Since the 2016-17 NBA season, the Utah Jazz have accumulated just 19 playoff wins – 3.8 per season on average. In a playoffs composed of seven-game series, three wins are not going to cut it.
The Jazz have made the playoffs every season in that span. In fact – they’re the only team to finish in the top six of the Western Conference each year. If that’s your definition of success, the Jazz have been very successful.
If your definition of success includes postseason success, playoff series wins, and championships – they haven’t been successful, even remotely.
After dropping to the 5 seed in the Western Conference, the Jazz find themselves on the ropes against a Dallas Mavericks team missing its best player in Luka Doncic.
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No offense intended to Jalen Brunson, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Maxi Kleber, but that is not a big three many expected to power Dallas to victory. The Jazz defense has been simply porous, while the offense hasn’t been able to keep up. One way or another, it’s time for the Utah Jazz to break from the Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert core that has taken them far in the regular season, but nowhere beyond.
The partnership of Mitchell and Gobert was promising, but Utah’s front office has failed to surround them with the proper role players. A poorly crafted roster has allowed the flaws of Gobert and Mitchell’s respective games to become glaringly obvious.
For Mitchell – it’s the defense. On a roster with plenty of subpar perimeter defenders, Donovan Mitchell has proven to be one of the least effective. Despite his offensive aggression, Mitchell has become an extremely passive defender, becoming dependent on the dominant rim protection of Rudy Gobert.
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In theory, such a dynamic sounds sustainable, and in the regular season, it is. But every year, like clockwork, the flaws become detrimental. In the playoffs, teams have found the key to unlocking the Jazz defense – going small. With five shooters on the floor, offenses can stretch Gobert thin – making him choose between rim help and guarding his match-up on the perimeter.
As a result, the Jazz defense bleeds – either open threes or easy looks at the rim.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: NBA Scout Gets Brutally Honest About Utah Jazz, Gobert-Mitchell
On Gobert’s part, it’s the offense that makes him a liability. Most big centers can’t be played off the floor as easily in the postseason. Because of the danger, they pose on the offensive end, centers typically require a taller defender. Having a towering player on the floor when the opponent doesn’t usually means they can get easy lobs or offensive rebounding opportunities – but that simply isn’t the case with Gobert.
On top of teammates’ reluctance to pass the ball to Gobert, the center simply can’t do much with it when he does get it. The center’s first-round series has thus far been rife with fumbled lobs and turnovers, despite his low usage. Gobert also is not a threat in the post – his one-post possession in Game 2 resulted in a turnover.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: NBA Scout Gets Brutally Honest About Utah Jazz, Gobert-Mitchell
Gobert and Mitchell are the Jazz’s two best players. Despite their undeniable talent, they simply don’t mesh as a duo. Their weaknesses compound on one another, while their strengths, unfortunately, don’t.
The Utah Jazz have given enough tries to their duo – enough to consider them a failed experiment. It’s time to end the Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert era for Utah, before it’s too late to capitalize on one of their strengths.
