. Guard Jordan Clarkson was looking like the guy who was likely to fill in for where the Jazz missed “Bogey”. Clarkson was beginning to find his offensive rhythm for the Jazz this year after playing more significant minutes and growing more aggressive as he got comfortable with the Jazz. While I belive Clarkson is capable of scoring in bunches to help this team, I dont think he or anyone else that will fill in for this team has the defensive capability that Bogdonavic had. Bogdanovic ranks second in the league in points generated per touch (0.456), and this season proved he is one of the best spot-up shooters in the league shooting 41% from 3. The Jazz offense was centered around the effective pick and rolls with their guards and Rudy Gobert, and strong spot up shooters to space the floor. While they still have some strong shooters in Joe Ingles and Jordan Clarkson they will need them to also emulate Bogeys playmaking ability for this team to have success.

Looking into the Bubble:

A big concern for Head Coach Quinn Synders team will be if Mike Connely and Donavan Mitchell can finally figure out how to play well with one another consistently. Mitchell was averaging 26 points per game this year to Connely’s 14. If this team hopes to compete with teams like the OKC Thunder, which is who they would match up with in the first round of the playoffs if everything stayed the same, Conley will need to get going…fast. Conely has struggled this year offensively mainly because he and donavan micthel like to operate in the same areas on the floor. Conley reluctantly deferred as Mitchell has already shown his offensive promise for the Jazz it made sense. If this team is actually going to make a playoff run Conely will have to find how he can be the point guard this team needs. Conely was able to find success in the pick in role game with Gobert before the season’s hiatus and hopefully, this can carry to Orlando. Coach Snyder credited his center being “arguably one of the best rollers in the league”, and hopefully he will continue to be for this team’s playoff hopes.

While I don’t think that there is one player on this roster capable of recreating what Bogdonavic brought individually, they have a chance to collectively. If players like Jordan Clarkson, Joe Ingles, Emmanuel Mudiay and even Georges Niag (who is shooting over 40% from 3) can figure out a way to collectively bring a defensive presence at the wing position and space the floor the Jazz have a shot.