Claiming the 1-seed in either conference is a big deal in the NBA and the Utah Jazz did just that last season. Led by All-Stars Donovan Mitchell, Mike Conley and Rudy Gobert, the Jazz held the best record during the NBA regular season, marking the first-time in franchise history that the Jazz finished with sole possession of the best record in the NBA.
After taking down the Grizzlies in the first-round of the playoffs, the Jazz went on to win the first two games of the Western Conference Semifinals over the Los Angeles Clippers, only to lose the next four games and see their season quickly come to an end.
Heading into the 2021-22 season, there was a lot of belief within the Utah Jazz organization that they had what it takes to compete for a championship and are just needing to make the necessary adjustments in the playoffs to reach the Western Conference Finals for the first-time since 2007.
Utah certainly has a chance to be a championship contending team this season, but they have been a very shaky team, mainly because of injuries. The Jazz are 36-21 on the season, currently the 4-seed in the Western Conference, but they have barely been at full-strength all year long.
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Donovan Mitchell has missed a total of 12 games, most recently due to a concussion, and Rudy Gobert has missed a total of 14 games, recently returning from a calf injury.
While he is not much of a factor offensively outside of being a lob-threat and second-chance finisher in the paint, Rudy Gobert has solidified himself as one of the best defenders in NBA history by winning three of the last four Defensive Player of the Year awards.
Without Rudy Gobert on the floor this season, the Jazz are just 6-8 and defensively, they have been a mess without him. Having Gobert on the floor, the Jazz have posted a team defensive rating of 108.5, which ranks ninth in the league.
However, without Gobert on the floor, Utah’s defensive rating skyrockets to 115.3 on the season, ranking them 29th in the league defensively. Rudy Gobert’s impact to the Utah Jazz goes far beyond blocking shots and as much as they need Donovan Mitchell’s scoring output to be successful, they need Gobert being their defensive anchor in the paint.
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Rudy Gobert recently returned from his calf injury on Monday night after missing his team’s last nine games and immediately made his presence felt against the Rockets. While he was ejected from the game due to receiving two technical fouls, Gobert played a total of 22 minutes, going 7-8 from the floor and posting 14 points, 7 rebounds and 1 block. As a team, the Jazz held the Rockets to just 101 points.
Now on a six-game win streak and having both Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert back in the fold, the Utah Jazz are primed to make a big run down the home-stretch of the season.
However, there are still some big underlying questions about this team’s overall production matching up against the likes of the Phoenix Suns and the Golden State Warriors, the two teams that many are predicting will face each other in the Western Conference Finals.
Utah is still very much in the thick of things in the Western Conference and they could absolutely break through to make the NBA Finals, but their lack of consistency outside of their All-Stars must improve.
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The Jazz have definitely improved with Mitchell and Gobert returning from injury, as any team in the league would with two All-Stars coming back, but this team has yet to “turn the corner” this season.
Prior to their six-game win streak, the Jazz had dropped 11 of the 13 games they played and this losing skid is still in the back of everyone’s mind in Utah.
Along with Joe Ingles suffering a torn ACL and being traded at the deadline, so much mental strain has been put on the Utah Jazz as a franchise this season. Storylines about Mitchell’s and Gobert’s relationship are continuing to be created as well, adding more shadows of doubt to a small-market franchise that is on the cusp of being something special.
Success for the Jazz comes when both Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert are on the floor together, but Utah’s championship chances come down to the likes of Jordan Clarkson, Bojan Bogdanovic and Mike Conley.
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Someone else is going to have to step up for this team and while they are all great secondary talents, the Jazz are still missing something when compared to the Suns and Warriors.
This “something” could ultimately hold them back from reaching the conference finals yet again, which could result in the Jazz taking the franchise in a new direction this upcoming offseason.
